At Synergy Factory, we’ve been needing a game changer for a long time.

For over a decade, we’ve been training teams in how to be better communicators, be more trusting and trustworthy, deal with conflict among the team, be committed to the team, be accountable, and to attain results. Every seminar we’ve held has been successful. We’ve seen doubters completely change their minds. We’ve had teams do far more than they thought they were capable of. We’ve worked with camp counselors to high school bands to church leaders.

While most of our teams have been involved in one ministry or another, that never really was our intent. We wanted to reach into the corporate world and built teams in businesses. But as I look forward and dream about the future of Synergy Factory, I feel like God is preparing us for a game changer. He’s been re-birthing in me a passion for teambuilding… not just any team, but teams in the Kingdom of God!

So it may not seem like much of a game-changer. We’ve always been working with ministries. But the game is changing because the very focus of Synergy Factory is now changing. From now on, we will be passionate about building teams within churches and other ministries in order to better equip them for their mission!

With this new shift in our focus, we’ve written a new mission statement for Synergy Factory:

Synergy Factory helps churches and ministries excel by training their teams to realize their full potential.

Whether you’re a new church that needs help training its volunteers, an older church that needs new life breathed into its leadership team, a campground maintenance team, a short-term missions team, or anything in between — we want to help bring strength and energy that you need to fulfill the calling God has on you!

What ministry(ies) are you involved in? Do you have a team that needs better communication? Is your church struggling to keep committed volunteers? Maybe it’s time for a game-changer. Let’s set up a seminar for your team today!

On the softball team, it was the girl who always struck-out at the bottom of the ninth.

At church, it’s the gossiper.

At work, it’ the annoying guy that stops at your desk and rambles on and on about his missing stapler.

You know who I’m talking about, right? The outsider. Outcast. Loner. Call her what you want, she’s the person everyone goes out of their way to avoid.  We’ve all experienced it — and chances are, we’ve been that person a time or two.

So what do we do when we’re stuck on a team with one of these ‘black sheep’? It’s easy to feel like there’s no way you can succeed with someone like that on your team.  They’ll mess something up for sure, right?

Outsiders have been around for a long time. I think even Adam & Eve’s son, Cain, felt a bit rejected. In fact, there were many people in the Bible that were outcasts in their society — many of them because of their physical appearance, especially those with leprosy.

But there was one man who didn’t have a repulsive appearance; in fact he was presumably pretty rich. He probably wore colorful robes and the highest-quality sandals. Ironically, it was his career that labeled him an outcast. Levi was a tax collector.

Let’s be honest — that job title comes with baggage even now. But back then, these tax collectors would collect money from the Jews to give to the Roman government. they were allowed to collect more than the allotted amount to keep for themselves, and many of them took advantage of this. So it’s not hard to see that the Israelites were not fond of these guys.

Levi (a.k.a. Matthew by the Romans) recorded his interaction with The Greatest Leader.

Read  Matthew 9:9-13

I can imagine Matthew was pretty bored, sitting at his booth all day. He probably didn’t have many visitors. In fact, I picture most people crossing to the other side of the street to avoid him. What if when Jesus walked by, his big entourage following him crossed to the other side even while Jesus approached Levi! It’s funny how many people will only follow Jesus so far…

When Jesus told Matthew to get up and follow him, there was no hesitation — Matthew jumped up and followed him! Part of me wonders if he even left behind his money bag. It makes sense to me; I imagine if everyone went out of their way to avoid me, and a man being followed by a large crowd told me to follow him too, I’d do the same thing! He was longing for companionship. He was hungry for community.

It’s no surprise that it didn’t take Matthew long to invite Jesus and his followers to his home for a feast. I imagine it was quite a feast too. I’m sure Matthew was ready to impress! He even invited his colleagues to the party, other tax collectors and “sinners” (a.k.a. people, because we all fit that category).

Were they the only ones who would accept his invitation other than Jesus and company? Did Matthew specifically seek this type of crowd out, knowing that they needed to meet this most-interesting man? I guess we’ll never know.

