A Leader's Levers

Not long ago I was reminded that working with volunteers is much like walking a tight-rope. Be too demanding with expectations and they're gone in a blink, be too lax and they get so diluted in their understanding of your expectations they become toothless. The key is not to pull the demanding 'lever' and expect a result, nor is it to pull the freedom 'lever' and expect a result. Rather, we must acknowledge that there are more levers!

There multiple types of levers that a point leader has at his/her disposal. There's the grace lever, the speaker of hard words lever, the encouragement lever, the teaching lever, the training lever, the coaching lever, the pastoral lever, the understanding lever etc.

I've found that while I'm extraordinarily far from mastering this, pulling on each lever just a little at a time creates a dynamic that is more in line with the desired outcome we're looking for.

So here are a few reminders that I've found can help me walk the leadership tight-rope:

1. Have I asked my leaders if there is anything they need help with?
Leaders always, always, always want to know you care more about them, than the task. If the task is pervading your thoughts more than what happening in your leaders life-you might need to chat with God about that.

2. Have I personally encouraged my leaders lately?
There are a multitude of ways we encourage our leaders, but few are as effective as good ole fashioned penmanship. A handwritten note can go eons farther than a typed, mass produced letter. When we communicate to our leaders that amist our business we stopped and intentionally set aside time for them...it's a powerful communicator of their worth to us.

3. Am I doing anything to help my leaders become better?
Are we providing 'need-to-know' training that can be immediately implemented at their next group meeting? Abstract concepts are good for retreats and big rallies...but not in-the-trenches training. My experience has been that leaders want training that is short, sweet, but potent. While that can hard to do, know that you have lots of resources at your disposal. Such as this and this. Or perhaps you may not even offer training at all...if not, check this site out, it's loaded with helpful resources.

Peace out!
JR