You Can Make a Difference
Nancy Spahr
Peru IN USA
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 39 No. 1, February-March 2003, pp. 10-11.
What is your experience in
working with Leader Applicants? Do you find that most work steadily
and complete their applications in less than a year? If so, congratulate
yourself for creating an environment where Applicants feel eager and
energized, for investing the time to meet to discuss topics and develop
skills, and for communicating effectively with Applicants and the Leader
Accreditation Department (LAD)! If not, consider what you might do to
help change the pattern to one of focused, efficient preparation and
accreditation. You have taken a good deal of time and care to discuss
the prerequisites to applying for leadership, LLL philosophy, Leader
responsibilities, and the application work with the mother (see “Knowing
Can Make a Difference,” Leaven, December-January 2003, and In Preparation
for an Application: Leader’s Guide in the LLLI Leader Application Packet.)
The Applicant filled out her application with a clear understanding
of the work needed in becoming a Leader and the expectation that she
could finish. You completed your Leader recommendation with the conviction
that the Applicant was able and ready to get to work. Now your attitude
can support the Applicant by:
• Showing your enjoyment
in being a Leader; your energy and enthusiasm can be contagious.
• Encouraging the Applicant
in her work by asking how it is going and if she needs suggestions or
help with specific things.
• Making sure she knows
that you are eager to have her join you as a co-Leader “soon.”
Your Time Can Make a Difference
The application is similar
to an apprenticeship, so your active involvement is critical. In addition,
the time you invest in helping a Leader Applicant prepare for leadership
can bring a host of happy returns to you and your Group:
•The active Applicant provides
a positive role model for other mothers. She demonstrates and communicates
LLL philosophy at meetings. She puts her developing skills to work at
Series Meetings by welcoming other mothers, contributing positively
to discussions, and helping out with behind-the-scenes tasks such as
hostessing the meeting, bringing refreshments, or setting up the Group
Library.
• An active Applicant demonstrates
her commitment to LLL by being a member of LLLI and by helping with
Group management (for example, a Group job) or special projects.
• Working with an enthusiastic
Applicant may be energizing to an established Leader and may remind
the Group Leader(s) of their personal motivation for volunteering for
LLLI.
Make regular time in your
schedule for meetings with the Leader Applicant as soon as the application
process begins (many Leaders find it helpful to do so on a weekly or
bi-weekly basis). You can use this time to phone or meet with the Applicant
(alone or with other Applicants), discuss checklist topics, practice
skills, do exercises together, and to communicate with the LAD representative.
Setting aside specific time can help you to keep your involvement a
priority and provide a positive example for the Applicant.
Planning and Communication
Can Make a Difference
As soon as the application
has been accepted and while your mutual excitement is high, make time
to get together with the Applicant to plan how you will work together.
The two of you will want to consider and discuss what the Applicant
already knows and what she has yet to learn.
Mothers come to the application
with different amounts and kinds of information, experience, and skills.
The application work is meant to build on the Applicant’s current knowledge
and capabilities. She may need to spend considerable time on basic information
and requirements or find that, because she already has this background,
she wants to access additional resources to add to her knowledge and
enhance her skills. Help her evaluate her current abilities and offer
ideas for how she can reach her goals.
Ask the applicant what kind
of support she would like from you. Some Applicants prefer to do much
of the work on their own, while others would like more help from the
Leader on projects such as the Breastfeeding Resource Guide (BRG) or
specific skills they feel unsure of.
Talk with the applicant about
the way she likes to learn. Does she learn most easily by reading, listening,
observing, discussing, or practicing? While she will need to do some
or all of these, you can assist by maximizing the opportunities for
her preferred learning style. The LAD representative can be a good resource
for suggestions and ideas for both of you.
Compare your individual schedules
to see what are the best times to work together. Whatever your plans
are, remember to be flexible to changing needs and circumstances and
when to check with each other to evaluate how the plan is going.
Remember to communicate with
the LAD representative. Keeping her informed about your work with the
Applicant can help her avoid unnecessary topics for discussion and focus
on what will be most helpful to the Applicant. LAD representatives are
expected to respond to the Applicant’s written application work within
two weeks of receipt.
Goal Setting Can Make a
Difference
Some people feel most organized
and work best when they set specific goals or a timeline for themselves.
If the Applicant finds this idea attractive, she might like your help.
One way to approach goal
setting could be to make a list of the various application requirements.
Under each requirement, the Applicant could list specific work, exercises,
or skills practice she would like to do. For example, the list might
include:
• Required reading as well
as other publications that you and she might think would be helpful.
• Parts of her personal
history in the order she would like to write and send them. She could
include space for dialogue letters too.
• The main headings from
the “Topics to Discuss in Preparation for LLL Leadership” checklist
that you will discuss together.
• Specific exercises or
practice ideas that seem valuable. (The LAD representative is a good
resource for these and may have helpful additions/suggestions for the
two of you.)
The Applicant might include
the BRG and Preview as their own headings or as separate items under
the various major topics. She might want to coordinate certain checklist
topics with specific reading and skills practice. After you both explore
the various possibilities, she could begin penciling in goal dates for
sub-headings.
Another tool for goal setting
could be a timeline marked in months and ending at the date the Applicant
would like to be accredited. Taking into consideration family needs
and other commitments, she could fill in her specific goals for each
month. Or she may feel more comfortable sticking with short-term lists
or general goals written on a calendar.
Whatever her approach to
goal setting, the Applicant might appreciate your input, ideas, and
perspective. You could help estimate how much time various aspects could
take, suggest resources and specific exercises, and input your schedule
and availability. To be effective, goal setting needs to be realistic
and incorporate regular evaluation and any necessary adjustment. Each
Applicant and sponsoring Leader(s) will choose tools and goals that
best help them.
With available time, a focused
approach, and your strong support, a Leader Applicant can complete her
application effectively and efficiently—sometimes within six months.
That makes for more Leaders to help more mothers and babies sooner.
What a happy result!
Nancy Spahr has been a
La Leche Leader for 25 years. She has three grown children, a teenager,
and a breastfed granddaughter. Nancy currently serves as LLLI LAD Director.
Deb Roberts is the Contributing Editor for “Preparing for Leadership.”
Send your ideas to Deb at 86 Castle Ridge Court, Chanhassen, Minnesota,
USA 55317 or robertsd@tcfreenet.org (email).
Last updated September 17, 2006 by jlm.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:16 UTC 2007.
