On Saturday, 15th February 2025, Central Division Officers and DHQ staff spent the day together at Stoneyridge Campsite in Magaliesberg to learn more about each other and how we, as a team, can work more effectively together, side by side, to achieve the mission in the Central Division.
As a Corps Officer, I am a team leader who learned a lot from the morning workshop facilitated by Major Darren Huke (Divisional Secretary for Programme). These are the lessons I learned and hope to apply in my leadership: Effective leaders and team players complement and empower each other. They seek to develop others within their sphere of influence rather than feel threatened by their strengths. They continue to equip and strengthen their team members by creating opportunities for both the team and the ministry to flourish as they work together.
Trust is an important element of teamwork, and we need to know each other better in order to build trust in our teams. This is challenging, as we don’t always listen to each other or value different points of view. It is a constant challenge to seek to understand, rather than to be understood.
I learned that teams need to be skilled in managing and dealing with conflict. Teams must also learn to view conflict, not as a barrier, but as an opportunity for progress. Commitment to the mission, vision, goals, and tasks is essential for growth, and we need to hold each other accountable, not only for better results but, most importantly, for our spiritual development.
Understanding leadership styles and personality characteristics is beneficial for team progress, as well as for better communication in a team setup at corps/centres, which was the focus of the afternoon workshop. Our guest for this session was Mr. Themba Nkutha (Columba Leadership), who is also a soldier of South Rand Corps and understands teamwork within The Salvation Army context.
The workshop was interactive and informative. It was based on The Leadership Compass activity and included team tasks and group discussions. The activity emphasized that leadership is the process of influencing others, and understanding both your style and the style of those you work with will make you a more effective leader.
The day ended with a focus on the Word. Major Sengeziwe Nhandara (Divisional Director of Women’s Ministries) reinforced the idea that God created teams for a good reason when she shared in her devotion, reflecting on Ecclesiastes 4:9-10: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”