It’s your choice Do you affirm others or critique them? When you’ve been in a leadership role for a while you’ll probably know far more about how to do what is needed than anyone else. That means the volunteers or staff probably know less about how to do their tasks. So how will you respond? Will you become upset when a person doesn't execute a task as well as you do? Will you slow your pace and be a mentor and encourager, or will you demand a better outcome? Even facial expressions and body language can speak louder than words in judgement. I was working with an excellent volunteer in our church sports program, but initially he struggled to succeed. I didn’t help by criticizing his mistakes. I'm surprised he didn't leave his volunteer role. I finally realized the one who needed to change was me. I needed to affirm him whenever possible and help him know it was okay to make suggestions, try new ideas and make mistakes. I went from a critical leader to a compassionate, affirming leader. I learned how to encourage and provide an environment where he could learn and grow and yes, make mistakes and fix them. The strange part of this experience was that I had been inspired by a leader who held me accountable but continually encouraged me to be myself and helped me develop my skills and talents. However, I wasn't doing the same for the volunteer under my leadership. I tried to be his boss rather than his mentor – criticizing instead of giving helpful feedback. To be a compassionate leader, I needed to learn to be more vulnerable, which required retraining myself. I needed to model good leadership. Scripture to ponder – Psalm 78:72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands, he led them. (NIV) Key Lesson: If you want to see multigenerational leaders, there must be compassionate, caring leadership from one generation to the next.
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