You Can't Have Great Team Without This

Good Morning,

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Phil. 2:5-6 (NLT)

In his book, The Ideal Team Player, Patrick Lencioni lists three critical virtues of an ideal team player. The very first of those virtues is humility. He writes, “Great team players lack excessive ego or concerns about status. They are quick to point out the contributions of others and slow to seek attention for their own. They share credit, emphasize team over self, and define success collectively rather than individually. It is no great surprise, then, that humility is the single greatest and most indispensable attribute of being a team player.”^1.

You often see this demonstrated in team sports like basketball. It isn’t always the team with the most talented individuals, but rather the team with capable individuals who work together to achieve a goal they could not achieve on their own. You hear phrases like, “They play great team defense.”, or “They really share the ball.” used to describe the synergy created when “team” is front and center.

I would further emphasize that this atmosphere starts first and foremost with the leader. A leader with excessive ego or an unhealthy need for status will have great difficulty creating an atmosphere of humility. This leads to a real lack of trust among the team because of the disconnect between what is asked for and what is demonstrated.

Once again, we see the power of this attitude demonstrated by Jesus. Notice in the Scripture above Jesus didn’t cease to be fully God. Rather, he chose not to indulge his position to the detriment of the mission and people he came to serve. By doing so he was able to mentor and develop a team of 12 ordinary men who literally went on to change the world. When these men messed up, or got sidetracked, Jesus patiently came alongside them in unique ways that encouraged them to keep going. I don’t know about you, but I cannot imagine Jesus ever saying or thinking, “Do you have any idea what I gave up to come down here and work with you guys?”. Instead, when he corrected, he did it in love. When he needed them to take a bold step of faith, he reminded them that he had their back.

Jesus exercised His divine nature, talents, and skills with an attitude of beautiful humility.  He did not discount the fact that he was fully God. He just never lost sight of the team and the collective mission. He did perfectly what C.S. Lewis described when talking about how we sometimes misunderstand humility:

“Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” – C.S. Lewis

Does that describe you this morning?

Live on purpose,
Ron Klopfenstein