Are you absolutely sure you’re leading the right team?

Scott Cochrane Jan. 18, 2025

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

adobe

Every leader leads two teams; there's the team you inherited, and there's the team you built.

This key truth has been one of the most important lessons I've ever learned with respect to team leadership.

The team you inherited was already in place before you showed up. They had been assembled by your predecessor, and you simply came along to assume a leadership function.

The team you built is entirely different. These are the people you hand-selected. They are the people you identified, recruited, brought on board and developed.

On the surface they might look remarkably similar.

But experienced leaders will know that both teams have great potential, but they must be led with different leadership skills.

The team you inherited:

• May have a very different core values than the ones you seek to develop
• May be devoted to a different vision and may not fully embrace the vision you bring
• May provide you with instant cordiality, but not necessarily instant loyalty

The team you built:

• Likely carries the core values you seek, because you screened for this when you recruited them
• Likely carries the vision you cherish, because they helped you develop it
• Is instantly more loyal to you because you brought them on board

What does this mean to you, as the leader?

1. You can sprint with the team you built, but you journey with the team you inherited.

You patiently bring the inherited team along with you to the place where they inhabit the values, vision, and yes, even loyalty, you have created in the team you built.

2. You understand that the journey with the team you inherited takes time.

Some will come on board quickly, while others will drag their feet but eventually embrace your leadership.

3. You recognize that some on the team you inherited will never come around.

At some point, you will need to decide that they will need to find their future on some other team, under someone else's leadership.

The bottom line is that you want everyone to be on the same page with vision, values, and loyalty. But if a few people seem to be lagging behind, check to see if they might be on the team you inherited.

If they are, just be prepared for a longer journey.

In the end, the journey will be worth it.

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Scott Cochrane serves on the executive team for the Willow Creek Association, as Vice President, International Ministries. He was born and raised in Canada, where he became connected to the Willow Creek Association, first as a marketing director and later as the ministry’s Chief Operating Officer. Following a five-year stint as Executive Pastor of a large church, Scott returned to Willow Creek Canada in 2009 as Executive Director, and in 2012 relocated to Illinois to take up his current post with the Willow Creek Association. Learn More »

• Want an “A” team? Start with your “B” players (by Christian Muntean)
• Did you ever use one of these to share your faith? (by Tom Crenshaw)
• Why people don't respond when you talk to them (by Carey Nieuwhof)
• When preaching solutions, do these two things first (by Mark MacDonald)

Free eBook

Steps to Launching Your Personal Workplace Ministry

Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.

Download Now