Google is by far one of the most prevailing organizations of all time.

Beyond their amazing technological insights and excellent execution, Google is a leadership engine.

Google has more than 85,000 employees. Stop and think about the sheer size of that operation. Last year alone they added over 5,000 new people to the team. That’s 25 new hires for every day of the working year. [ref] Google has also more than doubled the number of team members in the last five years alone and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down the grow.

Beyond its size are the amazing lessons Google can teach us about leadership for today and into the future. The organization is forging the way to lead and manage in today’s culture. Google has been engaged in a long term project to study the most successful managers within their organization and has widely shared these learnings through Project Oxygen. Since 2008, they’ve been tracking what it takes to be a great manager, and as church leaders, we’d be wise to learn from their findings.

Here are Google’s 10 traits of effective managers with some direct applications for us as we serve with our local churches. We’d love to hear your thoughts on these qualities and what areas you think we as church leaders perhaps need to work on more than others!

Is a good coach

The point of great management is that your people win at the end of the day. Rather than seeing yourself as the star of your department or area, recognize that the people on your team are the real heroes. Your role as a leader is to be a great coach that equips your team to achieve the highest possibilities.

Church leaders who go out of the way to recruit, train, equip and release other leaders will always be the most valuable players on any team. We are in the “human development business,” so our primary job is to maximize others.

Empowers team and does not micromanage

Can I get an amen?!

Your value as a church leader isn’t in leaning over the shoulders of your people to make them to do things a particular way. Set the direction and results you are hoping for and then leave the “how” to your people.

The tough part about empowering people is that at the beginning, your team may do a worse job of it than if you just did it yourself. However, in order to scale up our influence and draw more people into the leadership community, you need to empower your team to take their piece and run with it.

Creates an inclusive team environment, showing concern for success and well-being

Relate before you delegate.

It goes without saying that as church leaders we need to show concern for others, but it’s not an immediate conclusion that leaders within the church should also slow down to provide pastoral support for the very people doing the ministry.

Personally, I’ve had to learn over the years that the process of leading the people God has entrusted to me is a contributing factor to the outcome we’re driving towards. The teams that you and I lead need to be a microcosm of what we are looking to happen in the rest of our church. What if your team was the measurement of the depth of care and support people receive from your church?