Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Every diocesan office, every church staff has some superstars.

They are creative thinkers – and doers – with boundless optimism and energy. Their job is a ministry, a calling, and they pour both their ability and heart into the work. And it shows.

But, I wonder, how often do we praise this good work? Or do we more often let it pass without comment?

In an article in Newsweek about winning strategies, Jack and Suzy Welch make the point that too often organizations and leaders focus their attention on the bottom third, troubled employees who are having a hard time meeting expectations. The middle are left to flounder, without encouragement or mentoring that might enable them to rise to the top. And the superstars? Well, eventually, they “become disaffected and leave seeking more appreciation, either in the soul or the wallet, or both,” according to the article.

The article continues, “on winning teams, leaders spend the vast majority of their time lavishing love on top performers. Yes, love: rewarding them for every contribution, building their self-confidence so they have the guts to take on even greater challenges, and holding them up as a role model for others on the team.” Leaders also spend a lot of time with the mid-level performers, providing relentless coaching. 

Now there’s a fine line between lifting up the stellar work of your top performers – and alienating them from the rest of the group with excessive praise. I’ll leave that to you to find the sweet spot. 

What I think is so interesting is that this article calls us to move from our natural tendency to focus attention on the problem areas and into a new way of thinking, of expending our energy in places of success. Sure, the proverbial leaky-faucet-squeaky wheel has to be fixed but it doesn’t have to lead every vestry meeting.

This advice transcends paid church staff into our interaction with volunteers. So much of church work is about cultivating a committed group of volunteers and empowering them to live into their own ministry, their own baptismal covenant.

I wonder what it would mean for our churches if leaders, clergy and lay, spent less time sorting out petty disagreements and begging for commitments from unreliable volunteers and more time supporting the successes of their stars. What do you think?