Every person is important. Every person has an eternal value given to them by God. Every person has a place, and needs to be treated with respect, love and dignity. However not everyone is someone that you should have in your inner circle.
Your inner circle of friends and confidants are the people that will help shape who you are as a person, leader and organization.
Here are four types of people to never have in your inner circle.
1. People who have a personal agenda not a corporate vision.
When someone has their own agenda, goal, or game plan they will never be completely on board with the vision of your church or organization. Rather than asking “What needs to be done?” and “What can I do to help us succeed?” They will constantly run things through the filter of “How does this help me?” or “Am I going to get to do, what I want to do?”.
This type of attitude causes split vision and split efforts. A house divided against itself will fall.
2. People who consistently tell you, “What other people are saying”.
People are going to hear things from time to time and when they do, you want them to come and talk openly about what is going on. Open communication is a necessity and honesty is a non negotiable in a relationship. However, when someone is consistently letting you know the negative things “other people” are saying about you or your organization, you have to begin to ask yourself, “Why are others so eager to talk negatively about us to them?” and “Why does this person always seem to listen to and be around the negative talk?”
People who consistently sit around the “gossip fires” that others have started, far too often are holding a match of their own.
3. People who talk negative about past friends or leaders they've served.
In 25 years of ministry, I have found that every person who consistently makes comments like, “My last church…” “My last pastor …” or “My last friend …” never stick around long. It is only a matter of time before the new church, the new pastor, and the new friend …become just like the last one. And the person moves on to yet another church, another pastor, and another friend that they will leave far too quickly.
4. People who no longer want to grow.
People stop growing for a lot of reasons. However, inner circle friends and teammates need to be reading, studying, improving and growing everyday. Wherever the leader goes the team, ministry, or organization will follow. If someone is stagnant and not moving forward spiritually, relationally, or educationally, neither will anything they lead.
Again, I want to emphasize that, every person is important. Every person has value. Every person has a place, and should be treated with dignity, love and respect. However, when you are looking for friends and building your team to help shape and direct who you are as a person, leader or organization, you need to have the right people around you.
You will never get the right results, if you surround yourself with the wrong types of people. However, you will consistently get good results when you have the right people by your side.
In my next blog I will be talking about "Four types of people you have to have in your Inner Circle".
