So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)
Encourage Strengths
When you encourage individuals in their areas of strength, it empowers them with confidence in who they are, assurance in what they know, and self-esteem to keep striving. Provide individuals the opportunities they may not otherwise get to take on a more leadership role. If they are really good at folding napkins, then let them take the lead on folding napkins and training others to fold napkins as well. This will not only let them know you trust them in their role, but it will show them the other side of the team; where they provide direction and insight. What better way for their patience, attention to detail, and leadership traits to be cultivated than by leading others? Encourage strengths in others, not to be your clone, but to be able to stand alone…don’t all safety nets break at some point?
Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. ~Ephesians 4:29 (MSG)
Grow Areas For Improvement
When you treat your words as water to nurture growth, you will be amazed at the progress people experience. Instead of berating someone for mistakes they have made, exercise patience and remember you had to learn what you know, and it wasn’t all perfect. When you take your time to explain processes to individuals and why the process is the way it is, it helps them see the bigger picture. When you walk them through the steps even if they say they know and encourage them to practice in hands on training or learning, it helps them remember the things they did. When they are learning, taking notes and repeating the process back to you, it helps them to learn even more and though the areas for improvement may never be an area of strength for them, they will make progress, if you make time to help develop their skills.
Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. ~Ephesians 4:2-3 (CEB)
Some Ways To Build Up Your Team
Rotate responsibilities within the team to help identify areas of strength and areas for improvement, then build them up from there.
Pair up a strong person and a not so strong person to help develop leadership in the stronger person and skillset in the one who is not as strong.
Team evaluations – have the team speak positive things about their teammate’s contributions. This helps the one who is speaking be aware of and pay attention to how their teammates work and it helps the one who is hearing the positive feedback feel confident in their strengths.
Team accountability – have the team identify an area for improvement for their teammate and offer suggestions on how they can improve in that area
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