I find that I’m the mostly frustrated when I’m trying to do it all myself. I begin to blame volunteers in my ministry. And then I realize that I’m not delegating, investing or leading. As a leader I’ve learned the most important thing that I can do is lead. It sounds likes common sense; however, I’ve found myself so focused on the task that I forget to bring others along. If I do not lead, then the ministry does not grow.
Leaders need to get their hands dirty; however, to grow as a leader and a ministry you need to lead those around you. Your time, energy, gifts and talents are limited. If you want to expand your capacity then you need to lead your volunteers, students, parents and church community. Sometimes it requires bold moves and huge leaps of faith, and then sometimes just a few simple steps such as:
- Sitting Back And Listen: If you do too much talking and not enough listening you are shutting off the rest of your team. They’ll feel unappreciated and undervalued. It’s important to look at leading as not just directing but cultivating. When conducting a meeting look to lead and facilitate the conversation. Make sure people have an opportunity to comes see you to pitch and idea. Be open and take your time to respond.
- Affirming Publicly: If someone has a great idea praise them publicly. If someone knocks it out of the park with their commitment let others know. Not only will the person feel the love, they’ll feel like being loyal and follow your lead. Public affirmations can be contagious and when it becomes a part of the culture your ministry will thrive. You don’t have to go overboard with your affirmation, just giving them credit where credit is due will go a long way.
- Showing Random Appreciation: While all of your volunteers and students need appreciation, when you share it randomly it goes deeper. Random appreciation means getting personal and letting that person know you were thinking of them. When one of your team is the recipient of an random act of kindness they’ll feel the specialness of your act. To lead big you do not have to thank everyone, just someone from time to time.
- Making Small Deposits: How well do you know your team? You can make small investments in your volunteers by asking them about their families. Get to know their interests, ask them about their life and show interest in who they are. Invest in small ways, to make a big impact. When others see that you are investing in them, they’ll turn around to invest in you.
To lead big doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go big. In fact it’s the small things that can have the greatest impact. As you sit down to think about how to take your ministry to the next level just keep it simple.
What simple steps do you take to lead big?
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