Regardless, there were some who were less impressed that Jesus would hang out with such a crowd. I bet we can liken the scene to that of a middle-school dance: “sinners” on the left, “perfect people” on the right. These self-acclaimed models of perfection were known as pharisees, or teachers of the law.

In their time, they weren’t necessarily bad — they only tried to teach people to follow the Scriptures as they new them. There hadn’t been a Messiah yet to fulfill the law, therefore they knew it needed to be followed.

When these pharisees saw the crowd waiting for them at the dinner party, they were less than impressed. “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” the NLT reads. That’s what they asked Jesus’ disciples. As a teacher, he should probably be eating with other teachers. That’s what they did.

It’s interesting that they asked them instead of Jesus Himself. Maybe he was busy chatting with one of the other guests. Maybe they didn’t want another guest to hear their insult. Maybe they were jealous that the disciples were following Him instead of one of them. Either way, it sounds ironically like what we might hear in one of our circles today (i.e. heard in the high school cafeteria: “Why is Jackson eating with the nerds?”)

Jesus heard them. Oops. His response probably made them think: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” But before they could respond, he paraphrased a quote they were very familiar with from the prophet Hosea; “I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices” (Hosea 6:6).

When Hosea wrote it, it was a basic plea for goodness and kindness. Jesus took it a small step further in Matthew: “I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.” It’s not much of a difference, but there’s a slight change that is actually pretty significant. By adding this word ‘mercy’ (eleos in greek), Jesus literally meant to show kindness to the miserable and afflicted.

Jesus goes on to say that he didn’t come to call those who thought they were ‘perfect’; He was calling and inviting those who knew they were sinners. In other words, He’s not there for the pharisees. He’s there for the prostitutes and tax collectors. Wow.

You see, Jesus knew that the sinners in the room — including Matthew — were hurting. They were miserable. They absolutely knew that they were enslaved in sin and filth, but didn’t know how to get out of it. For many, this might have been a last resort — to risk everything, go to a tax collector’s home, and meet a very unusual Teacher who just might have an answer for them. Boy, does He ever.

So as we look at this story that’s packed with all kinds of lessons for everyday life, what can we learn about teamwork? I know it’s tough to see it, but it’s there. Take a minute and think about your team. Think about that oddball that no one seems to get along with. Think about the girl who is so shy, it’s nearly impossible to get them out of the corner at the company parties. Think about the guy who always messes up the project and angers everyone. Picture them in that room broken and afflicted, sitting at the feet of Jesus.

How to make the outcast in your team feel like he is a vital member

• Recognize/acknowledge them

Jesus saw Matthew sitting at his table and approached him when others would deliberately avoid him.

Don’t ignore or forget those on the fringe of your team. Don’t count out someone as a potential team member just because they are different. Acknowledge them and get to know them. They’re probably desperate to get to know you, too.

• Invite them to participate in the team’s tasks.

Jesus extended an invitation to Matthew, and Matthew dropped everything to follow Him. Eventually Matthew would become one of the pillars of carrying the message of Christ to the ends of the earth.

If you see a teammate standing on the sidelines, don’t let them get away with it. Invite them in. When a member of your team isn’t adding to the discussions, don’t chastise them. Invite them to be a part of the group.

• Encourage their strengths.

Matthews obviously loved hospitality. He threw a great party. This wasn’t just a quite dinner for a select few; it was a bash with “many” people invited, not to mention Jesus and His growing entourage! It would have been easy for Jesus to toss His invitation aside. There were more important things to do, right? Nope. Jesus did the unthinkable: He showed up. Just by showing up, He was showing Matthew that he mattered.

Show that duckling in your group that he matters, too. be intentional at spotting their strengths. So they aren’t great at public speaking? Maybe they’re great artists. Not the best athlete? Maybe she’s better at strategy. Think he’s no good at project managing? Maybe he has an awesome eye for detail.

You may not find anything they excel at right away. Just look for something they enjoy, or seem to do pretty well. Then help them develop that as a strength.

• Stand up for them.

When The other teachers of the law began discreetly tossing insults around about the “oddballs” of the party, Jesus confronted them. He exposed their pride, and challenged their knowledge of the very literature they spent their lives studying and discussing. In doing so, He stood up for the ones He was really there for.

