What Your Team Wants This Week
Jun 25, 2025
What does your team actually need from you this week?
It’s a question every leader wrestles with—whether you’re leading a church, a business, a nonprofit, or your own household. You’ve probably had moments of uncertainty, asking yourself:
“Am I doing the right things? Are they getting what they need from me? Am I showing up the way they need me to?”
Fortunately, we don’t have to guess.
In Ephesians 4:12, the Apostle Paul spells it out:
“Equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” (NLT)
That word “equip” comes from the Greek word katartismós, which means to fully prepare, mend, or bring into proper alignment. It’s the picture of a fisherman mending nets so they’re ready for the next catch. Or a coach preparing an athlete for game day.
That’s our role as leaders:
To get our people ready for their mission.
And after two decades of leadership (and more missteps than I care to admit), I’ve discovered a simple filter that helps me do that well. I call it The Six T’s of Empowering Leadership.
✅ The 6 T’s of Empowering Leadership
These aren’t just theory—they’re daily checkpoints. If you want to grow a strong, self-driven, and aligned team, this is where it starts.
1. 🎯 Target – Clarify the goal.
A fuzzy target leads to a frustrated team.
Your job is to define the win. Spell it out. Make it visible. Empowering leaders provide clarity so others can aim with confidence.
Ask yourself:
“Does my team know exactly what success looks like?”
2. 🤝 Team – Structure it wisely.
People need to be on the right bus—and in the right seats.
Empowerment fails when a person’s strengths and role don’t match. As the leader, your job is to build teams that fit the mission and fit together.
Ask yourself:
“Are the right people in place for the task ahead?”
3. 🔓 Trust – Let go of control.
If they know the target, let them choose the path.
Micromanaging suffocates creativity. Trust fuels ownership and invites innovation. You don’t have to solve every problem—you just have to release capable people.
Ask yourself:
“Am I giving freedom, or just directions?”
4. 🧰 Tools & Training – Equip them.
Don’t send people out with empty hands.
Great leaders don’t just assign tasks—they resource them. Ask your team, “What do you need to succeed?” Sometimes the answer is a book. Other times, it’s encouragement or a new piece of software.
Ask yourself:
“Have I provided what they actually need to do this well?”
5. ⏳ Timeline – Set a finish line.
Clarity dies without urgency.
Every empowered task needs a deadline. Timelines create motivation, align cross-functional teams, and keep momentum moving forward.
Ask yourself:
“Have I made the ‘when’ as clear as the ‘what’?”
6. 🥳 Tribute – Celebrate what God has done.
Don’t just move on to the next mountain.
Empowering leaders pause to honor progress—to give tribute where it’s due. That could mean sharing a story in a team meeting, writing a thank-you note, or simply naming what God did through the process.
Ask yourself:
“Have I marked the moment with gratitude?”
Don’t Aim for Perfection—Aim for Empowerment
You don’t have to have it all figured out. But you can be intentional.
Your team isn’t looking for a flawless leader—they’re looking for someone who believes in them, supports them, and releases them to rise.
So here’s a challenge for this week:
Pick one of the 6 T’s—and take action.
Start a conversation. Clarify a target. Celebrate a win.
It may be the most meaningful thing you do all week.
Cheering you on,
– Gabe
www.gabekolstad.com
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