Volunteer Centered Leader: Get Away

When was the last time you had a weekend off from your team? Has it been a while? Now that you are Giving It Away, it is time to get away and refresh your leadership.

Get Away and Get a Big Idea

Refreshing your leadership requires that you stop and focus on big ideas. These are the things that will drive you and your team over the coming months. Things like:

1. Is the focus of our team or ministry still the right focus?
2. Are we carrying out this big idea on a weekly basis?
3. Is God calling us to a new or different big idea?

Without spending time on the big idea for your team, it is easy to get stuck doing the same thing for months, or even years, at a time.

So, how often should you get away and get a big idea? I prefer scheduling it monthly on my calendar, though quarterly may be a good start.

Get Away and Get Real

Once a week, you should be getting real. This means taking the time to assess how things are being done and if they are effective. Some things to consider include:

1. Are there tasks that can be made easier, quicker, or better?
2. What kinds of things could go wrong (risks), and are we prepared for them?
3. Is there a team member that is struggling, needs more training, or needs to be moved to another position?

These are the tough questions, not the “pie in the sky” fun of big idea thinking. The answers may be even tougher.

Try to get away and get real at least twice a month, but one a week is best as it allows you to react and deal with things quickly.

Get Away and Get Creative

It is difficult to be creative while being close to what you do on a weekly basis because too much of what you do is grounded in reality. Being creative means that you take the big idea, combined with reality, and find new and amazing ways to do things. Being creative may also mean being innovative – taking an idea from someone else and applying it to your team. Here are some ways to spark creativity:

1. Search for articles and blogs that are related to what your team does. Find out what is interesting or innovative that they’ve been doing
2. Talk to other leaders in your community. Perhaps your church isn’t as edgy as they are, but there is still much to learn. While you can’t always adopt all of their ideas, learning a new technique or approach may infuse life into your team
3. Read a book or blog on a completely different subject. Sometimes the best ideas come from how another field solves their problems creatively.

Try to be creative every week. You’ll see experience a new way of thinking about your team.

Just Get Away

It may not be easy to get away as often as I mentioned. Start simple, grow this technique as you get better at it, and soon you will see a huge change in the effectiveness of your team, your leaders, and yourself.

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