Latest / Prayer Before Work / You Check In Every Day. Your Team Says You’re Not Engaged - Prayer Before Work
Transcript
- C0708: You've been asking your team, how's everything going every single day? And it turns out that might be the problem. My name's Sean. Welcome back to Prayer Before Work. maybe you've been supervising for a few years now. you do your daily check-ins, you do weekly one on ones, you offer to help, and you really do care about growing the people on your team. They're very capable and they work well together. So when everybody's heads down and things are getting done, you let them work. You trust they'll pull you in if they need you. And then the feedback hits. Your team feels like they're on an island. You're not engaged enough in what they're working through. Now your boss is asking where your time is going. And that one kind of stings because you do care. It's just not landing the way you thought it was. But Proverbs twenty seven twenty three says to know well the condition of your flocks and give attention to your herds. Now that was written to people whose whole living walked around on four legs. A shepherd who just counted heads at the end of the day and said, Yep, they're all here, would miss the one that's limping. He'd miss the sore. or the one who stopped eating. You know, it's notice that it doesn't say to know about your flock, it's just to know well their condition. And you can't do that from across the field. You have to get close enough to see it. So here's the good news. Engagement and autonomy aren't opposites. Now hovering is checking whether people are doing their work. Engagement Is understanding the work they're doing. And those feel very different to the person on the other side of the desk. So start with the question, how's everything going? And almost always gets the answer, good. Try something like what's the hardest thing on your plate right now? Or walk me through where you're at on that particular Task or project. And then write down what they tell you and come back to it a couple days later. Hey, you said those numbers weren't matching. Did you get that one sorted out? I mean, one follow-up like that says more than 10 check-ins because it tells them you were actually listening. Now you might even block an hour a week to sit inside with the real work with somebody. look at a file together. Get the info details. That's not micromanaging. it's it's it's really knowing your flock. And it gives your boss an honest answer about where your time is going. So feedback like this is hard to hear, but when it's fair, it's a gift. So let's pray. God, we care about the people we lead, but caring from a distance isn't always enough. Show us where we've been counting heads instead of really seeing people. And Lord, give us give us better questions, better attention, and then the follow-through to come back to what matters for them and keep us from swinging too far and smothering the people we trust. Help us lead close enough to know them well. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. A go make today count.