He sat toward the end of the bench, it’s where players who didn’t get much playing time sat. There is a pecking order on many teams, the stars who get the most playing time and public recognition, the support players who help make the stars shine brighter and the rest of the players. For the players at the end of the bench, most have accepted their fate that their dreams of stardom wouldn’t be happening. To the outside, to the fans who watch who aren’t family, they are almost nameless and faceless. In such a role, most people will consider quitting. But they don’t because their coach understands people even better than the fundamentals of the game. He knows they are valuable and important for the team to be successful. He keeps them wanting to be there every day, even when they don’t get recognition outside.
To keep everyone on the team engaged, whether a sports team or where you work, he knew there were three things that were critical.
Leaders, pay attention, everyone wants to be:
Understood – Everyone on your team is a unique person. Do you know their names and their spouses and children? Any idea of what “makes them tic”? Their gifts? Their passions? Will you take the time to learn these things? The more you know and understand about each person on your team will make them feel more valued. It’s easy for leaders with a large span of control to say, “no way I can do that for everyone who reports to me”, and you’re correct. But you need to know about the leaders who report to you, they need to be understood. If they feel understood, they’ll make certain their team does too.
Recognized – This doesn’t always mean public recognition, or credit. There are some on the team who will crave recognition with the team, but those are few. For most of your team it means acknowledging them for their work. When they work late, or take on something extra, it’s saying “thank you”, letting them know you noticed and appreciate their efforts. Lack of recognition makes them feel like their work has no impact, or that their work is taken for granted. You may or may not like bowling, but it gives you instant feedback and recognition. You and everyone around you can see what success you’ve had by how many pins fall. Imagine going bowling and there was a curtain over the lane that wouldn’t let you see how many pins fell. Would you be excited about bowling? I doubt it, I think you’d tire quickly. That’s why recognizing your team and their efforts, no matter how small, is important, it keeps them engaged.
Contribute – Not everyone wants to be a star, but they do want a chance to contribute in a meaningful way. If they aren’t contributing, they feel irrelevant and who wants that feeling. The opportunity to contribute should match their gifts, not in a way that you (their leader) would want to contribute. If I was asked to be the department representative on a creative team tasked with generating new ideas it would be torture for me. It wouldn’t use my gifts because I’m not creative. Ask me to be on a team that helps to vet new ideas, identifying adjustments to make them work would allow me to use my gifts because I’m good at discernment. The more you know about your team, the easier it will be to find ways for them to contribute. One universal way to allow your team to contribute is to ask their opinions and be genuinely open to what they have to say.
When your team members feel understood, recognized and able to contribute, they’ll stay engaged and produce amazing work for you.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10
