by Abbie Smith

Have you ever been in a meeting with a strong leader whose voice was so big that your voice seemed small? I was in a meeting like this recently with a highly respected leader who is very experienced and dynamic.

His voice was so BIG that the other voices in the room actually became very small. The irony is that his experience and position did not translate into leadership and inspiration. I cannot speak for others, but I actually left that meeting feeling devalued rather than valued.

On my drive home I was forced to ask myself . . . Is that what occurs when I, as a leader in our church, lead meetings with our staff?

Does my experience and position increase or decrease the voices of others on our team?

This is really something to wrestle with because I believe one major reason a gifted staff person stays on a team is because his or her voice is valued.

I believe lead pastors who use their position and experience as a type of megaphone for the voices of others are wise.

Great leaders don’t always have BIG booming voices.
Great leaders actually increase the volume and voices of others they lead.
Great leaders often have intentional ways of amplifying the voices of others.

How is your voice leading your team? Does it make others’ voices louder or does it overwhelm them?