Who Shares Your Group?
from LEAVEN, Vol. 31 No.
3, May-June 1995, p. 40
by Terrell Graham
Lawrence, Kansas, USA
"When Leaders work together
as a team, the Group is strengthened by their cooperation."
THE NEW LEADER'S HANDBOOK, p. 174
At some point in a Group
led by co-Leaders, decisions were made about how responsibilities would
be shared. Those decisions may have been made before you even attended
LLL meetings! Tradition abounds in LLL and it may play a big role in
how your Group functions. In addition to tradition, Leader dynamics
and division of responsibility determine how a Leader feels about her
role in the Group. A sense of teamwork can make leadership pleasurable
and enhance a Leader's commitment.
Think about how Group responsibilities
are shared by you and your Co- Leader(s):
Has the same system of
sharing responsibility been in place since your Group was founded?
How do you feel about your
contributions to the Group? Would you like to do more? Less?
How do you feel about the
other Leaders' roles and their commitment to the Group?
Is it time for a Leaders'
Planning Meeting to re-evaluate the Group's division of work?
It is important to be honest
with your co-Leader(s). Let her know if you are uncomfortable with your
current LLL workload. Ask her how she is feeling about what she does
for the Group. Discussing your feelings honestly and accepting each
other's individual "interest and activity levels" helps set the stage
for positive and productive planning.
Many Groups have regular
Leaders' Meetings where all Leaders discuss the division of work and
how they feel about it. These meetings might be annual or held once
a Series. Scheduling a Leaders' Meeting to evaluate Group responsibilities
can dispel the uncomfortable feeling a Leader might have about suggesting
such a meeting to co-Leaders.
If all the Leaders in a Group
expect to have a Leaders' Planning Meeting and all approach it with
the goal of enhancing the productivity of the Group, the result is shared
leading. Shared leading gives responsibility to all Leaders in the Group.
Just as Area Council and
Division Staff positions have terms, it may he helpful to determine
terms for Leader jobs in the Group. Each Leader knows how long she is
responsible for a particular aspect of Group management. At the end
of a term the division of work can be re-evaluated. This is a tradition
that can promote growth and productivity in a Group.
In some Groups each Leader
leads one complete Series including setting up the meeting room, leading
the meeting, arranging for and leading the Evaluation/Enrichment Meeting,
and writing to the District Advisor. In other Groups one Leader leads
the Series Meeting and a co-Leader leads the Evaluation/Enrichment Meeting.
Still other Groups divide the work according to each Leader's interests
and talents.
Since each Group is different
the workload to maintain each is different. The needs of the Group should
be balanced with the Leaders' time and energy. Flexibility is essential
as well.
THE NEW LEADER'S HANDBOOK
(p. 173) tells us that effective sharing of Group responsibilities hinges
on several factors:
All Leaders know who is
responsible for each job.
All Leaders agree to and follow
through on their appointed jobs.
Jobs rotate in an agreed
manner among Leaders.
Although we are all accredited
with a common understanding of LLL philosophy and goals, some Leaders
are surprised how differently we each live our lives. What one Leader
may assume of another Leader may simply be that - just an assumption.
A new Leader with very young
children may assume that a Leader with children in school all day has
more time than she does. While that may be true during school hours,
the time from 3 PM until bedtime can be incredibly hectic and stressful.
A Leader with older children
may compare her busy life to the slower pace of a Leader with a very
young family. She may have forgotten the demands of meeting the needs
of young babies and children. In both sets of circumstances the Leader
may feel her time and energy is stretched to its limit and that "surely
she (the co-Leader) could do more for the Group."
What interests a Leader of
ten years experience may be different from that of a newly accredited
Leader. To keep Group work stimulating, challenging and fun assess each
Leader's strengths, talents and goals as they continually change. Remembering
our common goal, helping mothers breastfeed, can bring Leaders of all
ages and experiences together. Mutual conviction gives each Leader a
feeling of equal responsibility for a Group.
As your next Series Meeting
approaches and the opportunity for a Leaders' Meeting arises, suggest
that it be a planning meeting for sharing Group work. Perhaps this article
can be a springboard for your discussion.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:17 UTC 2007.
