Monday Morning Insights

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    Removing a Team Member

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    This is just the start of the list… Craig has five additional suggestions here...

    What do you think?  Have you ever had to let go an under performer or someone who just didn’t fit?  What advice would you give.

    And have you ever been let go because of performance issues or just being a bad fit?  What advice would you give the person that has to make the call?

    What do you do when you have an under-performer on your church staff? Or someone who just isn't in the right position? Craig Groeschel gives some great advice:

    1. The right person in the wrong spot becomes the wrong person unless I do something about it.

    2. If you’re always trying to develop someone’s weakness, you probably have the wrong person.

    3. Keeping the wrong person to protect his feelings is unfair to you and to your team member.

    4. If God has shown you that a team member is not the right fit, you’re cheating the person by not removing him.

    5. You can’t have the right person in a role when the wrong person is filling it...

    Comments

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    1. Leonard on Thu, June 26, 2008

      Great list, it crosses over to volunteers as well.  #2 is huge.

    2. Peter Hamm on Thu, June 26, 2008

      BE CAREFUL when you hire people in the first place. If you don’t know what’s “wrong” with them when you hire them, you don’t know enough…

    3. Mark Triplett on Thu, June 26, 2008

      Peter, I couldn’t agree more. Many folks are great at the interview and first meetings with the personnel teams, but are someone totally different once they are hired.


      A little work on the font end on the hiring supervisor’s part will go a long way in preventing a bad hire in the first place.


      I had worked with a free-lance person on and off for years with great results, but when we hired them for more of a full time arrangement, we all discovered while this person had considerable talent, they just were not the right fit personality wise in our working group.


      The departure of this person from that full time arrangement was ugly. I violated rules, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 9 and I’ve paid for it ever since for almost a year afterwards.


      I definitely learned a lot about leadership through this time. Especially in the area of what not to do…

    4. Eric Ben Eric on Thu, June 26, 2008

      But this is a two-way street.  More than once I’ve gone to a meeting where those doing the hiring put on the most positive spin but a few months later you find out your working for the Jekyll & Hyde Community Church.


      What is the person who’s hoping to get hired suppose to do, go digging around for “what’s wrong” with the church, the “team” or the pastor?  Boy, that’ll get you hired!  Especially if word gets back…and it will!


      I’ve served in places where passionate, committed and capable people were hired for those very qualities only to be hobble & ham-strung by those with control issues.  The turnover rate was unbelievable and the outgoing person would often get labeled as the problem.


      Now they get to look for another place to serve and have to answer as to why they were “let go?”  In explaining, you run the risk of sounding like a malcontent and, gee, that really improves your hiring potential.


      Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about the importance of Pastoral Leadership and Vision.  I thought Craig G. was great at Catalyst and I enjoy and learn from his insights as well as many others who serve in lead positions.  I get it.


      But please forgive me if I sound a little tired of hearing about how important and potentially difficult and even dangerous it is in dealing with us “peons.”  Many of us feel just as called to positions as associates or support staff as any leading pastor.


      I’ve been burned and burnt out by both churches & Pastor/Leaders.  I’ve been left holding the bag, the mop and the bucket to clean up the mess they’ve left behind.  And it’s not just me, I have a family to.


      The way I see it is that we are all in this together and the clock is ticking and we are very responsible…ALL of us.  I know the place God has called me to at this time in my life.  I LIKE supporting the mission, the vision and who’s leading.  But, that doesn’t mean I like to get my chain yanked nor be spoken to as though my name is “boy.”

    5. Anthony Leroy Trask on Thu, June 26, 2008

      I had a phone interview with LifeChurch once and literally the first question that they asked me was,“have you ever fired someone before?”

    6. karen on Fri, June 27, 2008

      Great list!  Thanks!  I personally have never had to let someone go, but I see people in the wrong positions all the time.  Sad. Everyone ends up being hurt in the long run.


      I have been in a position (volunteer) where I wasn’t seen as the right fit.  However, it was not handled well.  My advice would be to be honest and upfront.  Hurts for a bit, but it’s better than being strung along thinking you are doing a good job. Don’t let someone stumble along to avoid hurting their feelings.

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