Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Feeling like an insider

I'm not sure if this has a specific application. But, I've been working at Starbucks for the past 2 weeks as a part-time job. I haven't liked it at all. I haven't felt connected to the store and have felt like an outsider- and haven't felt cared for.

Well, tonight I worked with the manager for an entire shift. It was my first time since I started working at this Starbucks. I was surprised that I suddenly felt more connected to the store. My theory is that it was primarily b/c I worked with the manager and I felt like I got to know her better and felt like she got to see a little more who I was. It made me feel cared for. I just found this interesting.

I'm not sure that there's any leadership lesson or church lesson. The only thing I could think of is, as a leader, people will naturally feel more connected to what I do by feeling more connected to me. So, it's at least worth being aware of that. Just something I was thinking about tonight.

1 comment:

Matt said...

This has a church application in that it is something leaders should be very aware of. The people you are leading are going to feel more connected to your church if they feel connected to you. The people at CG who are the most active and helpful historically have been the people the leadership is closest with.

I think this is something to be aware of, but I don't think it is always healthy. I think there has to be a conscious effort to develop many leaders in a church that can help every single person at that church feel connected. I think one of the hardest and often most neglected tasks in a church is to generate and train leaders - people who move from simply serving to serving by leading.