This is true in all areas of leadership, but I find it to be especially true in ministry.

photo credit: Jason A. Samfield via photopin cc

Growth is critical if you want to stay on top of your game and be effective for the long term. I’ve seen too many leaders sacrifice personal and spiritual growth. It doesn’t take long for their leadership to crumble, for their effectiveness to wane, and even for their integrity to be compromised.

In order to grow, you have create the right environment. Hank Aaron understood this when he said, “My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.” He created an environment where he could continue to grow, no matter what. And we must do the same.

In order to maintain your leadership abilities, you need to make sure that you are in an environment that is designed for growth. There are a lot of aspects of your leadership environment that you may have no control over. But there are several elements that you can control.

So how do you determine if you are in an growth environment? Here are a few tell-tale indicators that will show you. And if you don’t see these, many of them you can seek out or even create.

You are in a growth environment if there are others ahead of you

The easiest way to see if you are in a growth environment is to look around you. Are there others who are ahead of you? Do you have colleagues who have been where you are now and have grown beyond that point? If so, chances are good that you will be able to stretch beyond where you are currently as well. Take a look at your organization. Identify those who are stronger leaders than you. Look at what they’ve done in their lives that helped them to where they are now. Not everything that worked for them will work for you, but many of the principles you see in their life may translate into yours in some fashion.

Don’t see this in your life? Seek out others in your ministry or organization that are ahead of you. Or look at similar organizations in your area. You may be able to meet regularly with an individual or small group that can help you grow.

You are in a growth environment if you are out of your comfort zone

In the letter to the Romans, in the New Testament, Paul writes that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance develops character (Romans 5:2-4). Stretching yourself out of your comfort zone doesn’t always mean suffering, I realize that. But the principle is the same: stretching yourself develops growth. So when growth opportunities don’t feel that great, know that when you step outside of your comfort zone, you are most likely growing. The reverse is true as well. Staying in a comfortable environment means that you probably aren’t growing.

Don’t see this in your life? Take a look and see what you could be doing that will fail if God isn’t involved. It may be difficult. You may catch some flack for it. And you may feel like quitting. But stretch yourself and see if you don’t grow from it.

You are in a growth environment where there is a willingness to change

Just because we’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean that we should keep doing it that way, especially if “that way” doesn’t work anymore. Environments that are poised for growth are willing to make changes when they are necessary. Too many churches and other organizations are stagnant because they are unwilling to let go of traditions that are no longer effective. Don’t misunderstand me. In no way am I saying that we need to compromise our message. But what I am saying is that if a particular program or practice loses its effectiveness, then we need to consider replacing it with something that will promote growth.

Don’t see this in your life? Encourage those around you to grow by letting go of things that have lost their effectiveness. But start small. Don’t begin by canceling Sunday School. Big changes will need to be built up to by first building trust.

There are just three of the indicators of a growth environment that I’ve discovered to be true. In my next post, I will take a brief look at three more.

In the meantime, take a look around your organization with an eye for these indicators. And find someone that you can discuss these things with. Many times growth occurs easiest when hashed out with another.

Are there other indicators of growth environments that you’ve experienced? You can share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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