Building a healthy worship team can be hard work. There’s always some bad behavior we need to confront or a difficult team member or two causing headaches.
Whether you’re fighting gossip, a lack of commitment, tardiness, or negativity…bad behavior can be a drain on your energy.
Thankfully, there’s a way past all of this drama to sunnier skies…but it’ll take a bit of work and some time.
Here are 7 tips from our recent podcast episode that will help you build a healthier team culture.
1️⃣ Define your cultural values
You can’t expect what you do not define. If your team members have no clue what sort of behavior is desired, they can’t give it to you. Take a day to brainstorm 3 to 5 “identity” words that you want to be true of your team. Not “what we do”…but “who we ARE” (or who you want them to become). “We are _______ .” Once you have those words, communicate them to your team regularly.
2️⃣ Model the desired behavior
People watch our behavior more than they listen to our words. If you say you want positivity, but you often speak negatively, your team will copy you. BE what you want to SEE in your team. You are the thermostat, and your example will set the temperature for the rest of the team. So show them how to behave, and they will follow.
3️⃣ Attach the WHAT to the WHY
People are not robots. They often need to understand WHY they are being asked to do something. If you are asking them to be musically excellent, explain to them from Scripture why it matters. If you’re asking them to be on time, give them reasons for why that helps the rest of the team. They might not like WHAT you’re asking them to do, but if they understand the WHY, they will likely comply.
4️⃣ Put the people above the product
Never destroy a person in order to get an outcome. I’ve heard of worship leaders yelling at their team because they aren’t “performing” to their standards. That’s wrong. Jesus doesn’t care about music, He cares about people. Humans respond best to coaching and encouragement, not verbal beatdowns. Be sure to always put your team first, and eventually they will rise to the level you desire.
5️⃣ Define what is normal
Some key phrases that will help you build your culture: “We don’t do that here.” or “On this team we ________ .” By stating that something is normal, it becomes accepted. Soon no one will even question it, they’ll just do it… because “That’s what we do here.”
6️⃣ Kill the cancer while it’s small
Your job is not just to create the culture, but to protect it. If there is bad behavior, jump on it (quickly, but lovingly) while it’s small. It’s easier to take out a cancer while it is small, than to pull out a 15-pound tumor because you waited too long to deal with it. Do it for the good of your team.
7️⃣ Be patient
Building culture takes time. If you consistently do these things, you WILL see the results. Great teams aren’t built overnight. Focus on the right actions rather than the outcomes. The outcomes will come with time. Just do the next right thing.
🚩 If you want more help with building team culture, check out our TEAM BUILDING COURSE inside of the Academy. You can try the Academy for 15 days for just $1. There are 10 in-depth courses there, plus live monthly trainings, and a great community of worship leaders! TRY IT TODAY.
Alternatively check out our full podcast interview below.
