How I Schedule Team Members
Welcome to week three of the 10-week series on how each of the Five Faders thinks about the tasks we all need to accomplish. You can read the overview here.
We’ll start with the question that drives each Fader’s response as they schedule team members, followed by a description.
Artist.
Who will sound best with each other?
I’m always thinking about musical chemistry. The way we make music together is way more important than how skilled each team member is. I’ll either start with the scheduled team and then choose songs, or choose songs first and then decide which players to schedule who will pull them off best. We are greater than the sum of our parts.
Shepherd.
How can I pair people who are comfortable with each other?
Comfortable musicians make better music. Of course, I’m not going to allow unhealthy relationships and just avoid putting two people together that have issues with each other. I’ll help them walk through it. But I realize that not everyone will be “best friends” - there’s not always synergy in personality, style, or approach. So I look to maximize scenarios where people click. I also take how often each person is serving very seriously because I primarily want to care for their souls. We are greater than the sum of our individual parts.
Priest.
How can I be sure I have someone who can play spontaneously this week?
Granted, I’m given to have lots of spontaneity as I lead, so I’m constantly training my team to flow. Not everyone is initially open, excited, or gifted in the skill of improvisation. I’m aware of where each person is in this and aim to have a good mix of people on the team so that there’s cohesion as we break the typical molds.
Educator.
How can I set up good mentoring opportunities with newer and older players?
As I assemble teams for each week, I’m looking for balance. I’m always fostering learning environments, so I put players together who can learn from each other, one further along than the other. That balance is important but more crucial is thinking long-term. I want to develop my team members over the years that they serve. So I’m not just seeing a single Sunday when I schedule them. I’m seeing a whole string of Sundays, so I can track their development on their way to becoming fully equipped.
Producer.
How can I utilize all my resources appropriately and efficiently?
I start by checking my blackout dates in PCO, and then I use the Matrix view to schedule three months at a time. I love the drag and drop feature that makes scheduling so fast! I keep a separate tab open to verify what each team member has told me about how many times they’d like to serve each month. It takes me about 45 minutes to schedule three months of Sundays.
Stay tuned for next week as we look at choosing songs.
-Dave Helmuth
(purchase my book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)
How I Schedule Team Members (Nº 324)
