Self-Selection in your team building process
By Rob Coburn | Wed, January 18 2012
We all, at one time or another, have to build a team to accomplish our calling more effectively. Missionaries I work with struggle with keeping their team motivated and active while they are in the field. This is not only an issue with missionaries. In any organization you will see that people will fade or not even accept the position they are qualified for.
This is a common element of team building that many people mistake for lack of enthusiasm and so on. We build teams to do the things in areas where our expertise is lacking. Often in the process, we find what we believe to be the perfect candidate for a specific position. Upon meeting with them, determining their strengths and ultimately offering them the position, we find that
they move away and decline helping our cause.
This depressing facet of team building I refer to as Self-selection. We will all experience it at one time or another, but we cannot convince or coerce someone to serve in a position when they choose not to. Frustration exists in all of us over these circumstances, but we have to realize that our Father feels the same way about us. Sometimes, we have everything we need to complete a task for Him and we walk away. Then He moves on to someone less qualified and gives them the responsibility that was meant for us. There might be someone more qualified for the position you are looking to fill, but fill it with the willing person who believes in you and your mission.
Have you ever experienced this dilemma on your team? Let me know below.
