Exponential East 2016: Breakout Session 5- Leadership in a Multi Site Environment

Jenni Cantron : 4 Sight Group- helping leaders thrive

Role of a leader in a multi site environment…

3 things to fight for

  1. Clarity-
    • Fighting for clarity who reports to who, how does it work what does a dotted line mean what does a straight line mean? Do we need to do everything like the main campus?
    • What are the most important things? What are the things that need to be consistent from place to place? Pushes you to get clear

iPod:
Initial or imperative- what initially needs to be a part of it?
Priority- what are the things every campus needs to aspire to within the first 6 months. Optional- you can do this if it fits your community
Discouraged- no we don’t do that…it just not something we do
Creating guidelines about how you want them to perform is essential for your team.

  1. Communication-
  • Everything rises and falls on communication. Leadership rises and falls on communication. We get clear on what we are doing and we have to communicate it well. This came out especially when you go from 2-3 campuses.
  • You need to have defined staff values- how you function as a team.
  • Think about who needs to know, what they need to know, and how to communicate it. If you don’t communicate it well, you are being selfish. (Use your blinker)
  • You will need systems and processes for how to communicate. Too much system and processes feels like bureaucracy.
  • Do you need to do a weekly staff video, or weekly staff email, be creative with staff emails.put some of your most fun creative people on the important mediums for communication. Don’t be afraid to blow-up your communication systems.
  • What got you here won’t get you there.
  • Don’t just add you have to determine what you will keep.
  1. Culture-
  • As you grow your culture will be challenged.
  • Agility starts with alignment at the top.
  • Over time a campus began to drift and it took a long time to get it back into alignment.

1 thing we need to fight against is Control…

  • Successful leaders know the difference between being in charge and being in control.
  • We kid ourselves if we think we are in control. Fight the tension between being in control. When you have to touch every decision you are going to limit the organization and limit your team.
  • Death grip of control or we throw our hands up and advocate it. Then you have to go back to the things you have to fight for. Manage the tensions between these.
  • Understand your desire for being in control. At the route is most often some type of control. We need to address our willingness to empower others.
  • As you empower others there is so much joy in that.

Every staff person there is a role they may need to give up as the church grows. Find the thing they are best at. You need to make sure you do everything possible to help a staff person succeed.

Going up the ladder in more responsibility is not the goal you need to be where you thrive. Sometimes we think moving up the ladder is the goal.