How to regularly equip and develop great teams.

Here is a template you can use for any length meeting. I have seen in my own life that when I focus on equipping, training, and inspiring others, my leadership goes from mediocre to fantastic. We have the responsibility to bring out the best in those on our teams - paid or volunteer! Here is what I have learned, and I hope you take it and make it better!

Here is what I found that works for me:

Huddles are the regular developmental environments to equip leaders with the disciple-making tools needed in their role. It is highly interactive, pulls from the wisdom of the group, and is practical to the needs of the ministry.

To prepare for a huddle, send out content (article, podcast, pdf, blog, etc.) in advance for leaders to come prepared to discuss.

To lead a huddle, remember that your goal is to pull wisdom from the group. Get everyone involved through sharing insight, experience, and tactics around the chosen topic.

To succeed, remember the final step in the huddle is to ensure each leader leaves with 1-2 action items that you or the huddle leader can follow up on next time the group meets or in another chosen way.

10-Minute Huddle Agenda Sample

A template for a quick huddle right before applying the content.

CELEBRATE (2 min)

·  Tell me something good about what you have seen God do in your life since we last met.

·  Pray, prayers of gratitude and for wisdom, growth, and spiritual encouragement.

COACHING (8 min)

Topic: Clarity is key: “handling difficult personalities” or “asking good questions”

Biblical passage: one passage (either that teaches or illustrates your point)

Content: Share or have someone on your team prepare to share the nugget of content that is going to be practiced today.

Questions: take minute to get some interaction as people digest the content:

o   Turn to someone next to you. What stood out to you from this content?

o   What challenged you from this content?

o   How would all of us doing this today impact the environment?

Assignment: Give a clear actionable step for each person to put into practice.

Follow-up: check in with each person within the next 24 hours to ask “how” putting the content into action went. “How did it go?” “What did you do well?” “What would you do differently?” Then, thank them and pray!

60-Minute Huddle Agenda Sample

A template for a longer huddle with time to apply the learnings.

PERSONAL CONNECTION OR CELEBRATION (10 min)

· Tell me something good about what you have seen God do in your life since we last met.

·  Personalize the meeting by asking about a leader’s life outside of ministry.

LEADERSHIP CHECK IN (10 min)

·  What leadership challenge are you facing right now that we can encourage you in right now? (then look to the group to speak into it)

·  Pray, prayers of gratitude and for wisdom, growth, and spiritual encouragement.

COACHING (40 min)

Topic: clear skill set (e.g. how to ask good questions)

Biblical passage: one passage (could teach on or illustrate your point)

Pre-Work: Article/podcast/resource for everyone to be ready to discuss (sent in advance or given to review at the start). Make sure it is very practical with steps or how-tos and not just theoretical.

Questions: digest content to understand the concept, write your own, or use these:

o   What stood out to you from this content?

o   What challenged you from this content?

o   What do you think was missing that would be important to add? Why?

o   What questions did this content raise?

o   Who is someone in your life that embodies what this talks about? What can we learn from them?

o   What is the action step you are going to take?

o   What accountability or follow-up question do you want me to ask you next time we meet?

Assignment: clear next step to put into practice at home, work, and ministry.

Follow-up: Schedule a time to review, assess growing competency & confidence.