RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Everyone has a personality. Your personality manifests itself through your interaction with others, your temperament, your leadership style, your reactions, your relationships, and your interests.

Your team is made up of personalities as well. When you recognize this and know how to interact and lead different personalities, it leads to team unity and strength. Here are some steps to make this happen with your team.

• Know your own personality. One of the greatest leadership tools you can have is self-awareness. Do you know your strengths and weaknesses? Do you know how you are wired? I am just now starting to figure this out. I wish I had discovered this earlier in my ministry. It would have saved me a lot of mistakes I have made with people and I could have been a lot farther down the road as a leader..

• Know the personalities of your team. Chances are you have a diversity of personalities on your team...and that's a great thing. It reflects the diversity of the body of Christ. Each person on your team has a personality that can make unique contributions to the ministry. It's important to not just have people on your team with your same personality. It will limit your team's ability to minister.

• Know how to connect with different personalities. When you learn a person's personality, you then know what they respond to best. You can learn how they want to be talked to, led, and treated. You can learn what motivates them and what discourages them.

• Know what personality traits are the best fit for each role on your team. If you have a potential hire or volunteer role to fill, knowing what personality type the role requires will put you way ahead in finding the right person. When someone's personality type matches the best personality traits for a job or role, you will have team members that are happy, in their sweet spot, and productive.

• Have everyone on your team take a personality test. Map out the results to determine if people are in the right seats on the bus. If someone is having a hard time being effective in their role, chances are they are in a role that doesn't match their personality type.  Knowing each other's personalities will help your team avoid unnecessary conflicts, power struggles, and offenses.

Our team recently took a personality test together. It has really helped us get to a new level of unity and functionality. It has helped me connect with my teammates more proficiently.

If you'd like a copy of the personality test we took, feel free to email me at dalehudsoncm2@gmail.com and I'll be glad to send it to you. 

You and your team have personality....know it and you will grow from it.

Posted by Dale Hudson