It’s easy for gossip and complaining to grow in teams when not everyone is alike. Negativity in a team will spread like wildfire. Don’t let it continue. The instant you hear anyone speaking or acting in a negative way about one of your teammates, confront it. Stomp that fire out.

• Get rid of the hater, not the hated.

Jesus called those who knew they were sinners, not those who thought they were righteous. There’s nothing Jesus can do with someone who is full of pride. A proud person sees through a filter; he only believes what he wants to believe.

When you discover that someone in your team is so prideful that he can’t work with a certain teammate, then she’s no longer useful to the team. Cut her off. If you oversee multiple teams and want to see how she’ll work with one of the others, be my guest. But don’t be surprised if this peacock in your group is too proud of herself to be any good.

Jesus Acknowledged Matthew, invited him, encouraged his strengths, stood up for him when others attacked, and made it known that He was there for Matthew, and not them. So what about you? Is there someone on your team that needs someone to notice them?

Maybe it’s time you stopped going with the rest of the crowd ignoring the outsiders, and began inviting them to be involved. Who knows, they may run away screaming. But maybe they’ll have a good time. Maybe they’ll actively participate in their own way, and really contribute. Maybe — just maybe — they’ll write a book about you that will be read by millions.

If Drew Brees offered to train you to be the best quarterback of all-time, would you drop everything you are doing and go?

If _________, the absolute best at _________, asked you to follow them so that you could eventually take their place, would you go without hesitation?

A few people might say, “Nah, that’s not for me. I’m fine being just mediocre.” But there’s something within most of us that causes us to want to be the best of the best.

READ Luke 5:1-11

So Jesus is preaching to this growing crowd, which gets so large that He has to climb into a boat and push off so that everyone can hear Him. After He finishes, He looks over at Simon (who He had nicknamed Peter partly because of his stubbornness), and tells him to toss out his fishing net.

You can almost hear the whimpers and sighs in the boat. Peter — being his stubborn self — starts to make excuses, but catches himself and tells Jesus that since He told him to, he will. With one toss, the net is so full of fish that it almost sinks their boat and the second one!

Peter fell to his knees in a pile of fish in the boat and asked Jesus to leave because he was too much of a sinner to be around Him. It’s Jesus’ reply that we need to catch. He told Peter not to be afraid; from now on he’ll be fishing for people.

After they paddled back to shore, Peter and his fishing buddies left everything and followed Jesus.

#SeeWhatIDidThere

If you’re like me, you may have heard this story a thousand times and completely missed the subtle lesson here. We see the application: They were fishermen, and now Jesus calls them to be fishers OF men. “Yeah, I remember that from sunday school”, you’re thinking. But let’s look a bit deeper.

First of all, Jesus is a Rabbi, which means He recites scripture and preaches. Basically. Forgive me if you’re a theologian and I just butchered that completely. But in essence, that’s what they did. The thing is it was such a respected position that everyone wanted to be a rabbi. It was like winning a lottery to become a rabbi’s apprentice!

Second, these fishermen were fishing because they weren’t chosen to be a rabbi’s apprentice. So they became employees of Zebedee’s Fishing Charter. It was hard work. Apparently after a whole night of fishing, they would occasionally have nothing to show for it.

They had just seen Jesus the Rabbi preaching to a crazy-large crowd. Then, after telling them to throw out their nets, they catch a crazy-large amount of fish. THAT JUST HAPPENED. These guys were dumb-founded.

But before they had time to pick up their jaws, the most-amazing thing happened: Jesus told them they’d soon be fishing for people! I don’t want you to miss this. First they catch 2 boatloads of fish. Then this miracle-causing rabbi tells them they’ll be fishing for people. Fish. People. Lots of them. A whole mess of people. I still can’t get over this!

This rabbi (whom they didn’t know was the Messiah at the time) basically just said, “You see what I did there? Now imagine the amount of people who will be following you!” He just told them that they’d be the best of the best. They can be apprentices of the best rabbi they’d ever laid eyes on.

Sooo… how does this apply to teamwork?

