5. They Constantly Recruit Emerging Leaders
The greatest baseball teams are the ones with the best farm systems that continually replenish the major league team with high-caliber players. Effective leaders are continually looking to recruit onto their team the best talent and most capable people who are also trustworthy.

One of the most important things I have done over the years is to have a primary leadership group that I meet with at least once or twice per month, and an emerging leaders group of newer people who have the potential to lead in the next generation.

Without doing this, an organization and/or leader will be stuck with people who have already flatlined and will limit the ceiling of the vision. When you continually empower the next generation of leaders then it is easier to replace the team members who move on to other organizations or who disqualify themselves from remaining on the team.

6. They Create a Culture of Accountability and Trust
There is an old saying: “People won’t do what you expect, they only do what you inspect.” This is true. Many leaders are shocked when they find that what they say and teach is not being practiced or followed by the top leaders on their team.

Ronald Reagan once said, in relation to how he dealt with the Soviet Union and their nuclear arms treaty with the USA: “Trust but verify.” I have learned that if you don’t hold people accountable they will lose focus and not follow through on their tasks because of the many distractions that come their way. It is also good to require regular reports from your staff so that you can gauge the amount of work and productivity for each person.

Just as important as accountability is to create an atmosphere of trust with your top team members so there is an ability to share weaknesses, temptations and even moral failure. A culture of trust will build greater capacity for love and teamwork, and will empower all to move mountains and achieve great things!

7. They Put the Mission of the Organization Before Their Own Personal Agenda
Many leaders who obtain power and affluence begin to think that the organization, ministry or church they founded exists merely to serve their own personal needs. When leaders put their own personal needs and agenda before the mission and vision of their organizations it creates a culture of self-centeredness, which will eventually backfire because it will spread to all the secondary leaders who will in turn poison the rest of the organization and its members. Self-focused entities do not have long shelf lives; if they do survive they will not be effective.

In regards to pastors, God says very harsh things to shepherds who merely feed themselves and do not minister to the flock of God (read Ezek. 34 and Jer. 23), who think the flock exists just to feed them.

8. They Continually Devise Strategies to Finance the Vision

As we read 2 Corinthians Chapters 8 and 9 we see that the apostle Paul devoted much of his time to fundraising for the vision of planting and establishing local churches.

It doesn’t matter how much of a great speaker you are, how great your team is, and how talented you are; if you are not effective at fundraising you will never be able to accomplish God-given goals and vision! Money and goals serve as the bridge between vision and reality.

Joseph Mattera has been in full-time ministry since 1980 and is currently the presiding bishop of Christ Covenant Coalition and Overseeing Bishop of Resurrection Church in New York, a multiethnic congregation of 40 nationalities that has successfully developed numerous leaders and holistic ministry in the New York region and beyond. Click here to visit his website.

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