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 3 Signs that Volunteers are Losing SteamGuard your workers against these traps.
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Ah, the day has finally come. Your team of volunteers once sat before you fresh and eager, leaning forward to hear about your new outreach campaign. You launched into the vision, sketched diagrams on the whiteboard, spoke in word pictures, and sparked a fire of enthusiasm. Excitement spread throughout the congregation. However, four months later at a team meeting, something has changed. The energy is gone. Fewer people show up. Several arrive late. They don't speak much. You hear complaints over trivial stuff. A few arguments break out. What happened between the first meeting and this one? The heart of a volunteer has an uncanny way of turning from passion to ambivalence. Let's look at how to treat three early symptoms before they have a chance to douse people's zeal. 1. Seeking CreditJust listen to volunteers and staff and you will better understand their hearts. You'll know the spark is starting to dim if you hear "That was my idea" or "Why didn't you mention me when you thanked Janetta from the podium?" Many volunteers who come from the marketplace are looking for fulfillment in ministry service. If they can't get ego satisfaction on the job, they look for it in other groups they belong to (lucky you). An employee named Shawn recently came into my office complaining he wasn't getting credit for his ideas. Rather than try to persuade him otherwise, I started giving him credit myself in meetings. This seemed to work. But unfortunately Shawn wants more. I'm starting to see a second symptom creep into his heart. 2. Seeking ControlAs he grows and builds confidence in his place in the group, Shawn has been dipping a foot into the second trap that ensnares many workers: he's becoming a turf protector. He wants responsibilities that are his own, not shared projects. He's starting to grab his own power and running into conflict as a result. People become turf protectors when they say "I" more than "we." "I'll do that myself." "This work I'm doing is taking a lot of my time." My business partner says, "No man is an island." When a team is no longer a single body but instead a cluster of self-concerned individuals, jealousy, resentment, and bitterness set in. If you hear something like, "That's my responsibility! I've always done that. Why are you giving it to her?" then it may be time to give everyone a spoonful of medicine. This medicine is simply "change." Change the venue, assignments, team makeup, or pace. People seeking control don't like change because it negates control. If someone is too comfortable in his committee chair role, combine his group with another one and give him shared leadership. Or insert yourself into his committee for a while to diffuse his pursuit of power. 3. Lack of ExcellenceWhen administrative details fall through the cracks, event plans go awry, or worship music is unpracticed, the pastor usually gets the blame. Too often, church leaders take unfair hits for the shortcomings of people under them. |             | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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