Tag: leadership

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motivation

What Motivates Volunteers

food and drinks inside the carton box
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

In The Essential Drucker, Peter Drucker insisted that management increasingly needs to lead knowledge workers as if they were volunteers because their skills make them mobile. They can always go somewhere else to work. So, what motivates volunteers?

I’ve had the advantage of witnessing how my wife has effectively motivated volunteers in a ministry. Some of the factors that motivate volunteers are:

  • Cast a compelling, inspiring vision you want to be a part of
  • Get to know each volunteer
  • Provide training and educational opportunities
  • Publicly show appreciation
  • Correct behavior privately
  • Always consider The Golden Rule
Cartoon of a man tossing a donut to a teenager. The man says, "The youth have been great voluntters. Plus, they word for donuts!"

Perks such as doughnuts don’t hurt either. The bottom line is ordering knowledge workers around doesn’t work. An effective boss of knowledge workers leads instead of dictates. Knowledge workers are paid to think. Indeed, What motivates volunteers also motivates them.

Categories
motivation

What if I’m not in charge?

a woman standing in front of the group
Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels.com

Is anybody totally in charge? Bosses have bosses. Even those at the top answer to a board of directors or a balance sheet. Many of us ask, “What if I’m not in Charge?”

A few years ago, I attended a conference where a speaker coached us on how to lead when we aren’t the boss. Clay Scroggins advised that we have more control than we realize, even when we aren’t the leader.

Sketch notes on "How to lead when you're not in charge"

I was delighted to learn he now has a video series by the same name.

Even if we don’t have the official title, each of us has control over ourselves and how we react to different situations. I have found that when I have relinquished that control, I have made it difficult for me to lead myself and have made it harder on my leaders.

We have more control than we realize, but that also means we must take responsibility for our own actions. What if I’m not in charge? I can start leading myself, for starters. And isn’t that the most important person to lead, after all?

Categories
Leadership

Does Consensus Kill Courage?

Cartoon of man selling idea to skeptical businessmen asking does consensus kill courage

Carey Nieuwhof had a great post entitled, 5 Signs Bad Governance Is Stifling Your Church’s Growth and Mission. In a previous post that he no longer has posted, Niewshof had some great points on how committees can knock the wind out of good ideas. In his post, he said,

When it comes to courageous change, here are four things that are true:

Committees kill vision

Individuals are almost always more courageous than teams

The more people you seek to please up front, the less inspiring your idea will become

Leaders don’t always walk alone, but sometimes they have to start alone.

Carey Nieuwhof
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Categories
motivation

Listen First, Speak Last

Cartoon of boy with his mouth taped and a girl

Listen first, speak last.

Peter Drucker in The Effective Executive, page xxiii

I did not expect to find “listen first, speak last” in a book on business leadership. But there it was. Peter Drucker elevated it to a rule for executives to follow.

Listen first, speak last: Cartoon of boy with his mouth taped and a girl

This didn’t play into my stereotype of the brash, bombastic, self-assured, influential executive. Aren’t leaders supposed to be the boss and have people do their bidding? At least that was the excuse I used when I tried to reason why some are leaders and others are followers.

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children's ministry cartoons church cartoons

A Senior Pastor’s Moat

Sometimes, it’s difficult to get access to a leader. We may need to have crucial conversations, but a leader may need solitude to get important work done. That idea inspired me to draw this “A senior pastor’s moat” cartoon.

A senior Pastor's moat cartoon: a man yells, "Doris! It's Bob, the Children's Pastor. I have an appointment with Pastor Kenneth!"
Copyright ©2017 Kidzmatter | Kevin Spear

No matter where you go, it can be difficult to get access to leaders. Sometimes, it is because leaders get interrupted continually. Other times, it can be because of personalities that clash. Then there are times it may be because there was a great sale on moats and alligators. It can be for a host of reasons.  

Continue reading “A Senior Pastor’s Moat”