Episode Details

Welcome back to this week’s unSeminary podcast. We’re talking with Eddie Hastings, Executive Pastor of Ministries at Chets Creek Church in Florida. Eddie is talking with us about using personality tests to better build and communicate with your staff teams.

• Know and trust each other. // When a church grows, especially to have multiple campuses, you’re not with the teams at each location often. As a result, you have to work harder with those teams to get to know each other and build trust. Value each team’s input on the strategy in their context at their location. Provide opportunities for the people on different teams to come together in meetings to talk with each other.
• Understand your team. // It’s important for us to understand ourselves as well as the people on our team – who they are, what they’re like, how they think. Just because you all work for the same church doesn’t mean you view and process things the same way. Eddie’s staff uses the DISC personality profile to bring together individuals that are all very different into a community which God has called together to accomplish a mission.
• Differences between us. // Rather than pigeon-holing people, understanding different personalities helps us ask, “What does this person need from me as I lead them? How do I talk to them, give them feedback, and help them develop?” We often communicate with others the way we want to be communicated with and that doesn’t always work to reach those who are wired differently from us.
• Balance the personalities on each team. // Eddie uses the DISC profile to explore how a potential hire might fit into the team they would be part of. In this way he can balance out the personalities within teams and distribute strengths where they are needed across the staff.
• Talk and understand each other. // Eddie’s team does one staff retreat a year. They do the DISC profile tests every other year and then talk about them together as a team. As they discuss the results, they review what fits them and what doesn’t. These moments help people to better understand each other.
• Know what works for each member. // When it comes to coaching conversations, personality tests can help you better understand how to approach a team member. The goal here is to help them understand where their performance needs improvement so they can receive it and act on it, rather than seeing it as an attack and becoming defensive. For more task-oriented people, a direct approach that is clear on the specific changes they need to make is important. For more relationally-oriented people, they will take feedback to heart, so focus on the action that needs changing, not their personality.
• Find what each staff needs. // Personality assessments can help you find what each campus staff needs. Take a look at who is already on the team at a location and see what may still be needed in gifting and strengths. When hiring for a leadership position, look for a personality that the other team members will work well with and want to follow.
• Have multiple interviews when hiring. // When interviewing someone new for a position, have as many interviews with them as you can, and more than you think you need. Bring other people into the interview who may have nothing to do with the position, but are trusted and know the church culture well, so that you can get a better feel for the potential hire and how they might fit