I love to entertain and have thrown more than my fair share of dinner parties.
When I first started to cook and got hooked on the fun of gathering folks together for a meal I did EVERYTHING myself:
Planned the menu
Grocery shopped
Chopped, sliced , diced, roasted, fried, tossed
Cleaned the house
Set the table
Served the meal
Cleaned up
While I loved most of it, I didn't love all of it
I found myself tired
and sometimes thinking, "hey, you need to appreciate all the work I went thru"
Super gracious, right?!
I got a little older, a little wiser, and a lot less ego driven and now while I still love to host get togethers, I usually go potluck style
I let folks bring what suits them or ask for help with specific dishes or tasks.
And this is the key to Effective Leadership
As new leaders, or leaders who are stuck in a certain way of doing things, we think or feel a need to do it all.
We think this is good leadership.
But it leads to burn out, to unrealistic expectations from our downline, to pressure, and to one person doing a lot of giving.
When we turn over aspects of our group to others we create "Potluck Style Leadership"
A great example of this is on our Group Facebook Page.
While I set it up and manage it, everyone brings something to the table:
Updates from Stampin'Up!
Project ideas
Congratulations and Way to Go!
Questions AND Answers
Discussions
I don't have to provide everything to provide a great environment and opportunity.
People love to be asked to help
People love to show off what they are best at
People love the sense of community when they get to contribute
People love feedback and appreciation from others
We can exhaust ourselves when we think we need to do it all.
Really the best results are when we set it up and then trust people to bring their best talents to the table
Make Money
Have Fun
Change Your Little Corner of the World
xo, lisa
