BRYAN & ASHLEY LARSON

Where to Start

Start by defining where you are going, clarifying what you want to accomplish, and ensuring everyone understands why you are doing this. Then, identify the different skills within your team, and find the right lanes for them. Next, focus on refining their strengths. Consider this approach: Shape their gifts with excellence, nurture their hearts with grace, and guide their future with faith. In the midst of defining direction and refining gifts, you will need to keep a pulse on unifying personalities and preferences. Different skills, same Spirit.  What caused the attraction to a person as a leader can also make them a distraction as a team member if they aren’t “playing team.” They must be led. From the beginning, promote and protect a healthy team culture, and quickly address anything that doesn’t conform. 

Sustaining a Strong Team:

Five Key Principles

1. Collaboration. This will assist in breaking down walls and eliminating turf guarding, while fostering synergy and momentum on the team. Additionally, making room for different strengths and ideas prevents possessiveness and broadens the possibilities of the team. You want to leverage the diversity of strengths on the team to get the best ideas and solutions on the table. The easier it is for people to work together, the easier projects tend to come together.
2. Communication. There is no such thing as over-communication on a team. Say it, and say it, again. Good communication builds confidence within the team, and a confident team is a conquering team. Rarely do I come across a staff or team that has mastered communication. Do not tolerate poor communication-fix it. Keep the standard excellent, even in communications. 
3. Celebration. Be intentional about celebrating. Make plans and spend money on fun, while celebrating wins, both as a group and one-on-one. Most leaders continually feel the pressure of what’s next, but you must not let that pressure overshadow the importance of celebrating current accomplishments. Make it a high priority to infuse joy and appreciation into your team. 
4. Coach. A coaching culture is crucial. Foster a growth environment where team members want to improve. Then, help them get better by coaching them up. Keep the spirit and approach focused on developing their potential and providing helpful feedback. Be careful not to mistake criticizing for coaching. Be a coach, not a critic. Build the team up; don’t put them down. There is a BIG difference in their responses and your results. With that, strong teams stay strong when they consistently receive and embrace what it takes to be their best. Note this: it takes courage to coach and be coached. 
5. Clarity. Obsess over clear goals and expectations. Make sure the team knows what a win looks like. If you aren’t giving your team clarity, you are making things cloudy. Cloudy conditions within the team will cause confusion and increase mishaps. Ministry already comes with enough challenges, so don’t make it harder on yourself and your team. Never take your team for granted. Work on removing obstacles and foggy situations in your leadership and team. The “why” is worth it!

Keep Building.  Keep Leading. 

Every great vision is achieved when great men and women choose to involve others in the process. When you decide to build and lead a strong team, there will still be challenges and celebrations. There will be wins and losses. There will be risks and rewards. What you will discover, if you haven’t already, is that all of it is easier and more enjoyable when experienced with a team – A strong and healthy team. Keep building. Keep leading. Your cause and your team are too valuable. Go Team! 

With extensive experience in local churches and global ministries, Bryan & Ashley Larson have found success in developing leadership, building healthy teams, and facilitating church expansion. Their ministry is driven by a deep passion to enact change, leveraging every opportunity to impart faith in Jesus, whether on a stage or in a personal conversation.