Rewards

[Coaching Lesson #9 from our Serving Leadership Development Program—Building Effective Teams, Phase 3]

People are motivated by rewards. God certainly understands this as well, as the Bible is filled with promises of rewards that God will give those who follow him.

Effective leaders understand the human need for being rewarded and they make use of recognition, compensation, promotion, and many other methods to lift morale and improve performance.

The Faithful will be Rewarded (Hebrews 11:1-40)

In this chapter, the author highlights the lives and contributions of the great men and women of faith in the Old Testament and the rewards God gave them because of their unwavering faith.

Rewards and recognition given to followers by their leaders can be powerful motivational tools. They give people added incentive to persevere, to do their best, and to accomplish the work that has been given to them. Rewarding followers for the good work that they do tells them that we appreciate them, care for them, and want them to continue to be on our team.

It is important for leaders to provide a variety of rewards because people are motivated in different ways. The leader’s job is to discover which rewards best motivate their people and use them to encourage them to do their best.

Serving Leaders Reward and Recognize Followers

What do the following scriptures tell us about the importance of a leader rewarding and recognizing others?

• 1 Kings 9:4-5
• Psalm 18:24
• Psalm 62:12
• Jeremiah 17:10
• Matthew 6:1
• Matthew 16:27
• John 14:1-4
• 2 Corinthians 5:10
• Ephesians 6:7-8

Discussion Questions:

1. What rewards have you received in the past for a job well done? How did they make you feel?
2. In what ways do you use rewards to encourage and show your appreciation for those on your team?
3. What does the need for leaders to use rewards tell us about human nature? How can a leader use this knowledge?