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| Hammond YL Team from Columbia, SC |
How To Be An “Oh Boy!” YL Team Member
"Let Your ‘Yes’ Be A ‘Yes’” (Matt. 5:37a)
If you told your team you would pick up cheese balls and shaving cream for club, complete the task as you promised.
Take Ownership, Responsibility and Initiative
Don’t wait for someone to ask you to flip the lights when it’s time to sing. Anticipate what needs to be done and then do it.
Be Constructive, Not Destructive
Help create an atmosphere of providing feedback and constructive criticism within your team. Be prepared to brainstorm ways to improve rather than just doling out critiques. Do this in love with empathy and humility. (Eph. 4:1-3,15).
Early Is On Time
When you're late, you're sending a message to your fellow leaders that they aren’t important enough to be on time for. Being early also lessons the likelihood that there will be pre-club chaos. Good preparation leads to less stress and the ability to be present with people.
Clear Delegation
End your team time together (whether at leadership, after club, in a planning session, etc...) with some next steps and knowing who’s on point for those steps. Write it down. Maybe even keep a team Google Doc, closed Facebook group, GroupMe, or my new favorite app, Slack.
Make Ideas Happen
At the beginning of a year it seems everyone has great ideas they want to execute. Often these get lost in the shuffle when the busyness of the semester happens. If you have some crazy ideas with lots of potential, make them happen. Use the varied gifts of your team members to break down the vision and execute it as a reality.
Work Together
We are called Young Life teams for a reason. Collaborate, edify (1 Thess. 5:11), bear each other’s burdens (Gal. 6:2).
Trust
Trust each other. And be trustworthy. To borrow a phrase from Andy Stanley, 'choose trust over suspicion.' When someone shows up late, do you assume the best or the worst? Let's assume the best about our teammates and give them the confidence to do the same with us.
Excellence
Do your very best (Col. 3:23). Excellence honors God & inspires people.
Know Your Role
If you're the team leader, assume responsibility to model these behaviors. You set the tone for your team culture. If you're not the team leader, respect and encourage whoever is. You influence the team culture as well.
Pray
When is the last time you've prayed for your teammates?
Love One Another (John 13:34-35)
The greatest model of love you can demonstrate for your middle & high school friends is how you treat one another as a team. Have you extended grace when a teammate has a week when they fail at all twelve of these?
Download a PDF of these 12 tips here.