The Bible gives us eight essential elements for building a strong team at your work. In this fax I'll share the first four and give you the other four next Monday. To help you remember these, I've grouped them in an acrostic of the work T.E.A.M.W.O.R.K.

• T RUST. Trust is the emotional glue that binds people together. It produces confidence in others and encourages them to take risks and try new ways. On the other hand, mistrust creates stagnation. Trust is built by acting consistently. People must learn to trust you. The ultimate proof of trust is when you delegate decision-making power to people. Freedom and trust go together.
  "A faithful person will be richly blessed." Pr. 28:20 (GN)

• E CONOMIZE ENERGY. The quickest way to destroy a team is to burn them out. Every minute you are using up energy- and you only have a limited amount. Every new problem you give to a team add a new drain- emotionally, physically, and spiritually. If you keep attaching more light bulbs to a battery, you eventually end up with a dead battery! Be sensitive to these factors on your team:
  
  • Don't expect every person to work at the same energy level at all times.
    
  • Be aware of external drains (family, personal) and compensate.
    
  • Plan your business year in energy cycles- with times to regroup.
    
  • Work smarter, not harder- and focus on the long haul.
    
  "A relaxed attitude lengthens a man's life." Pr. 14:30 (LB)

• A FFIRM AND APPRECIATE. William James said "The deepest principle in human nature is the desire to be appreciated." Appreciation means to "raise in value". Every time you appreciate team members, you increase their value to the team. There are four important things to affirm in others:
  
  1. Affirm their effort.
     
  2. Affirm their loyalty. It may be a miracle they've stayed with you!
     
  3. Affirm their ideas. Even when you can't or don't use them.
     
  4. Affirm their differences. - When two people agree on everything, one of them is unnecessary. When a group of people agree on everything, it usually means someone isn't thinking!
     
  "In everything give thanks- this is God's will for you." 1 Thess. 5:18

• M ANAGE YOUR MISTAKES. Mistakes are useful - they teach us what doesn't work. Tell your team "I want everyone to make at least one mistake a week. If you aren't making any mistakes - you aren't taking any risks." Remove the fear of failure.
  

Until next week...
FOL#39