I’m so grateful for our dream team at National Community Church. One lesson I’ve learned with the growth of NCC is that early on your personal competence is the key to growth.  Over time, however, it’s not your competence that will determine your capacity. It’s the competence of the people that you surround yourself with. That’s why hiring decisions are hugely important. That’s why team building is so critical.

The litmus test for me is this: do I worry about how things are going when I’m gone.  I’m able to 100% check out because I have 100% trust in our team. And that is such a huge gift.

One last thought.

I think influence and insecurity are opposites.  Insecure leaders don’t hire high competence people thereby limiting their influence.  Their insecurity manifests itself by surrounding themselves with people that will prop up their ego instead of taking things to the next level. It’s the Saul complex. David was his greatest asset, but Saul perceived him as his greatest threat.  If you’re insecure, assets are perceived as threats.