Michael's Notes - Thoughts On Worship, Leadership & Fitness

Make the most of 2010 Goals, talk about them

It is that time of the year when everyone is making resolutions and setting goals. I have come to the realization that the goals and initiatives I have set at my work place have the potential of becoming much more effective if I am willing to talk about them.


Accountability and Feedback from my supervisor. It is part of our culture to submit a “goals and initiatives” plan to our supervisor which is then discussed once a month in a one-on-one meeting; in doing so we open the lines of communication about these goals and other items.  These meetings are a great way to keep the supervisor informed of our progress which helps us be accountable for our actions.  Many organizations only rise to this level of communicating goals. I believe we miss a great opportunity if we stop here.

So this year I will also share my goals with:

Those I lead.  By sharing my goals with the people I lead I give them insight into the job I am trying to carry out. In communicating my goals I will also encourage input. I have these people on my team because I believe they do amazing work and we function better as a unit than as individuals. I trust their input. I also again believe I am held to a higher level of accountability if let people know what I am working on.

My peers. My group of peers consists of five other team members who have responsibilities much like mine. The reason to share my goals and initiatives for 2010 with this group is to get support and feedback. If constructed correctly my goals fit the ‘big picture’ of the organization. I want to keep my peers informed, I want them to buy-in to my work and I need their support.

Setting goals are an admirable task; however they are nothing more than words on a paper if they are not put into action. And if we are willing to talk about our goals we will get support and effective accountability.

Reasons Your Followers and Team Leaders are Quitting

In any organization that depends heavily on volunteer workers the great task of the leader is to recruit these volunteers and then motivate them to stay on the team. It often seems that for everyone I find to fill a role on a team, there are one or more ready to jump ship to another team or just stop volunteering.

 

Just recently I had the opportunity to attend a local church’s staff retreat where my pastor and my boss was speaking. The topic he was given to speak on was ‘motivating volunteers.’ During his talk he listed these four reasons people give as the reason they quit our teams:

 

• I don’t make a difference
• I get bored
• I don’t see a chance for personal growth
• I get very little chance to demonstrate creativity and/or initiative

 

As leaders how can we be proactive in making sure these questions do not become a reality in our teams? How about:

 

• Help them clearly understand what they are volunteering for
• Present them with clear expectations of their volunteer role
• Give them opportunity to be active in the decision making process for their role
• Communicate often your appreciation that they are on your team
• Ask often how you can support them in their role.
• Help them see how their role fits into the bigger picture of the organization and how without them fulfilling their role. the team would not function properly.
• Hold them accountable to their commitment.

 

When a team and its volunteers are functioning in a ministry/church role there are some other important points to communicate to the volunteers.

       

• You are not a volunteer but someone called by God to fill a position of ministry.
• When you say ‘yes’ to participating in this ministry your accountability is not just to the team leader but to God.
• Every position in a church/ministry has the same value, therefore your position is important.

 

Finally, there will be persons who say yes to a volunteer/ministry position who cannot fulfill the requirements or expectations. Then it becomes the responsibility of the leader to help the person leave graciously, even support them in finding a way to serve the organization in a role more appropriate for their gifts and talents.

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Leaders Communicating Down-Line

On a recent volunteer assignment I was reminded of the importance for leaders to communicate down-line.

One of the fundraising activities for my son’s marching band is that the parents get the privilege of helping park cars at the county fair. I was given specific instructions and expectations for the post where I was assigned. All seemed to be going well until a group of people showed up to my lot who did not meet the criteria to allow them to enter. That is until they said a leader at the fair had given them “special permission” to do so. This was directly against the instructions that we had been given. Of course we let them in, but there were a few moments of awkwardness and uneasiness as I tried to carry out what was expected of me.

In many circumstances leaders have the authority to make exceptions to rules or guidelines, especially when exceptions are in line with core values and help meet established goals. However it is imperative that any changes are communicated to all whom will be affected.  To communicate effectively the leader must try to predict all who will be affected by any decision and let them know.

In the situation mentioned above a ‘heads-up’ communication from the leader to the team would have avoided the awkward situation and made the experience for both the volunteer and the guest more enjoyable.  As a leader I can avoid awkward situations if I communicate in all directions to everyone who could possibly be affected by decisions I make.