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“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” Proverbs 14:4
Whether you are a pastor, church staff member, employer, team leader at work or a leader in any other capacity, every person on your team is unique. They all have strengths and weaknesses. Learning to encourage them in their strengths and work together through their weaknesses is vital. Proverbs 14:4 implies two options: either everything under your supervision can be clean, organized, and exactly as you want it, OR you can work with real people. And working with real people can get messy.
But here’s the thing: the people on your team are your greatest resource. Farmers like clean stables, no doubt. And it would be easy to keep the stables clean if the farmer could just get rid of the oxen. But farmers don’t reap abundant harvests because they have clean stables. They reap abundant harvests because they have hard-working oxen, all moving in the same direction. Much like this, you won’t reach maximum effectiveness because desks are always organized, your t’s are always crossed and i’s always dotted, and there are never personality conflicts on your team. You will reach maximum effectiveness because you have quality, hard-working team members who are all moving in the same direction toward a common goal.
Sure, there are times when letting a team member go is the right thing to do. But most of the time, before this is even an option, we should look into our leadership first and ask the hard questions. Are my expectations realistic? Have I clearly communicated my expectations? Is this a real issue or only a perceived issue? Do I have the right person in the wrong position?
Learn to appreciate the different personalities of your team members. When the small things aren’t exactly like you want them, be thankful that you are leading a hard-working group of people. Leadership is not about keeping the feeding troughs clean; it’s about getting all of your people moving in the same direction toward a common goal.
I’d rather have a diverse group of hard working team members who work through personality difficulties and other minor idiosyncrasies to be exceptionally productive than a handful of superficially spotless wax figures who expend most of their energy keeping the stalls clean.
Clean stalls = no oxen. No oxen = no productivity. Value the oxen more than the stalls. Stalls are not your greatest resource, nor should they be your greatest investment. People are your greatest resource, and they should always be your greatest investment.
