LEADERSHIP
AWKWARD CONVERSATIONS // THE WHY BEHIND THE WHAT | Doug Doppler
“Who
awkward was a truly wonderful man. He had a healthy communicators and who doesn’t want that –
conversations?” you might ask, which is
wants
to
talk
about
church and worship team, but he wanted more right?
precisely the point – nobody does! But, this for them. In the course of our conversation I comes at a great cost to the people on our mentioned vision and his response was, “I’m There was a season where I served as the
teams and the church as a whole. When that supposed to share that with the congregation?” Worship + Creative Arts Director at a church
which needs to be said goes unspoken, the He of course ‘got it’ right away, it was simply and I learned more about church in that
important conversations that reveal the why a matter of the fact that no one had ever had season than any other. Leading others is about
behind the what often never happen. the conversation with him about the value of serving them, and in so doing you understand
sharing the vision with his church and the team. what makes or breaks a great servant leader.
CASTING VISION They were doing just fine because his heart and Once you view leadership through that lens,
Merriam Webster’s definition for vision includes leadership were ‘seen’ in other ways, but like everything changes, including your actions.
the phrase “Unusual discernment or foresight.” the proverbial genie in the bottle, some of the One of the best vehicles at my disposal was
One of the reasons I love Proverbs is that it is messy stuff we often have to mop up after that augmenting PCO with a weekly email just for
kind of like a guide to wisdom for flawed people fact should never have been allowed to happen the worship and tech teams. We had a lot
like me. And I believe that there are a lot of in the first place. This comes by sharing vision, of great photo assets, so each week I would
people like me who for better or worse want sharing clear expectations and letting people feature a team member for their contribution,
to understand God’s plan, both for their lives have a chance to ask questions. including a photo. This allowed me to affirm
and their church, and here in lies the rub. When
people who go the extra mile, allowing their
we don’t have the awkward conversations, we Over the years I’ve seen this done in a number contribution to raise the bar. It also took an
rob people of the ability to understand the why of different ways quite effectively. Members often-mechanical form of communication and
behind what of how things are done… and leader’s meetings are a great way to get turn it into a vehicle for casting vision, giving
everyone headed in the same direction. Team praise, and building a culture where people felt
“Where there is no revelation, people cast off nights put legs to the ‘downstream distillation’ appreciated for their contribution. Volunteers
restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds of vision so again, people understand the don’t always want recognition, but that doesn’t
wisdom’s instruction.” why behind the what they’re asked to do at mean they don’t appreciate being appreciated.
Proverbs 29:18, NIV
an actionable level. While vision and ‘the why
behind the what’ are so closely related, they While appreciation is important, that is only
A few years back, my wife and I were asked to are practically interchangeable in my personal part of what we deal with as leaders. Getting
coach a worship team and I had the privilege lingo. But, the words we use have nuance and back to the genie in the bottle analogy, many
of sitting down with the senior pastor, who that nuance enables us to be more effective of the problems we have to mop up on Sunday
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March 2019
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