Leadership 2: Leadership Development
INTRODUCTION
Young Life staff depend on the Holy Spirit and with discipline relationally develop vision, character, and skill in those we shepherd. We empower them to empower others (using Map, Tree, List) to live into the mission of Young Life and the Kingdom.
Supporting Scripture: “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” 2 Timothy 2:2
Evidence of staff demonstrating this objective looks like:
- Uses the principles of the Leadership Tree and teaches others to use it too.
- Can communicate “the why” behind the Leadership Tree using the example of Jesus and disciples.
- Has 3 branches on their tree who are investing into their own branches (growing second level branches)
- Has a plan for the supervision and development of people on tree
- Has a plan to regularly pray for 1st and 2nd branch leaders
- Uses the list to pray for new leaders
CONNECTING THE TREE WITH VISION
Take a moment and pull out your Vision Map. Look at it. Pray over it again today.
Over these past lessons we have dreamed and worked on visions for the places where we lead. Once there is a clear vision, one of the first questions is, “How are we going to reach this vision?” The answer? With the people the Lord has put before us! The Tree is the plan!
TEACHING
As we work to put the vision into place that the Lord has given us, the first thing we need is people. We need people who are going to be on this journey with us to fulfill this vision - a shared vision. We need the hands and the feet of the body of Christ with us! We need other leaders with us and one of the best ways to do that is to develop others to fulfill this vision with us. To reach the next kid, we need to reproduce ourselves. How do we do that?
TEACHING
As we work to put the vision into place that the Lord has given us, the first thing we need is people. We need people who are going to be on this journey with us to fulfill this vision - a shared vision. We need the hands and the feet of the body of Christ with us! We need other leaders with us and one of the best ways to do that is to develop others to fulfill this vision with us. To reach the next kid, we need to reproduce ourselves. How do we do that?
Let’s listen to a clip from the Young Life Podcast to hear Simon Peter from Uganda share about his desire to intentionally develop other people to multiply. 7:52-11:21
Peter’s way of intentional multiplication discipleship began to use the metaphor of a tree - a mango tree. Watch the short video to see the comparison of a mango tree and a tomato tree.
MULTIPLICATION LEADERSHIP STARTS WITH JESUS
Just as Alexis says in the video, Jesus lived this way investing his time in a few! He had the opportunity to speak to thousands of people at a time but in his three years of ministry, he invested in 12 - and even deeper in just three. The Lord of the universe shows us how to develop others through a few deep relationships.
In the book Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert Coleman shares that Jesus’ model of leadership development should be at the foundation of all church leadership.
“Surely if the pattern of Jesus at this point means anything at all, it teaches that the first duty of a church leadership is to see to it that a foundation is laid in the beginning on which can be built effective and continuing evangelistic ministry to the multitudes. This will require more concentration of time and talents on fewer people in the church while not neglecting the passion for the world. It will mean raising up trained discipliers ‘for the work of ministering’ with the pastor and church staff (Eph 4:12). A few people so dedicated in time will shake the world for God. Victory is never won by the multitudes. (Coleman 1993, 30)
This echoes Paul’s commandment of leadership in 2 Timothy 2:2, “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”
In summary, the Tree is a visual representation of the Master’s Plan. Jesus focused on his disciples (tree) to ultimately impact his vision - the whole world (map). We carry the same vision and plan in our geographies.
TEACHING
Developing others takes time and intentionally. The Training Square is a simple tool you can use to assess where a leader is in their stage of development for a certain skill or point of development. Watch this video to learn what the training square is and how to use it with people you develop.
Scott Miedema
TRAINING SQUARE
As a leader is helping grow the competencies of the people they are leading (apprentice), it is critical to understand what is needed at each step of their development. The training square is a simple model that shows a path of (1) how an individual (apprentice) develops and grows, and (2) the leader's engagement and facilitation of their development during that same time. Steps 1-4 of the square mark the path from unconscious incompetence → conscious incompetence → conscious competence → unconscious competence. Determining where the apprentice and the leader are in the process is the crucial first step. Then you can decide how to move from there. Does the apprentice need more clarity from the leader on what is being asked? Does the leader need to provide perspective in the time it takes to gain competence? Where the leader and apprentice are exactly in the process will help to clarify the best next steps.
COACHING 101
A great coach will exercise the wisdom of seeking first to understand before trying to be understood. Coaching 101 is a specific series of questions with a single goal: identify the real issue so you can have the right conversation. Always start with the first question. Then, if necessary, go to the second, and so on. Resist the temptation to start with the last question.
- Do they know what to do? Do they have a knowledge base to be successful? Think teaching/classroom style instruction.
- Can they do it? Do they have the ability and have they developed the skills to be successful. Have they put in the reps to improve? Think apprenticeship/lab coming alongside.
- Will they do it? Do they have the heart/desire/will/motivation required for success. Think inspiration and the act of going underneath the waterline of the iceberg (see below).
You help a volunteer succeed not only by giving them a great leadership lesson, but more importantly by walking alongside them as they continue to repeat these steps and grow in confidence.
Often the presenting issue is rarely the real one. Sometimes you will help someone identify that their struggle is at the, “will,” level. Consider it a privilege to step into this space where you can help them discover what may be really happening. Remember that we are developing people, not just producing ministry. Going deeper with leaders is about discipleship and if we aren’t about discipleship, what are we even doing?
In the conversation, as you ask questions...
- If someone doesn’t know what to do...teach them, build the knowledge.
- If someone knows what to do but is struggling...do it with them, build the ability and skill.
- If someone knows what to do and can do it but lacks the will...inspire them. Help them discover the underlying issue if there is one.
PUTTING THE NEXT KID FRAMEWORK INTO ACTION
Let's build some accountability into using the Tree. The below statements are a progression of how you use your TREE meaning that they build on each other. The statements flow from HAVE to ACTIVE to SHARED to GROWING. Consider how you use your TREE and where in the progression you are.
- Every leader has a tree and knows who their three are. (HAVE)
- Every leader prays daily over the people on their tree AND has an intentional plan about how they are investing in them weekly (intentional in prayer, conversations, experiences, ETC) (ACTIVE)
- Every leader knows their 1st branch is doing the same with the 2nd branch. They pray and process this together regularly. (SHARED)
- These trees help us think through “who” our future leaders are, the “where” of the map, and “when” too. (GROWING)
ACTION STEPS
- Over the next two weeks, go and do contact work alongside each of the three people on your tree. Spend time before you go praying together and spend time after contact work praying for the kids you met and also talking about the experience and what they learned from it.
- Spend time in prayer for each of the 3 people on your leadership tree. Have an individual meeting with each of them and discuss together how you can help them grow and develop as a leader and follower of Jesus this year. Come to your training meeting with your notes and be ready to discuss how you will help develop your branches in this area.
- How many of your branches have their own branches? How are you developing leaders who develop others? Be ready to discuss with your trainer how you are helping your 3 catch the vision in investing in 3 more.
