Choosing The Right Team

I watched the Next Gen Chef on Netflix a few days ago

From the show, the best cook was Courtney Evans. She stood out by a mile with her flavours and unrivaled ability to make a magical meal

The second-best cook was Joaquin Cariaso, a Filipino who migrated to the USA at the age of two. He had a unique understanding of crusines and a relaxed leadership ability.

Neither of them won the show, however, because they both failed when it came to the leadership test.

At a point during the show, they were told to nominate a leader for the Brigade assignment, and everybody nominated Courtney because at that point, she was the only one who had won three pins of excellence among her peers.

There is, however, a big difference between doing things by yourself and leading others to produce results.

When it came to leadership, Courtney's easy-going nature and "I don't want to offend anybody" approach prevented her from delegating duties and being firm.

She was forewarned that there would be a lot of curveballs throughout the assignment. She, however, didn't prepare for them, and this led to a monumental failure on her part.

She chose an all-girl team based on sentiment rather than picking an efficient team that would help her to achieve her aim.

Ilke made the same mistake when she qualified for the finals.

She chose Abby, the weakest and slowest chef of the lot, as one of her assistants when she could have chosen Khan, who was more reliable.

Even the judges were shocked.

They asked her why she chose Abby, and she said: "I like the fact that she pays attention to details."

A few hours later, after a lot of hard work, Abby set the oven at an extreme temperature when it was time to bake, and she ruined Ilke's first meal presentation because the meal burnt beyond redemption.

That meal cost her the competition.

Andrew Sargent, by contrast, was not an exceptional cook, but he understood how to run a kitchen. During his interview for the Brigade assignment, he complained tacitly that Courtney had no idea how to organize a kitchen and delegate assignments, while he had worked in a kitchen where assignments were delegated before, and knew his onions

The opportunity came for us to see what he could do during the finals when he had to run a kitchen. He didn't do sentiment. He was very pragmatic as he chose London Chase and Sidney. It was not about being sentimental or emotional; it was about results.

His choices changed the texture of the competition as they delivered on every task without a complaint.

I learnt a lot watching the show.

As a Christian leader, I had always desired to have 12 Pauls instead of the mix bag Jesus had in his days. I wanted people who are so committed to the course of the gospel that they would literally give their lives without reservation, as opposed to those who have serious reservations and whose motivations are self-serving.

Apostle Paul, on his first missionary journey, had Barnabas, Luke, and John Mark with him. When the journey became perilous, John Mark abandoned the mission and returned home to Jerusalem.

Barnabbas, who was an elder, and Luke, who was an accomplished physician, stayed the course, but John Mark, who was young and vibrant, left the team at their most vulnerable moment.

During Apostle Paul's second missionary journey, John Mark, Barnabas, Timothy, Luke, and Silas hopped on the ship to travel with him, but Apostle Paul refused to travel with John Mark because he had proven to be unreliable.

Barnabbas pleaded on his behalf, and so did others, but Apostle Paul stood his ground, and John Mark had to leave.

Barnabbas, who was a son of encouragement, also left with John Mark, so as to encourage him, leaving Apostle Paul with Timothy, Luke, and Silas.

The second journey was a success, but remarkably, none of the co-travellers abandoned the ship and caused the apostle to worry endlessly about their safety, which would have been a huge distraction for him.

When it comes to the work of ministry, your team matters a lot.

The caliber of people you surround yourself with, their commitment, mentality, determination, mindset, motivation, conviction, and dedication.

If indeed God called you and you are fulfilling a divine mandate, you must remember that those who joined you because you can multiply bread will do you no good.

Jesus was almost made a king once, by those who ate the free bread he multiplied in the wilderness. He saw through the hype and sent them away.

After their departure, he asked his disciples if they would not also leave.

Peter replied, "To whom shall we go? You have the words of life."

When a minister whom I have trained tells me he wants to leave, I do not receive it with pain, sadness, or disappointment. I see it as an opportunity for others to grow and also an opportunity for such a minister to develop beyond my limited scope and become established by his or her own right in Christ.

Those who choose to stay with me, I do not hold to any oath or have any form of insecurity about their conviction. However, I believe that they should grow in their knowledge of Christ to the point where I begin to learn from them, or to the point where they push me to dig deeper and farther in my walk with the Lord.

If you are not inspiring your team to succeed and your team is not inspiring you to succeed, what then are you a team for? A team is always as strong as its weakest link.

Judas was the weakest link in Jesus' team, and Peter was the second weakest.

When push comes to shove, Jesus prayed for Peter and left Judas to fulfill his destiny as written of him.

You will find this to be true in your ministry as a leader.

Many who call you a man of God today are doing so because of their own bellies and ambitions. The earlier you know this, the better for you.

Do not be moved by the whims and caprices of people. The right love can be both soft and tough.

Always remember this.

-GSW-