Written by Have you ever had someone show up with coffee for you out of the blue? Has someone brought baked goods to your office before? Has someone treated you to breakfast? Have you ever received a hand-written note of encouragement?
I think we all have experienced this in some way, and we all know how it makes us feel. We feel seen, valued, loved, and affirmed. It is amazing how intentional and yet simple cup of coffee can be.
But here’s the thing: these moments shouldn’t just be for us, we should be utilizing these opportunities to bless and care well for our people. If we feel valued, seen, and loved when we receive those blessings, shouldn’t we be doing the same for others?
One of the best things you can do as a leader is to care well for your team(s). Now depending on your circumstance and financial structure, this may sound like something you cannot achieve. I get it; when budgets are tight or nonexistent, we default to thinking about the financial strain that comes with “caring for our leaders.”
But let me pause here and share this truth: lack of finances should not keep us from caring well for our team. That means we may need to reshape our thinking; the reality is that because we are a consumeristic culture we have allowed for that to determine how caring for people looks. But money isn’t the only thing that we can utilize to care for others.
What we need to understand is that we can care well by sitting and truly listening to others. We can care well by sending a card or a note to our teams. We can care well by publicly affirming them. We can care well by bringing them a homemade dessert or dinner.
Intentionally caring for our teams needs to be a priority because a well cared for team produces stability, consistency, longevity, community, and an environment where students flourish. Well cared for leaders care well for their students and allow for a discipleship-oriented ministry to prosper. A team that is loved, championed, and cared for is a team that will continue to run after and embrace the vision and passion of the ministry they serve and lead.
As the leader of a ministry, it is our job to love and care for our teams. It can be as simple as affirming them in public or private. A handwritten note encouraging them. A gift card, treating them to breakfast or coffee, remembering their birthday or anniversary, comforting and mourning with them during seasons of loss, or following up on important things within their lives.
Stopping and considering if your team feels loved and cared for is an important aspect of leading that each of us should be engaging with. Being intentional and walking with your team as you care for them is necessary and nonnegotiable. So, how are you caring well for your team?
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