One of the great things about WFX each year is leaving the treadmill of the day-to-day to connect with other leaders in church production. A great feature of the conference is the Tech Leaders Retreat designed to connect tech managers, staff, and volunteers. Organized by Dennis Choy of North Coast and Bill Swaringim of The Crossing, both on the leadership team of Church Technical Leaders, it typically takes place the day before the show and provides the opportunity for building relationships between technical teams.
I caught up with Dennis and Bill at the conference and asked after hearing the dialog, what they felt was the greatest current challenge facing technical leadership. Both agreed that it had to do with leadership. Most often, technical staff are recruited for technical skill; yet, as they grow in their responsibilities, they become managers of people. With time, they become accountable for volunteers, interfacing with pastoral staff over budgets, and being responsible to resolve any conflicts that occur. And here’s the thing, while there are many opportunities for training in the technical areas, very few resources are devoted to developing the necessary people skills that are core to being successful in the role.
The leadership challenge can also be complicated by the position technical staff hold in the overall organization of the church. Depending on the structure, they may be several rungs removed from being mentored by the pastoral leadership team as leaders in their own right. They may even be several layers away from key discussions on mission and vision creating a gap between themselves and the plans they are entrusted to execute.
While it would be nice for churches to structure in a way that includes the technical teams, those types of changes take place slowly. So, for those unwilling to wait, the responsibility falls to them to develop the skills they need. For technical staff looking for resources, here are some good places to start:
1. Take a risk. Ask someone you trust where the gaps are in your skillset.
2. Self-educate. There are many good leadership books, including Leadership by the Book by Ken Blanchard, The Leadership Triangle by Kevin Ford and the chapter on Level 5 Leadership in Good to Great by Jim Collins.
3. Learn to pull rather than push. One of the most effective leadership skills you can develop is the ability to ask questions. The book Power Questions is a great resource on this.
4. Don't fly solo. It is easy for church technical teams to get consumed by responsibility and to feel like everything is on their shoulders. Cultivate your team by adding people who have skillsets you may lack. Find people who fill your gaps.
5. Connect with peers. Sometimes the best thing you can do to grow is to mentor and receive mentoring from peers. Check out the Church Technical Leaders online forum.