I’m so glad you asked. If you want your team to be the best of the best, here are a few things to try:

• Don’t worry about picking the best.

Jesus picked a bunch of smelly teenage fishermen. He saw potential in them when others didn’t. If you’re just starting out with a new team, look at their potential — not their flaws and weaknesses. 

• Stand behind your word.

Jesus didn’t exactly tell the guys that if they threw the net out they’d have enough fish to hold a fish-fry for the whole village. But I think He did imply that they would at least have results. If you want to build trust in your team, don’t have them doing things in vain. If you tell them to do it, you better know that it will produce results, or else it’s just a waste of everyone’s time. If it doesn’t, then be ready to own up to it.

• Be willing to do the dirty work with them.

Jesus didn’t tell Peter to take Him back to the shore to catch the fish; He was still in the boat, up to His knees in fish when He told them to follow Him. I imagine He was pulling up the net just as hard as everyone else.

Your team may never be the best of the best, because there can only truly be one of those at a time in whatever sphere you are working in. I believe as long as we take these cues from the Greatest Leader, we’ll be well on our way to greatness. Leave the dead fish and torn nets behind and lead your team to something life-changing!

By the way, you know those young fishermen? If you finish the Book, you find out they really did become fishers of people. The world has never been the same.

What are some of the ways you encourage your team to greatness? Please share in the comments section below!

We all remember that phrase made popular in the 90’s with bracelets, bumper stickers and t-shirts. Many of us may quote that phrase or its acronym, WWJD, when someone is being indecisive. But no matter how cheesy it may sound to us now, it’s still a powerful question.

As a team-building coach, lately I’ve been curious what Jesus can teach us about teamwork from His interactions with His apostles and the many disciples who followed him.

This is the first of a series of blogs about the Greatest Team Leader and His ragamuffin team. So let’s start at the beginning — when the Apostles first start following Jesus:

READ John 1:35-51

How the Greatest Leader knew His team

How well do you know your team? Do you know about their families? Do you know how they react in certain stressful situations? How about what their passions are or what they get excited about?

No matter what type of team you are a part of, it is important that you get to know them if you will be with them for any length of time. The more you know each other, the better you can communicate.

In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, as Simon is introduced to Jesus, Jesus immediately changes Simon’s name to Peter (which means “rock”). Jesus did this because He knew who Peter was even before they met! He knew that Peter had this strong, stubborn personality. He also knew that Peter would soon become a cornerstone of the Church.

Soon after, Philip brought Nathanael to meet Jesus. Of course Jesus already knew Him, as well. He shocked Nathanael as he approached, calling him a true man of integrity — what a compliment from the Son of God! Turns out, Jesus had been watching him — maybe even through His spiritual eyes. Watching Nate sitting under a tree would hardly be enough to confirm that he’s a true man of integrity; Jesus knew Him deeper than that. He had been watching Him for a long time.

Ways to get to know your team

No matter how detailed the hiring process or how strong the LinkedIn profile, we can’t get to know someone that well before meeting them — not like Jesus can! But there are ways you can get to know your team members after you meet them:

• Make the most of those water fountain conversations.

We’ve all heard of these “water fountain” discussions. Usually it’s a term describing gossip. But next time you’re filling up the coffee mug or walking to the car after practice, use it as a moment to get to know one of your teammates a little bit more. Ask them about their family. Find out what dreams have been keeping them awake at night. Yeah, it’s great to ask how their weekend went; but why not go deeper? The point is to get to know your teammate, not just fill the air with empty words.

• Take a personality test with your team.

There are many personality tests out there that vary widely, from the simple DISC test to the very complex Enneagram.

But you don’t need to schedule a personality assessment just yet; something very trendy in the social media world right now are these quick questionnaires that will tell you what character you are from Friends, what color matches your personality, etc.

They’re quirky, and sometimes down-right ridiculous. But once in a while you might come across one that is eerily accurate. Consider tweeting it to your teammates just as a fun way to get to know each other. You might be surprised what Disney Princess they are!

• Have regular “get-to-know-you” times.

