As a child, I remember playing pick-up games with other friends at a local basketball court during the summer. Kids would come from all over the neighborhood to play. Every kid’s goal was to be a part of a good team, a winning team. These teams became the envy of other teams and players. The better team you got on, the better you became as a player. A common phrase heard on that playground was, "Can I play on your team?" I learned from an early age that people love to be on teams. Whether it is a sport, a company project, or small groups, people enjoy the camaraderie that comes from being a part of a team.
As I have written before in other articles for www.smallgroups.com, I believe the best way to develop a new small group leader is through an aggressive apprenticeship model. I have found the best way to utilize such a model is by developing the leadership for every small group into teams. The benefits of team leadership are many, but can be summed up in the common acrostic:
Together
Everyone
Accomplishes
More
One of the most effective mentoring/coaching models that has helped me in mentoring team members is a model developed by Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey many years ago called "Situational Leadership." It is a model that is primarily determined by the needs of the mentoree. Two principles that undergird the use of this model are:
Assessing: Assess the needs of the trainee in two key areas:
Ability: the skill & understanding to perform a task
Motivation: the desire & confidence to accomplish a task
Adjusting: The mentor adjusts his/her training to match the needs of the mentoree.
There are four basic stages at which the mentoree may be. These are determined by their ability and motivation. They are:
| Low Skill or Understanding Low Desire and Confidence | Low Skill or Understanding High Desire and Confidence |
| High Skill or Understanding Low Desire and Confidence | High Skill or Understanding High Desire and Confidence |
Level 1: Low in skill or understanding; Low in desire and confidence.
In small groups, this would be someone who is brand new to small group leadership. They are at first base. My role as a mentor is to set the guidelines and give a lot of instruction. I illustrate the desired task by modeling and asking them to observe. I then want to raise their desire and confidence by inviting them to "try out" the specified task for a trial period to see if it is a fit for them. I want to give them permission to pull back if it is not a fit and try something else. All the while, I am assessing, primarily, their level of desire. If the desire is there to continue, their confidence will build along with their skill and understanding. If the desire does not increase, then most likely, the role is not a fit and they need to try something else.
Level 2: Low in skill or understanding; High in desire and confidence.
This is a small group apprentice who has found their role, has tried it and has had some positive experiences. Their desire has been raised and their confidence is increasing. Yet they still lack certain skills and understanding. My role is to raise that skill level and understanding by involving them in a co-training relationship. I do the tasks with them. I watch for their specific gifts and skill sets to emerge. My main task as a mentor is to ask questions to determine their level of understanding (how questions). After completing a task together, I ask:
What went well?
Were did you get stuck?
What would you do different next time?
I then listen to see if they "got it," or if I need to add to their own assessment and give them developmental feedback. Of the four levels, this is where a high concentration of the mentor will spend his/her time with the mentoree. As mentor, I am highly involved with them in the task and highly in relationship.
Level 3: High in skill and understanding; Low in desire or confidence.
This is a small group leader who has been "released from the nest." They have demonstrated the skill and understanding needed for their role and have moved out of a co-training relationship. However they may lack confidence because of taking this initial step away from the mentor. My role is to give support. I do this by giving private feedback and public praise. I am an encourager, reminding them of the basics that got them to where they are now. My job as mentor is to help clear the fog and demystify their fears. Sometimes there is a loss of desire. This is because the new leader has gotten burned out or has lost interest due to personal issues in their life. My role is to re-vision them and remind them why they are doing this. I ask them questions (why questions) to draw their focus back to where it was in the beginning. If they need time to be restored in an area of their life, I facilitate that for them as well.
Level 4: High in skill and understanding; High in desire and confidence.
This is a small group leader who is high in every area. They are the Michael Jordans who need very little supervision. I still have a relationship with them but not as a mentor. My role is to provide ongoing training opportunities and regular check-in with them as to how their group is doing. I want them to let me know what I need to do to help them be successful. I then want to equip them to use this same mentoring strategy with new apprentices who emerge to be a part of their team.
I have used these mentoring principles for several years. I have been able to see many small group leaders become trained by their fellow team members as a result of multiplying this process. I lead a 4-hour workshop for churches to train their leaders in the practical use of this mentoring process. If you have interest in this or other small group workshops visit me at my web site listed below.
