Rethink Your Relationships
Proverbs 11:14-16 (TPT)
People lose their way without wise leadership, but a nation succeeds and stands in victory when it has many good counselors to guide it.
It is important to get the right people in your world when you're entering into a phase of transition, testing or expansion. If you're about to embark on a new adventure, take a step of faith or pivot into a new initiative, one of the single most impactful things you'll need to consider is the people you have with you. You will undoubtedly encounter resistance and challenges, thus the people you have with you could be the wind beneath your sails or the anchor on your boat!
Over the years I've learn't to work as hard to repel the wrong people as we do to attract the right people and so encourage you to do the same. When you are looking for people to rally to the cause you will attract the good the bad and yes...the ugly!
Do you know what you're looking for?
Who are you taking with you?
Reflecting on past experiences, I can see how understanding how people can bring different things to the team, both negative and positive, has helped me achieve the things I set out to achieve and in many circumstance, achieve more than I thought was possible.
To help you get the right people on board with your next faith venture, consider these 5 types of people you are very likely to come across and be ready to recruit or give them the boot - your success could depend on it!
1. Undertakers
"They take things that were full of life and bury them"
Some people in life have become undertakers. What I mean by this is that they have learn't the art of taking everything that once was full of life and then burying it. Often it's not a skill they're aware of but it's a habit they have picked up over years of living in the negative lane of life. They are what water is it a fire, heat is to the snow and what rain clouds are to a nice sunny day.
"People can be the wind in your sails or the anchor beneath your boat"
Beware of undertakers because they will drain the life from your vision. The last thing you need when you're trying to build momentum for the vision is someone building a coffin to fit the vision.
2. Polltakers
"They canvas for opinions but do little with what they find"
They are information and idea hoarders. Some people just like to be 'in the know', often gaining self esteem and security from the information they gather - they think it adds value to their influence. Whist there is nothing wrong with listening to opinions and asking questions, when you only gather information for the sake of knowing it doesn't help anyone. The secret is doing something with the information you have. I have always looked for people to bring options over opinions. Opinions bring hopelessness but options bring hope. Opinions can cause a dream to shrink but options cause a dream to stretch. Opinions often breed conflict when opinions breed a sense of togetherness and community.
"People who know it all, have a bad reputation for being a known it all"
Beware information gatherers who do nothing with what they found - there may be trouble ahead when you have professional polltakers on your team and involved in your dream.
3. Caretakers
"They manage your vision but can't advance your vision"
They are the managers - and we need managers. However, they don't take ground - they simply manage the ground we're on. Caretakers are faithful, dependable and can maintain the course - but they don't set the course. So if you have visionary leaders with you, caretakers are valuable, but a team full of caretakers won't get you to where you want to be.
"Great leaders can manage but not all good managers can lead"
Beware of having too many caretakers in your world - one or two are necessary, two or three too many will have you going round in circles longer than you wanted.
4. Partakers
"They are the hands and the feet on the vision"
These are the people who have their hands in the air, volunteering their time to move things forward. They're the followers, the workers, the 'let's do this' crew. Every vision and dream needs people to get behind it. Some resource the vision, others give time to the vision and some help craft the vision. Whatever their role, partakers are essential to you getting your dream off the ground and in the air.
"People are the greatest resource anyone could have, more valuable than silver and gold"
Beware however, having too many followers and a lack of leaders. Partakers need direction and instruction to maximise their efforts.
5. Risk Takers
"They take ground and move the vision forward"
These are the leaders, pioneers, and faith filled visionaries. Risk takers have a high tolerance for failure and push through when things look bleak or fragile. Finding those with a pioneer spirit is essential to moving any vision forward. When you ask 'are their any takers?', hope and pray some risk takers step forward. You'll recognise them because they're the ones that have a look on their face that says "all things are possible" and those who'd rather die trying than never trying at all!
"Jump now and build your wings on the way down"
Great leaders are Risk Takers, they take ground and get the vision moving forward. Choose to be the first one to step up and step out, if you do, others will follow.
“Great things never came from comfort zones”
Jesus encouraged his followers to be risk takers - or to be more specific, to put heir faith in Him.
John 21:6
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
“Risk is the downpayment on success”
