Day 26: Recruit, Train, Retain, Sustain

Revolutionary leaders know how to sustain positive change.

Jesus was clear about this in both word and action. His long-term vision for leadership wasn’t built on momentary miracles alone; it was rooted in a multiplication mindset.

Let’s look at two key passages:

"[35] Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages...announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. [36] When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [37] He said to his disciples, 'The harvest is great, but the workers are few. [38] So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

-Matthew 9:35–38 (NLT)

“Go and make disciples of all the nations...Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you...I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

-Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT)

Jesus Saw the Need and Built the System

• He addressed real needs: healing diseases and broken hearts.
• He recognized a leadership gap: “like sheep without a shepherd.”
• He equipped others to continue the work: training disciples who would one day train others.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd (John 10:11 NLT), didn’t stop at influence. He started a movement.

That’s the model. Your Lazarus moment—your risk, sacrifice, and faith—shouldn’t end with applause. It should inspire multiplication. A legacy is built on systems that sustain.

Great Teams Are Built, Not Found

In The Six Types of Working Genius, Patrick Lencioni reminds us that successful teams are intentionally built around people’s natural gifts. That triggered a thought for me: How can we recruit, train, retain, and sustain talent in our homes, churches, teams, or organizations?

I laid this groundwork in my Marine Corps Gazette article "Recruit, Train, Retain," but now we’ll take it a step further. For brevity, we'll abbreviate “Recruit, Train, Retain” as “RTR.”

Here’s the truth: Great teams perform well and reproduce their success.

The Six Types of Working Genius—The RTR Application

1. Wonder: The gift of seeing potential and asking what’s missing.

RTR Insight: See the gap before you fill it.
Before recruiting, ask: What need am I trying to solve?

Biblical Parallel: Jesus had compassion on the crowd. He saw the gap in leadership and responded with empathy, not ego (Matthew 9:36).

2. Invention: The gift of generating fresh ideas and solutions.

RTR Insight: Innovate recruiting and training methods to fit your mission.
Recruit the right recruiter, then develop tailored training that matches your culture.

Reflection: Sometimes the most effective ideas are counterintuitive (or “upside-down”). For example, Jesus used mud and spit to heal. What unconventional wisdom might God be asking you to apply?

3. Discernment: The gift of intuitively evaluating options and people.

RTR Insight: Choose the right people and the right systems. Focus on building alignment when it's time to fill roles. Match culture, not just credentials.

Remember: Even Jesus carefully selected the 12. Talent and skill aren't enough because that would only solve momentary problems. People’s values and work ethic must fit the moment and the mission.

4. Galvanizing: The gift of rallying others to action.

RTR Insight: Don’t just bring people together; inspire a movement and cause for them to get behind. Make the vision contagious, and cultivate belonging and passion from day one.

Biblical Echo: Jesus didn’t recruit with job descriptions. He said, “Follow me,” and people dropped everything to join Him.

5. Enablement: The gift of supporting others with practical help.

RTR Insight: Equip your team to succeed. Mentorship, tools, and encouragement build a sustainable path forward.

Leadership Reminder: Leadership is about serving others, providing resources, and removing obstacles, not about micromanaging and hoarding information for control.

6. Tenacity: The gift of finishing strong.

RTR Insight: Execution matters. Dreamers start, but tenacious leaders finish. They instill habits and systems that keep the vision alive.

Legacy Lesson: Jesus saw His ministry through to the cross and the empty tomb. Then, He passed the baton to His disciples.

Conclusion: Recruit, Train, Retain…and Sustain

You’re called to build well. That means equipping others, multiplying your impact, and creating systems that outlast your position. “Go and make disciples…” (Matthew 28:19 NLT) wasn’t a suggestion. It was a strategy.

Call to Action:

• What area of the Working Genius model do you naturally excel in?
• What area do you tend to overlook in your leadership process?
• This week, identify one way to build sustainability into how you lead others at work, in your home, or in your ministry.

Foundational Truth:

Jesus trained the disciples who would raise the Church. True leadership doesn’t just rescue; it replicates.