It doesn’t have to be on the group calendar unless you just have a hard time doing this, but it’s important to have regular times when your team can come together and get to know each other on a more personal level. This might be an occasional backyard cook-out, a trip to the ballfield, or a day at the beach.

The point is, it’s not really a time to talk about the tasks at hand. It’s a chance to meet their family, talk about things that interest them, and have fun together. Not only will you get to know who your team is, but you’ll begin to build friendships. You never know who in your team has been needing something like this!

If your team will be together for a while, it might be beneficial to schedule a retreat or road trip. A weekend away is a great time to go deeper in those relationships. Don’t be afraid to get to know your team this way. Some leaders like to avoid befriending their teammates and instead like to take the position of an authority leader. While there is room for authority to some level in many teams, I believe a team can be more productive, more enjoyable, and more respected when they are building friendships!

Jesus knew His team of apostles better than they even knew themselves. You’ll never know your team as well as He knew them — or as well as He knows you now. However, I think it’s a great reminder that we should want to get to know our teams. Let your team know that this is more than just getting the job done or winning the tournament. Each one of your teammates is a human being with thoughts, dreams, feelings, concerns, hurts, and stories. Not only will it improve the team to know each other, but it may just improve your quality of life.

This is obviously not a full list of ways to get to know your team. How about you… what ideas or ways have you gotten know the team you’re in? Please share in the comments section below!

I recently facilitated a team of teenagers and young adults through a game that was meant to expose their levels of commitment. They needed to carry an object balanced between them for quite a distance to a finish line. It would require careful balance and an overwhelming desire to finish for each team to be successful. But from the start, nearly every team got “creative” with their process.

While I must say, some of the ideas they came up with were unique, every one of them were against the rules.

They were just looking for a quick way to reach the destination without needing to put forth the effort.

One by one, almost every team was sent back to the start — some teams even multiple times! Finally, one team who persevered from the beginning, moving ever-so-slowly, reached the goal. Their hard work paid off!

I always try to debrief the teams after each game to discuss what they faced, how they overcame it, and how they could apply it to other areas of their lives, or specifically to the mission of the team. I hadn’t expected a conversation to brew about integrity.

“But, you didn’t say we couldn’t do it this way!” some had said. Maybe that’s true.

But if I want to reach the top of Mt. Everest, I’ll want to climb it, not take a helicopter.

So, what exactly does it mean to have integrity? Well, it actually has a few meanings:

• A firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values
• An unimpaired condition
• A state of being complete or undivided

In a team, it’s important to be unified. When disunity happens, it’s only a matter of time before it all falls apart if nothing is done about it. Because of the nature of a team of people, there are many things that can go wrong.

But there are steps that you as a leader can make to insure that your team avoids the crumble.

1. Establish the core values of your team, and make them known.
   As long as the absolutes are in place and well-communicated, a member of the team cannot use the excuse that he or she didn’t know. Discuss them regularly. Post them in your office or meeting space. Include them on your website and internal emails.
2. Be a leader that is both respectable and approachable.
   There’s nothing worse than having a boss that is so over-bearing that others on the team are not welcome to express their thoughts, ideas, or concerns. At the same time if there’s no respect among all members of the team, then eventually someone is taken advantage of. Finding the balance can be tricky, but not impossible. The best way to achieve both is to treat the rest of the team the same way. Respect your teammates. But be willing to build relationship with them that goes deeper than the elevator.
3. Encourage transparency.
   Transparency builds trust. As teammates are open and transparent to one another about situations, it leaves nothing in the dark. Cutting corners is no longer an option. Be open and honest with your team, and expect the same from them.

Oprah Winfrey once said, “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”

It’s that kind of integrity that will hold the foundation of your team strong and sturdy.

Aristotle explained that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts — that’s the definition of synergy. When your team realizes that synergy is more important than just reaching results, then you know you have a team that will uphold integrity.

So go ahead, encourage creativity. Inspire your team to think outside the box, and bend the rules of normal behavior! Push them to go beyond their means.

Have more thoughts on integrity, or a great story to share? We’d love to hear it! Share your comments below.

