Overcoming Sensory Issues

When our church was stuck at attendance of 2,300, I began examining what was hindering us from breaking through that barrier. What was the problem? Had our team reached its limit of capacity so they couldn’t go any further? In other words, was the solution to replace people or to grow people? One day it dawned on me:

Each staff member’s capacity was limited by his or her blind spots, deaf spots, and dumb spots. If we could identify and address those, the lid would come off, and they’d experience a new level of effectiveness.

I also realized that each person had different needs, so I wanted to tailor my input for each one. I had already implemented the practice of quarterly meetings for training and developing the team, so the system was in place. Now I needed to be more specific in my input to each one. My leadership had to go to the next level if they were going to climb to the next level. They could only grow to the extent they could see their opportunities and challenges, hear input from me and others, and continually acquire knowledge and skills.

I know it’s not a brilliant deduction, but it was eye-opening to me: No matter how sincere, passionate and skilled they may be, people simply can’t grow beyond their blind spots, deaf spots, and dumb spots. The people on your team don’t have identical deficiencies and limitations, so a one-size-fits-all approach won’t cut it. You have to craft a system of development and growth that addresses the specific issues of each person.