When to Leave: Recognizing the Cronkite in Your Church
•Todd Rhoades•Season 1•Episode 268
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This episode explores the vital role of trust within church leadership, illustrating the significance of individuals termed "Cronkites" who amplify a leader's influence. We emphasize recognizing and rebuilding these key relationships, as they form the foundation for effective ministry and community impact.
• Identifying your trusted individuals, or "Cronkites" • Understanding the impact of trust on leadership effectiveness • Recognizing signs of trust erosion in relationships • Steps for rebuilding trust through open conversations • The importance of engaging in meaningful dialogue with key supporters • Addressing awkward relationships as a path to strengthening leadership • Trust as a currency in influencing community health
Hey there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. I'm Todd Rhodes, the co-founder of chemistrystaffingcom. I'm excited to have you here with me today. We talk every day, monday through Friday, here on the podcast about ministry leadership, and it is full of relationships some uplifting, some challenging and some that quietly hold more influence than you realize. And today we're going to dive into the idea of having a Cronkite in your church.
Speaker 1:
Okay, so we're talking about Walter Cronkite. Do I need to for some of us probably need to say who Walter Cronkite was? Walter Cronkite was the chief newscaster of the CBS Evening News for years, decades back, oh boy, back when I was growing up and here's the thing you need to know about Walter Cronkite News back then was a little bit different than what it is now. This was the place where Americans got their news, and Walter Cronkite was known for being, for the most part, pretty straightforward, a straightforward news guy. So because he was delivering the news to America, he was one of the most trusted at this time in American history. He was one of the most trusted people in American history.
Speaker 1:
Wade Hodges in his book. We've been doing a series on this when to Leave, how to Know when it's Time to Move On Before you Stay Way Too Long. He talks about this concept of being able to recognize the people whose trust and influence shape your leadership and what happens when that trust fades Again. Going back to Walter Cronkite as we get going here, he was often called the most trusted man in America. Imagine any news person in America now being called the most trusted person in America. I don't think it would happen anymore. But back then Walter was known as the most trusted man in America.
Speaker 1:
And in your church you likely have people who serve as Cronkites right Key individuals whose trust and support amplify your leadership. They really boost your leadership. But what happens when you lose the trust of those people? It can feel like the ground really is almost shifting beneath your feet. So Wade offers four different things here to watch.
Speaker 1:
Okay, if you feel like this is happening. Number one one is who are your cronkites? And I thought wade wrote this book a while back and back, when everybody knew who walter cronkite wasn't, I thought maybe I should pick somebody different and I thought who would I pick? That's different, that that widespread everybody trusts anymore, and there's hardly anybody that I could think. I couldn't think of anybody, so I'll just stick with Walter. Walter's a good example here.
Speaker 1:
But are there people in your church that are the most trusted people? They're your Cronkites, right, they might be long-term elders, they might be, maybe, influential volunteers. They might be on your staff, a respected staff member. They're the people that others look to when forming their opinions about your leadership, and their trust really does matter. When you have your Cronkites, your people around you that support you, it's almost like a multiplying force. They can rally others to your vision and they can sway people maybe that are on the fence. They trust them, they maybe trust you, they're working on their trust with you, but the Cronkite comes up to and says, no, this is the right thing. They can really rally others to your vision and your leadership, but when you lose their trust, when you lose those Cronkite's trusts, it can lead to some resistance and some gossip, even some division.
Speaker 1:
And you need to look for this is number three look for signs of trust erosion. Are your Cronkites less engaged in meetings? Are they hesitant to back your ideas? Are they hesitant to give you feedback? Is the relationship just feeling strained? I mean, pay attention to subtle changes in behavior and tone. Tone Because here's the case when you lose the trust of the people, that people have trust in your greats.
Speaker 1:
It doesn't just affect your relationship with them, it can impact how the entire church views your leadership. So the good news trust can be rebuilt with intentional effort. But if it can't, it might be a sign that your season of ministry could be coming to an end where you are. So here's the bottom line for today Relationships in many ways and I've heard many leaders say this and I believe it's true Relationships in many ways are the currency of leadership. If a key relationship is faltering, it's worth taking the time to address it. So here are some steps I'd like for you to take as you think about. Maybe this is a new concept. Maybe you think, todd, I've never really ever thought about. I know my leadership has influence, but I never really thought about those close around me, these kind of Cronkite characters that have trust with the people, the key people. I've never really thought about the influence that they can help me to have in the life and vision of the church. Here are some steps to take.
Speaker 1:
Number one identify who your Cronkites are. Who are those key people whose trust is essential to your leadership. Write down their names, reflect on your relationships with them. Are the relationships getting stronger or are they starting to get a little cold? And then have an honest conversation, especially if you sense that trust is eroding. Don't ignore that. If you ignore it, it's not going to get any better, it just won't. So schedule maybe a one-on-one meeting with your Cronkites and address any concerns. Maybe listen to their perspective and say, hey, how are we doing? Ask them directly how do you feel about the direction I'm leading? Is there anything I can do to make things better? If they've started to lose trust, how can I rebuild trust and confidence in you and then just be humble and transparent? Rebuilding trust, it takes humility and it takes time, and you have to be willing to own your own mistakes and make some adjustments. So here's your action step this week Identify, let's say, one key relationship from a concrete cronkite that maybe needs some attention and schedule a conversation with that person. It might feel awkward, matter of fact. It's going to feel awkward, I can tell you. But it is a critical step in strengthening your leadership if you're to stay where you are.
Speaker 1:
Do you know who your Cronkites are? That's your question for today. Are you having a tricky relationship with any of them. I'd love to hear your story. You can email me anytime about anything at podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. Your experiences matter and we're a small community here at the Healthy Church Staff Podcast growing, but we're small and I'd love to offer any encouragement that I can. If you're new to the podcast you haven't subscribed yet, hit that subscribe button wherever you're listening and if there's any way that can help you or your church in any kind of staff relationship maybe it's hiring a new staff member, maybe it's you've got a staff member that's on the bubble and you need some advice. Maybe you need some staff realignment. That's what I love to do and how God's gifted me. Reach out to me anytime at podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1:
Finally, if you're finding these episodes helpful. We've been talking about this last week, this week and continuing next week, and then I'm happy to announce today we're going to be doing a webinar on this whole topic of when to leave and more information on that coming soon. But I would love to get a copy of Wade Hodge's book when to Leave in your hands absolutely free. You can grab one at chemistrystaffingcom slash when-to-leave. It's just a fantastic resource in navigating some of the tough decisions that we have to sometimes in ministry. All right, thanks for spending some time with me today. Remember, building maintaining trust with your Cronkites probably one of the most important things you could do this week as a leader and when those relationships thrive, your ministry will thrive as well. All right, take care, I'll see you again time. Bye-bye.