If I could describe my awkwardness as a preteen in one word, it would be — hair. I remember my first day in seventh grade well. It was my first day at a new school, a Christian school in town where I didn’t know anyone. Of course, I wanted to make a good impression. So I decided to make good use of hair gel.

I used so much gel in those days, I could have made the quills of a porcupine behave! I decided the best look for me was to slick all of my hair straight back, and use enough gel so that it became as hard as a turtle shell.

Back to that first day — when I went into homeroom that morning, I sat in front of a guy that would eventually become a life-long best friend. His name is Brian. Our initial topic of conversation: our mutual love of hair gel!

Regardless of your pubertal adolescence, one thing is certain: preteens are hard to read. I don’t think Jesus was any different. Let’s face it, that awkwardness is bound to happen for everyone. Just because Jesus was the Son of God, I don’t think He was immune to it. His voice probably cracked with the best of them. He suffered growth spurts that gave him cramps and made him run funny. He probably even ate three-times more unleavened bread than the average adult.

There’s only one account in the Bible about this season of Christ’s life, and it’s recorded by a doctor. Luke, the author of the New Testament book by the same name, writes:

Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.

When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”

“But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they didn’t understand what he meant.

Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

In typical Jewish tradition, Jesus’ family traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is an annual holiday meant to remind them of when God rescued them from slavery in Egypt a few thousand years before Jesus was born.

It was also typical for young Jewish boys to spend time in the temple conversing with the religious leaders and asking curious questions before their bar-mitzvah at the age of 13.

When the caravan left Jerusalem the day after Passover, Joseph and Mary assumed Jesus with the crowd, maybe playing with the other children as typical children do. It wasn’t until later that day that they realized he wasn’t around. They quickly went back to Jerusalem, and after searching all over the city, they finally found him in the temple.

It seems Mary had a typical parental outburst. I can imagine her eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets, face red, and arms flailing as she says, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere!” If you are a parent, maybe you can relate. How could he be so inconsiderate?

Jesus’ response could also be read as typical. In fact, in written word it seems downright rude. “But why did you need to search? Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” It’s never a good idea to respond to a question with a question — especially after your parents have been looking high and low for you all over the greater Jerusalem area.

What if Jesus’ reply was not as abrasive as we think? What if he really was this curious guy who knew where he belonged and knew he wanted to know more about his Father. What if the question he asked his parents wasn’t to point out their “foolishness”, but rather, just another typical, curious question from a child to his parents?

We know Jesus was fully man, and yet fully God. we know that in order for him to die for our sins, he had to be sinless. Responding sarcastically to his parents would certainly be considered sinful, breaking the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and mother.” It’s safe to say that Jesus was indeed not-so-typical.

This important story from Jesus’ early life points us to a great lesson in communication. Indeed, you could probably pull out several lessons here. But I think one of the largest is a lesson in assumptions.

Joseph and Mary made a typical, but big assumption that Jesus was among the other kids in the crowd. Rather than assuming Jesus knew they were leaving, his parents should have been communicating with him more. They should have double and triple-checked to make sure he was around.

It’s an easy mistake. How many people have packed their groceries and driven halfway home, only to realize they left their child at the store? Have you only been assuming your teenager is keeping a pure communication on her phone? Are you guilty of assuming your toddler can be trusted with a full bottle of glue without being in plain sight?

We all make mistakes. We all make assumptions. It’s typical. But to make your life a little bit easier, try to communicate even when you think it’s obvious. you don’t want to do it in a way that belittles your family member. However, it’s important to make sure your voice-cracking student understands the difference between deodorant, antiperspirant, and spray paint.

Secondly, when you have made the wrong assumption, don’t take it out on your child. Maybe she has a good explanation for missing the bus home.

No matter what team you lead – a sports team, a corporate team, or a church group – you have players that you aren’t even aware of. These players help keep unity in your team and drive you to your common goal. So who are these players, and how can you make sure they are performing at their highest potential? We’ll quickly take a look at each one.

MVP #1: The Communicator.

You have to communicate with people. It’s inevitable. But communicating is even more important among groups. This is the first most valuable player on your team. In fact, the other players cannot have a sturdy foundation without strong communication!

