Your team needs a clear scope. The scope of a team is what the team sees, what it is focused on, the object of its work. Scope is the lens that sharpens the focus on mission and context. When a team has a clear scope it experiences energy and a sense of satisfaction as it achieves its mission.

A team can be in a presbytery or mid council whose mission is to resource the worship, witness, and mission of congregations. Or, your team could be at work, in school, or simply be your family. Whatever your team, it requires a shared clarity and focus to achieve success. Like a magnifying glass focuses the sunlight's energy into a powerful beam, clarity makes for better decisions and confidence in aligning the priorities, process, and resources to achieve the team's vision.

How does your team see the convergence of mission and context? What does your team focus on? Does your team sometimes appear to be little more than a collection of individuals sitting around the table focused on their own needs? When the team seems preoccupied with itself, staring inward, more effective lenses are substituted for mirrors, as if each member reflects back only what is sitting across the table. Mirrors are not lenses.

The uniqueness of each individuals' gifts, ideas, experiences, skills, and competencies are honored and optimized when the team has a clear scope. Let's look at three scopes your team can use to be more effective.