In the article “Do you have a virus in your group?” Michael McKinney writes that having someone difficult on your team can often be the best thing for the group. Oftentimes the “difficult” person is seen as a nuisance or a distraction, but this person can also bring a unique viewpoint or perspective that others on the team might have failed to consider. When everyone on the team thinks and acts the same, there is a limited amount of possibilities and creativity. Having a person in one’s leadership team who tackles problems or projects differently than others can be an extremely valuable asset. One thing that I feel that McKinney didn’t cover in his article is the difference between someone who can be frustrating because they often disagree, or those people who are frustrating because their behavior often does not reflect the love of Christ and the values of the Kingdom. It is one thing to have a member of our team who doesn’t like to go with the status quo, and quite another to have someone whose behavior and motivations prove to be cancerous for the team. As those who will be leading ministry teams, it is important that everyone on our team exhibits the love and mercy of Jesus. Friction that comes as a result of different opinions is to be highly valued, but friction that comes because one is not showing respect or love to the other group members is something that needs to be addressed.
Let’s consider this. A person is a group is difficult. They are among the people who are difficult because they do not show the love of Christ. The question that I think we must ask as leaders is why are they that way. I think that some of these people are among the people who at one time just had a different point of view, but over time they have been made to feel like outsiders, they have grown callous. If this person is in your group I think it is a wonderful opportunity to return them to the love of Christ or to move them toward the love of Christ by showing them the love of Christ.
ReplyDeleteThe first person that we must check when dealing with a difficult person is ourselves. How are we reacting to them? Though they are difficult and frustrating, are we making them feel as if they are a part of the group, or are we making them feel like an outsider. As Christian leaders we need to make sure that the only one who feels like an outsider around the people of God is the enemy.