Verbal Communication

If you could rate the verbal communication within your team between 1 and 10 – 10 being the highest – what would your answer be? Keep in mind, there are really just 2 parts in communicating verbally:

Speaking

• Speak clearly.
• Do not speak out of turn / do not interrupt.
• If you have something to say, say it.
• Everyone has ideas, and opinions about finishing a task. Good brainstorming allows for all to be shared.

Listening

• A good listener is an active listener.
• Really concentrate on what the others are saying. Don’t let your thoughts go out of control!
• This is where non-verbal communication is important.

Non-Verbal Communication

90% of our communication happens non-verbally. Your posture and bodily gestures is what really communicates your thoughts. So being mindful of that and using your non-verbal communication effectively can greatly enhance how you communicate as a whole. Dr. Barton Goldsmith wrote on Psychology Today a great article on the Top Ten Tips to Create Powerful Non-Verbal Communication. Here’s my own paraphrased verson:

• Keep good eye contact.
• Face the other person and lean forward.
• If you have a close relationship with them, gentle touches can speak many words.
• Your face speaks volumes. But don’t let it speak before you are ready to reinforce it with words.
• Avoid distractions.
• Shaking hands can send a valuable message.
• Some gestures do not translate well to other cultures.
• Your appearance such as clothing and color choices, and even your smell, all send messages.

MVP #2: The Truster

It’s really hard to trust people you haven’t first established communication with. So if you can imagine a group of bricks, the trust brick would be stacked on top of a solid communication brick.

Trust can be hard to attain. WikiHow gives 19 steps on how to build trust. Here are some of the best:

• Do what you say.
• Never lie.
• Don’t leave out important details.
• Don’t mask truths.
• Keep secrets.
• If you do lie, admit it.
• Speak what you feel.
• Honor your promises.
• Show openness.
• Show consistency in your behavior.
• Demonstrate a strong moral ethic.

The other side of the Trust MVP is being able to trust others! If, as you communicate with people, you can see that they fit the above bullets, then it’s a good sign that they are worthy of your trust.

MVP #3: The Conflict Manager

Once your team has established communication and trust, the next step is to know how to deal with conflict.

Let me tell you now… Conflicts will come!

There are basically 3 outcomes to any type of conflict:

• Lose – Lose: Both sides of the argument lose, everyone walks away upset.
• Win – Lose: One side gets what they want, and the other doesn’t.
• Win –Win: You find an outcome that works for both sides.

In most cases, the ultimate goal will be a win-win outcome. However, there are times when the Win-Lose outcome is inevitable. Such cases are usually when one side is just flat wrong.

MVP #4: The Commitment Maker

If you’ve ever been in a romantic relationship (as most of you have, I’m sure!), then you probably know that it’s hard to commit to someone until you’ve been through some kind of conflict.

The one thing to remember: Never Give Up.

MVP #5: The Accountability Keeper

Although you already trust your team, you can’t fully depend on them until you are fully committed to them! You’ve heard the phrase, “There’s no I in team.” This is true. No matter what your team, they are there to help you and you are there to help them. Do not try to do things on your own.

MVP #6: The Results Reacher

Arriving at your goal as a team will be so much easier if you already have all of the previous steps in place. If you can teach your team to communicate better, trust each other more, handle conflicts well, be committed to the team, and be accountable to the team you will reach your goal. However, before you gain any of these players, you need to recognize your goal!

So… what’s the next goal of your team?

The following week, we had the opportunity to spend the whole week with the counselors from Camp Dixie in Fayetteville. Synergy Factory dedicated 1 hour for 4 days straight to training this great team, including counselors from camps in the Appalachians as well as Florida! We then had an opportunity to facilitate many teambuilding games as well as camp games for 2 weeks of teen camp!

Teamwork is extremely important for summer camp counselors, as they must rely on each other to ensure that their campers have a fun, safe, and unforgettable summer! Plus, there’s an added bonus of using some of the games they learn with the campers If you work at a camp – or even direct a camp of some kind – consider hiring Synergy Factory to train your staff in healthy teamwork. You’ll be glad you did!