Volunteer Centered Leader: Give It Away

My family and I recently gave away lots of things in our house that we no longer needed. During this process, we also decided to give away some of my daughter’s toys that she had outgrown. In the past, we had to do this when she wasn’t around to keep her from becoming upset. This time, we decided to have her help us.

Involving her took longer, but it taught her that she had choices: a choice to keep one toy while giving away another. While my wife and I were struggling with whether this technique worked, we found that it did. We realized this when, on her own, she brought a toy that she no longer wanted and said “Momma, I would like to give this toy to someone else. I don’t need it anymore.” Wow!

As a leader, your volunteers are watching you as my daughter was watching me. Through your actions, they see what you do, not what you say.

Leaders Must Give Love Away

You must be willing to give away your love to them. If you do, they will learn to give theirs to others just the same. This means spending more time in prayer with them, more time in prayer for them during the week, and more time caring for them while they are giving their spare time to your team.

Leaders Must Give Control Away

As a leader of leaders, they are watching you demonstrate leadership every day. Whether it is from your emails, phone calls, or how you treat them during the weekends, your leaders will do as you do. They may not be a child, learning for the first time like my daughter, but many are first time volunteers and leaders. They may know how to lead a team at work (or even a large company), but volunteer leadership is much different. You have to demonstrate this by allowing them to have control in their leadership. Only then will they be forced to make decisions and lead others, leaning on what you have done along the way to guide them. This also means that you need to be prepared at all times, as they will see you as a guide in their process of understanding.

Leaders Must Give Success Away

By giving them love and control, you allow yourself to give away the success. While you may have had a contributing hand in what they have been doing, your love for them won’t allow you to take credit for what they are doing. In fact, you will want to honor and reward them for their hard work. If you retain that love and control for yourself, you may get the reward, but you’ll be there by yourself to receive it.

It can be a difficult thing to give – Jesus demonstrated this through His own sacrifice. Are you willing to follow His example and give it away?

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