Bearing The Responsibility of Relationship

We all have people we like to connect with--friends, family, and people with like-minded thinking. On the flip side, we all have people in our circles of influence that we must connect with simply because of job duties and leadership responsibilities.

I believe, as people of spiritual influence and leadership, we must feel a “responsibility of relationship” with all the people on our teams and ministry projects.

To become a more effective leader, I must intentionally build relationships with all of my team, not just the ones I share the most common interests with.

We struggle in this. We tend to grow closer to some, and then fade away and keep a distance from others. But as a leader, we have to push through those natural human tendencies and build relationships with more people – especially those we work along side or oversee.

Some may say this results in superficial friendships. I disagree. I believe we find those common grounds with the less-connected people on our team and do whatever it takes to bridge the gap in relationships.

I’ve watched too many leaders gravitate to the same few people they like and share common threads with, as others are left out from the flow of friendship. Thus leaving some disconnected, feeling less needed, and self-labeling themselves an outsider.

Leaders need to take the initiative. Leaders need to step out of their comfort zones. Leaders need to be more inclusive. Leaders need to build a strategy to connect with everyone one their team in an authentic way.

We must bear a responsibility of relationships with the people around us –whether we gravitate toward them or not.

Seem impossible?