(This is me with my current Stake Relief Society Presidency members - since I always like a post with a photo!)
I have actually gotten better at delegating. Years ago, I never delegated. I was a counselor to Polly Bourgeous, and she rightly taught me that I should involve others as we planned and prepared for Ward Relief Society activities.
We were having a Visiting Teaching Conference, and we were making these magnets for favors. Polly suggested several sisters who often volunteered to make things at home since they couldn't get out much. So I assembled little kits to make 10 or so each and took them around to these sisters. I gave them 3 weeks notice - and they all said they were happy to help.
The day before the conference, all but one sister had not made any - and didn't think they could!! So I was literally up all night doing a job that I could have spread out over 3 weeks. I was truly annoyed - and not very kind in my thoughts!
I was a counselor in a Relief Society Presidency once again - Connie Allsop was a champion delegator - you would have thought I would have grasped the concept. Connie gave me assignments that were sometimes tough ones. She just expected me to do them - and I did - and grew and was blessed and had some wonderful experiences. But didn't seem to learn the underlying lesson!
However, I continued to eschew delegating myself. I can do it better, faster and more reliably myself I thought. This was my mantra for many years. Even when I was working, Harry was the bishop and I was Young Women President, I still did most of the stuff myself. I was often without a complete presidency. Over the 4 years I served, I often had women in my presidency who could serve, but only in limited way. Others who served with me could be counted on to help, but sometimes I just did it myself anyway - often using the excuse that I'd left it until the last minute and it would be rude to ask someone so late like that. (One notable exception was Kacy - I turned a New Beginnings over to her - or maybe it was a Young Women in Excellence - but I did nothing on that one, she just took the ball and ran with it - and it was a great program. But then she moved!!)
I then served as a Relief Society President - and found that I simply had to delegate. And I had great counselors - Dawn was one - who were talented and almost insisted on doing more than I thought they had to. I started getting more comfortable with having others play a bigger role than I had previously allowed. (And it's really the job of a good president to train others, so I think I was finally figuring out how to do it.)
Later as a Stake Relief Society President, I found that I had these wonderful counselors and secretary - and I was going to Virginia to help when Theo was born. It was 2 weeks before the Women's Conference - and they took care of everything! The next year I had to work at the temple the night before the conference - and they set up without me and it was great!! I was finally sold on delegating.
But recently, I have had a disappointing experience with delegating. I will give no particulars, because it could get back to the some people, but I really felt like I should have done it myself.
I also have been reflecting on how hard it is to have others doing for me at home while I've been laid up - I have truly had to not let it bother me when things weren't done the way I am used to having them done.
But when I reflected some more, I saw that there were two important lessons to learn from all this: if you don't let others serve you, how will they know the joy of service? Someone has to be served!
And there really is more than one right way to do everything!
We were having a Visiting Teaching Conference, and we were making these magnets for favors. Polly suggested several sisters who often volunteered to make things at home since they couldn't get out much. So I assembled little kits to make 10 or so each and took them around to these sisters. I gave them 3 weeks notice - and they all said they were happy to help.
The day before the conference, all but one sister had not made any - and didn't think they could!! So I was literally up all night doing a job that I could have spread out over 3 weeks. I was truly annoyed - and not very kind in my thoughts!
I was a counselor in a Relief Society Presidency once again - Connie Allsop was a champion delegator - you would have thought I would have grasped the concept. Connie gave me assignments that were sometimes tough ones. She just expected me to do them - and I did - and grew and was blessed and had some wonderful experiences. But didn't seem to learn the underlying lesson!
However, I continued to eschew delegating myself. I can do it better, faster and more reliably myself I thought. This was my mantra for many years. Even when I was working, Harry was the bishop and I was Young Women President, I still did most of the stuff myself. I was often without a complete presidency. Over the 4 years I served, I often had women in my presidency who could serve, but only in limited way. Others who served with me could be counted on to help, but sometimes I just did it myself anyway - often using the excuse that I'd left it until the last minute and it would be rude to ask someone so late like that. (One notable exception was Kacy - I turned a New Beginnings over to her - or maybe it was a Young Women in Excellence - but I did nothing on that one, she just took the ball and ran with it - and it was a great program. But then she moved!!)
I then served as a Relief Society President - and found that I simply had to delegate. And I had great counselors - Dawn was one - who were talented and almost insisted on doing more than I thought they had to. I started getting more comfortable with having others play a bigger role than I had previously allowed. (And it's really the job of a good president to train others, so I think I was finally figuring out how to do it.)
Later as a Stake Relief Society President, I found that I had these wonderful counselors and secretary - and I was going to Virginia to help when Theo was born. It was 2 weeks before the Women's Conference - and they took care of everything! The next year I had to work at the temple the night before the conference - and they set up without me and it was great!! I was finally sold on delegating.
But recently, I have had a disappointing experience with delegating. I will give no particulars, because it could get back to the some people, but I really felt like I should have done it myself.
I also have been reflecting on how hard it is to have others doing for me at home while I've been laid up - I have truly had to not let it bother me when things weren't done the way I am used to having them done.
But when I reflected some more, I saw that there were two important lessons to learn from all this: if you don't let others serve you, how will they know the joy of service? Someone has to be served!
And there really is more than one right way to do everything!
2 comments:
Delegating is important. It gives others a chance to serve and learn. It is hard when others do not follow through or do not do it as you would do it. But then they have a learning experience, and sometimes doing it not how you would do it is exactly what is needed.
Actually this recent time when someone didn't come through turned out to be a blessing - because I might not have thought of the person I asked to help me the "second time around" and that turned out to be a good thing.
Sometime when we talk, I'll "flesh out" the story!!
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