Delegation -vs- Empowerment
A recent U.S. survey of all U.S. Area Directors and Committee Chairs asked the following question:
Q. What has been a significant area of frustration regarding your working relationship with your Committee Chair or Area Staff?
The top answer by Area Staff? “Getting Committee members to do something.”
The top answer from Committee Chairs? “Getting the YL staff to give us something to do.”
Once you get beyond the irony of their answers, you will notice that deeper issues appear. Poor communication and missed expectations are a result of differing assumptions. We have not been clear about what we expect from each other and consistent communication is a priority for any healthy team or organization. Bottom line: we risk diminishing the contribution of the 10,000 U.S. Committee members as well as thousands more internationally.
The Mission of Young Life is built on TEAMS. Christ-centered and volunteer-led are how we will go deep in our effectiveness and one of the reasons for our success as a mission. Teams take time to develop and YL’s ‘walk alongside’ model can seem woefully slow when compared to the pace of today’s world. In my conversations with local staff and Committees, two words continued to show up that may help foster true ownership around Young Life volunteerism. DELEGATION & EMPOWERMENT.
Delegation is the assignment of authority to another person to carry out a specific task. It assumes clarity of roles and trust that work will be accomplished by another person. At its best, it is very efficient. It is a key principle in management but tends to be transactional pm.
Empowerment involves the passing on of authority and power to another individual as they endeavor to achieve a goal. This slow process allows the individual to grow in strength and confidence. It is a key principle in leadership and tends to be transformational.
Simply, delegation is giving limited authority for a team member to act on the behalf of the group's leader. Empowerment is allowing a team member to act on their own behalf. Although we may start with delegation, our goal in YL is to empower. Both develop capabilities and skills and allow others to take on more responsibility, but only one of them fosters ownership, and vested interest.
The average volunteer leader has only been in leadership for less than a year. The average Committee Chair has been in their role for less than three years. Our ability to complete the journey from Delegation to Empowerment is important now more than ever. Through our history as a mission, senior staff reference the classic three step process they went through.
STEP 1: I do it, YOU watch!
STEP 2: YOU do it, I watch!
STEP 3: YOU DO IT!
In a season where we have fewer volunteers and a greater need than ever before, we need to polish up these skills of empowerment. Just look at the Gospels and observe how Jesus empowered his followers. He moved them from self-focused to others-focused. He would teach, send, and then debrief and at its core, that is exactly what we are doing here. EMPOWERMENT!
TRY THIS EXERCISE with someone on your team. It’s simple and once you do it, you may realize that you have opportunities to empower others daily. Choose someone (faithful, available, and teachable) that you want to help develop in leadership. Be intentional and prayerful about this invitation.
ENGAGE: Pick a task, or skill where you want to help them develop. A powerful statement is made when you choose a task that you love and is hard for you to give away. Make sure it has a start and a finish so that you have something to celebrate. Write down 3-5 skills where proficiency is required for success.
ELEVATE: Now have the conversation with the person you are developing. Let them know the vision you have for them, your intent to invest in their growth, and your commitment to the work needed for them to become proficient in this role.
EXPLAIN: Next, go to work. Explain what expectations are and think through the challenges or pitfalls they may encounter. Secondly, allow the person you are empowering to express needs, challenges, and difficulties. Lastly, commit to celebrating successes and learning from failures.
EQUIP: Finally, equip them by giving away power. Encourage and find ways to communicate trust. Support them with resources and help them think through some of the pitfalls. Follow up often.
Empowering others takes time, but the result is undeniable. Existing leaders, local committees, and support teams are a great place to start. Email me HERE to share your own observations and what you are learning.