As a leader — whether at home, at work, at church, wherever I am — I’ve got one job that’s more important that any other. I need to replace myself.

You’ve probably heard it a dozen times from leadership books, from leadership coaches, from social media, from every source imaginable. People don’t leave jobs — they leave leaders. It’s become a standard leadership cliche. But cliches often become cliches because they’re true. People don’t leave jobs. They leave the people who were leading them in those jobs. And if you’re a leader, that’s a reality you have to pay attention to every day.

Have you visited a Starbucks lately? If you have, chances are better than not that you received a smile, were asked your name and, if you didn’t like your drink, were offered a replacement with no questions asked. Traveling as much as I do gives me plenty of opportunities to hit a local Starbucks and, even though I tend to prefer local establishments over chains, I greatly respect and appreciate the consistent experience I get at Starbucks. That’s why Ryan Stigile’s recent article about why people like Starbucks more than the church caught my attention.

At Church Community Builder, we believe that if you hire a bunch of people with the same skills, personality, and passions as you, you are destined to fail. A team that represents diversity in culture, giftedness, and backgrounds is critical for well-rounded ministry success.