Why It’s Okay That I’m Not A Gear Head

There’s some things that I’m super into and love learning more about. Other things, not so much. For instance, some of the things I’m really into are Star Wars and… also… um… okay that’s pretty much it. But there’s other people that are into other cool things and I really appreciate the knowledge that they possess about said things. Kind of like gear heads. Gear heads are people that possess immense knowledge about musical instruments and/or equipment. I’ll be straight up with you, I envy these people. Their brains comprehend things that mine never will. I have gear head buddies who actually build their own guitar pedals, it blows my mind! Today I can appreciate and learn from their expertise, but it was a different story back when I was a twenty-something worship leader.

When I was younger and less experienced, I would take someone’s greater knowledge as a threat to my leadership. My response was rooted in pride. I would get defensive and change the subject. I hated admitting that someone knew more than me in the realm of music, worship or leadership. How wrong my response was. If only I could go back in time. At least I can now encourage you to not be like me! There’s a better way.

Over time, I realized (i.e. God revealed to me) that there was another more difficult, but more rewarding response to someone knowing more than me. The first step was letting go of my ego. Being a good leader doesn’t mean that you have all the answers, it just means you’re good at finding them. The second step was learning to honor and celebrate someone’s greater knowledge. If there’s someone on your team who’s studied vocal performance, maybe you should have them lead your vocal team. If there’s a guitar player that knows his pedals like the back of his hand, maybe you should have him conduct a guitar workshop. These are just ideas, but you get the point. Instead of looking inward, look outward. Instead of dwelling on what you don’t know, appreciate what someone else does know.

INSTEAD OF DWELLING ON WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW, APPRECIATE WHAT SOMEONE ELSE DOES KNOW.

There will always be things you don’t know, but that’s the beautiful thing about team-building. You come to rely on one another. A good team builds one another up, sharpens each another and learns from one another. Don’t be like me and take someone else’s knowledge or experience as a threat to your authority. It’s not something to be feared, it’s something to be celebrated!

Thanks for reading. Hope this encourages you!

Photo by Yomex Owo