Ebook
Want to unleash the "remarkable" in your team?
The potential of a team of God-inspired, talented, committed people is boundless. But without resilience—including the savvy and skill to get up again (and again) when the going gets tough—teams simply cannot thrive or lead well. Resilience is what sets great leaders and teams apart from those that literally fall apart. It's what's missing when great organizations lose steam.
Ryan T. Hartwig, Léonce B. Crump Jr., and Warren Bird have worked with team members in many kinds of churches and Christian organizations, served on numerous teams, and surfaced the best research on teams. In The Resilience Factor, they distill this wisdom into a series of practical steps that promise to both inspire and equip teams to move from floundering to flourishing.
Filled with examples of top-performing teams, individual and group reflection questions, diagnostic tools, and team activities, The Resilience Factor promises to become the go-to resource for leaders who want to release remarkable resilience in their teams.
Foreword by Tod Bolsinger
Introduction: Why You Need The Resilience Factor
Movement 1: Pray and Assess Your Situation (Steps 1–5)
You Can Build a Resilient Team That Can Face Anything
Movement 2: Clarify Your Purpose (Steps 6–10)
Your Team's Purpose Could Be So Clear That It Compels Extraordinary Commitment
Movement 3: Gather an All-Star Cast (Steps 11–15)
You Don't Have to Settle—You Can Build a Team of Top Performers
Movement 4: Get to Work (Steps 16–20)
You Can Maximize the Impact of Your Limited Team-Building Time
Movement 5: Design Killer Meetings (Steps 21–25)
You Can Create Meetings Your Team Actually Wants to Attend
Movement 6: Sharpen Your Team (Steps 26–30)
Your Team Can Serve as a Powerful Leadership Development Incubator
Movement 7: Pursue Meaningful Accountability (Steps 31–35)
You Can Craft a More Meaningful Team Scorecard
Movement 8: Reproduce Your Impact (Steps 36–40)
You (and Your Team) Have More in You Than You Realize
Afterword—Anticipate the Next Step and Beyond
Acknowledgments
Appendix
Notes
References
"Leading as a team used to be a novelty; now it is a necessity. If our churches and ministries are going to thrive in a rapidly changing world, we need to cultivate a collaborative team that can weather the storms together. Hartwig, Crump, and Bird provide a step-by-step guide to take an inventory of our souls, assess our situations, and build a team that matches the challenges of this cultural moment. Filled with actionable best practices, this is a road map to team resilience."
"Leaders help organizations grow not through their own brilliance but by developing unstoppable teams. In The Resilience Factor, Ryan, Léonce, and Warren bring expert advice together to provide a clear road map for Christian leaders. Use these steps to help your team move forward to influence lasting, positive change."
"This book is an incredibly important read for the corporate, relational, and emotional fragility so many of us around the world are experiencing. Resilience is the only path forward."
"Many of us know we need to be more resilient—but how do we get there? The Resilience Factor artfully explains the new leadership realities of our day and expertly guides us step-by-step to become the resilient leaders and teams needed for tomorrow. I'll be taking my teams through this insightful workbook, and I highly encourage everyone do the same!"
"Building a healthy and thriving team is essential to achieving your mission. The Resilience Factor is one of the most practical and helpful books I've read on the subject of teams! The authors break down the fundamentals of resilient teams with actionable exercises and thoughtful discussion questions that will equip you to not just dream of building an unbreakable team but actually take action to become one."
"Rebounding after a setback is the hallmark of a unique and long-lasting team. As we help thousands of churches rebuild their teams post-pandemic, I'm thrilled that Ryan, Léonce, and Warren have built a road map toward resilience. Read this book with your team. You'll see immediate results."
"Many leaders struggle to overcome internal culture problems, growing trust deficits, and the loss of team productivity. Thankfully, this influential new book is an instant go-to resource for building an effective team. In addition to helping teams develop clarity of purpose and align around goals, this book will equip and empower leaders to build teams that last."
"Léonce has done it again! It's almost as if Léonce and his teammates are your coaches, you are in the locker room of ministry, and they are walking you step-by-step through how to win the game. If you want to upgrade your team and level up your leadership, take time and let this team coach you through this masterful book."
"The recent reset means we're all rookies. And with so many leaders throwing in the towel, this is one of the most practical books to help you assess your situation and pioneer this moment with confidence. It's not a manual for what to do; it's a guide to rediscover the redemptive edge your specific team offers your specific community in this hour of need. No two teams will come out with the same answers, but every single team will finish with a plan of attack."
"Too often, teams are hampered by a lack of focus, internal discord, or complacency. The Resilience Factor is a response to these problems. Ryan Hartwig, Léonce Crump Jr., and Warren Bird provide an easy-to-follow framework for addressing common pitfalls, which helps leaders develop teams built on trust, purpose, and accountability. The Resilience Factor holds the key for creating teams that can change the world!"
"If the past decade has taught leaders anything, it's that great teams don't endure against all odds by failing to change. Instead they use setbacks and chaos to grow stronger, resilient, and ready for the future. This book will teach your team exactly how to do that."
"Drawing on solid business principles, the authors take a practical stance toward team unity and dispense plenty of brass tacks advice, much of which applies regardless of faith . . . Christian leaders looking to refresh their organization’s approach will want to check this out."
Léonce B. Crump Jr. is the founder and senior pastor of Renovation Church in Atlanta, a member of the Acts 29 church-planting network. A former NFL football player, he is also the author of Renovate.
Warren Bird is research director for Leadership Network and has authored or coauthored over twenty books for ministry leaders, including Teams That Thrive (with Ryan T. Hartwig).
Ryan T. Hartwig currently serves as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California. He is also the author of Teams That Thrive (with Warren Bird) and Leading Small Groups That Thrive.