United We Move – Building a Team Culture

Today on NoSuperHeroes, we begin a series on building a team called “United We Move”.  The tools we explore will help leaders in a variety of settings to rally people toward a common goal.

These principles can impact people in the following variety of  settings:
Churches
Leadership Boards
Families
Small Groups
Missions Organizations
Newly Married Couples
Youth Group Fundraisers
Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO)
Church Planters
and more

Let me begin with a story of the journey I am currently apart of.

We moved to South Africa in 2006 and inherited a program which had seen success in the past. Over the last few years, numbers were and influence was waning. The team was in a leadership transition when the director stepped out for health reasons. I stepped into leadership with a team comprising one full-time workers coupled with a part-timer. The atmosphere was one of survival, and it reflected in their prayers.

Fortunately I was building on a foundation of years of effort and endeavor. I was not starting from scratch, although in certain situations (like churches), pioneering can be easier than re-pioneering.

The principles we will explore in this series are foundational elements which have served to grow this project over the last six years.

We never want to replicate models, but rather look to principles or skills. These are tools that translate into moving our own group of people towards their specific goal.

Through these guiding tenants , and of course the grace of God; we have seen tremendous growth and impact in the nation of South Africa.

Today our team includes 21 full-time workers from 11 nations.  Another 11 saints will be joining us over the next six months. We have planted works in other nations, expanded our ministries and influence in and around the city of Cape Town, while developing a strong base with our parent organization.

People routinely ask how we did this. The goal of this series is to explore several of our key building blocks, which coupled with the grace of God, led to our success.

In this series we will examine and evaluate the role of:

Vision
Values and Culture
The Creation of a Team Environment
The Makeup of your Team
The Growth of your Team
The Health of your Team
and even a few side trips along the way.

These principles work in a team as small as a family all the way up to a corporation.

So stay tuned, and enjoy the ride!

I hope to see many of you closer to your goals in your family, team, and organization as a result.

What type of group are you apart of where these tools maybe be helpful? Please share and I will attempt to gear some examples to your situation.