Chapter 12: Breaking Legs Dealing with Divas, Slackers, and Flakes People are messy. Especially artists. They possess incredible abilities to move and motivate the heart - setting the stage and preparing the way for God’s transformational work - if you can get them to show up. Managing artists, particularly in a volunteer capacity, can be like herding cats. Let’s look at three of the top culprits: Divas: Love to make a big deal out of things. They want to be the center of the show. They want to be recognized and acknowledged for their talents and accomplishments. They will most likely seek you out in order to grab a piece of the limelight. The tricky part? They may actually be that good. Slackers: Often, these are the people who have been given enormous talent and could care less about it - so it goes to waste or never really develops beyond a certain point because they lose interest and move on to the next thing. It seems impossible to get them excited about anything. How can you expect to keep them continually motivated and engaged? Flakes: Flakes forget. They usually have great intentions and poor follow-through. Any kind of distraction or disturbance in their day and all bets are off for their future. These are the people that you schedule, confirm, and then they just don’t show up. They forgot to set their alarm clock, they forgot they were scheduled, they were all gung-ho and then felt suddenly overwhelmed so now they’re taking a break. So, how do you get a bunch of artists excited about and committed to a vision based in humility and self sacrifice? First, be creative. Artists are drawn to creativity like moths to lights. They want to be a part of something vibrant, exciting, and fresh. Cultivate a culture of creativity. Let them know what creative things are coming up that they will get to be a part of and invite them to be part of it. Try songwriting sessions together and introduce new music into the church (song for us, by us) - make them a part of a movement of God. Spend time together working on new sounds and production ideas. And make a big deal out of every accomplishment - no matter the size! Second, build loyalty. Some people will serve out of a sense of obligation - when it’s convenient for them, but people will bend over backwards for someone whom they are heavily invested in. How do you make yourself magnetic? Invest in your team. Intentionally meet with them outside of ‘ministry’ context. Go to sports, movies, etc together. Build a community. Help them become the best possible version of themselves. What are their dreams and how can you help them achieve those dreams? When they can see that they are more important to you than the talents they have to offer, and when they know that you want the best for them regardless of whether they ever do anything else for you - you’ve got ‘em. Invest heavily in teenagers - even and especially when you know that they will be going away for college soon. Third, communicate, communicate, and then communicate again. Don’t assume that an artist is going to see or remember every email/txt/facebook event you throw at them. Confirm at least 3 times (dialogue and discussion about a role that they are playing counts as confirmation). Reaffirm community by celebrating in each other’s lives and praying for each other. And perpetually preach your ministry’s vision. Continually remind them why they do what they do, the heart behind it, where you are and where you are going, and let them know how vital their role in it is. Correction When you need to address an attitude or timeliness issue - meet with the individual face to face. If you cannot meet face to face, arrange to have the conversation by phone. Under no circumstance should you attempt to address these issues via email, letter, text, or voicemail. You need to be able to hear the inflection in their voice and they in yours. Speak the truth in love. Allow them to explain themselves and offer their own solutions. Offer your help and follow through on any promises you make. If you have group-wide issues, seek counseling. That is beyond the scope and purpose of these pages:).