We’ve all dealt with them. Bosses who double check everything you do. Senior pastors who don’t even care what’s going on. Leaders who discourage instead of encourage. But at times, are we those kinds of leaders?
The Micromanager
We’ve all heard of the micromanager who won’t let the people under them do their own jobs. But if you care about the children’s ministry or are frustrated with the lack of quality workers in your ministry, this is one of the easiest leadership styles to fall into. There are ways to avoid being a micromanager.
Make clear job descriptions: One way to avoid being a micromanager is to make clear job descriptions for every worker with duties and responsibilities on top. If the worker has to wade through the vision of the church and the qualifications of being on your team, he never will get to the actual duties he’s to perform.
Then communicate the duties you’ve assigned clearly in at least 3 ways. Some way you can do this are to give each person a written copy, send each person an email, meet with each person individually, text message each person with the list of duties only, and FB message them with their duties. This may seem like overkill, but people communicate in different ways, and it’s important to share in a way the worker best understands.
Cast the Vision and Goals for Children’s Ministry: When your workers know the vision and goals of the ministry and they are onboard, you can trust them to do things that meet those goals without having to hold their hands.
Have Brainstorming Times: Have meeting that are meant for brainstorming only. Give your workers a problem to solve, a goal to meet, or an event to plan, and step out of the way. Give them permission to dream and to not worry about resources, space, or money. That subject will come at a later meeting. Avoid the temptation to offer suggestions or to tell them why something won’t work. You’ll be amazed at the solutions they come up with when you give them permission to brainstorm. It will also increase attendance at your meetings if their offering input and not just listening to what you have planned.
Remember that not everyone will do things the same. If you have assigned a worker a task, and that worker understands what you want to accomplish, don’t second guess the way he goes about it. He won’t do things the way you do, but in the end, it might even be better.
Check progress: This may sound like a contradiction, but it’s not. If you have a project for someone to do, give her a timeline for steps you want completed, and check to make sure she’s on target. If you know what’s going on, you’ll avoid the temptation to step in and take it over. Also if any problems come up, you can work with your team in time to take care of them. It will help you breathe easier while someone else takes care of the project.
Pray: Some of the biggest reasons leaders become micromanagers have nothing to do with the other person. Pride, envy, jealousy, and insecurity are a part of our carnal flesh. We need to pray and get those things under control, or we will always be micromanagers.