Developing our Leadership Skills:
Leadership Tip:
At an Adult Religion
Class, the teacher said something so profound that I have remembered
it and strived to do it for over 25 years. He said something like
this:
"Every time I teach or speak, I pray
that I will never say anything
that is wrong or teach incorrect doctrine. I pray that my
listeners
will not "hear me wrong" or misinterpret or misunderstand what I
say.
And that if they do misunderstand, or I do teach anything incorrect,
that they will immediately forget what I
said."
Lesson on
Leadership -
experience of Harold B. Lee as told by Rex E. Lee at a BYU Devotional
(link)
Invite the Spirit
into Your Calling:
Pray
Daily
for the Lord's help
in your
calling-----I believe you will
truly be amazed at the ideas
and impressions you receive. I have a strong personal testimony
of the power of doing this.
"You
can have the
utmost assurance that
your power will be multiplied many times by the Lord. All He asks is
that you give your best effort and your whole heart."
Elder Henry B. Eyring, "Rise to
Your Call" - Ensign,
Nov.
2002, 78 (Excellent talk on Callings)
More on
Magnifying Callings.....
Leadership
lesson from Elder
Boyd K.
Packer:
"Give
Opportunities
to
the
Weak" (link):
Leadership Lesson from President Gordon
B. Hinckley (showing appreciation) (link):
Leadership
Lesson from Elder Gene R. Cook (The Lord is the Leader) (link):
"Jesus:
The Perfect Leader" by President Spencer W. Kimball (link)
Leadership
Development:
Click
on the above links to read the articles. For more excellent
in-depth leadership information, read Elder
Ballard's Book "Counseling with our Councils." It is also
available on
CDs and Cassettes. To save time and money, we get them from the
library and listen to them in the car or while eating meals. I
usually
end up getting the book also to copy quotes I like. In Salt
Lake
County (library link), you can go on the internet and have them put
on
"hold" and
brought in from any of the 18 county libraries to the library of your
choice. It is a wonderful service which I use weekly. Check
what
services are
available from your library system.
At this Christmas
time, as our thoughts turn
to Gifts:
Leadership Development:
"Be
determined to pray with all the energy
of your heart that you might have every gift a loving Heavenly Father
knows you must have to serve His Son and to endure against the powers
of darkness."
December Challenge: Pray daily for the
Gifts of the Spirit "that
all may be profited thereby".
Leadership
Development:
Plan Ahead/Set Goals:
Much more will happen in your wards and stakes if Family
History workers and Priesthood Leaders counsel together and make
definite written plans and set goals for the entire year. Even if
certain plans and dates must be changed later--it is more likely that
they will still take place.
Possible topics of discussion: Classes to be held, FH
Fair/Conference/Open House to be held?, staff meeting schedule, Temple
trips, etc., Ward Projects (getting every family registered on
FamilySearch, PAF 5.2 on each family's computer, etc.) Group
visits to
the Family History Library.
Questions to discuss: How can we serve/help busy young
families? Singles? Older members without
computer skills?
Youth? How can we involve all the ward auxilliaries?
Keep
Helpful Records:
Some new Directors are having
trouble getting a good start because the former directors have not left
helpful records and information for them--to help them learn and
understand their new calling. Since changes of leadership happen
so
frequently in the Church, we need to think of the person who will be
called after us and do for them what we wish the former
director/consultant had done for us. So please keep all pertinent
information in a looseleaf binder to pass on---and keep up-to-date
records, etc.
Many years
ago I learned a
valuable leadership lesson while serving with a Stake Primary
President. Every year after we held the Stake Priesthood Preview
dinner and meeting for the boys and their parents, she would hold an
evaluation meeting. She kept a looseleaf binder and would write
down
everything about the event for that year while it was fresh in our
minds----how many people attended, how much food (what we had too much
of or not enough of), what worked well, what could be improved upon,
samples of invitations, etc. These records were invaluable
when
planning the next year's event. We always think we will remember
the
details and the amounts and the costs, but we don't--and the leadership
might be different next year. It would be
helpful to you and to
future leaders for you to do this when you hold open houses, seminars,
Family History Fairs, etc.
Plan for
the future in order to have smooth transitions---it
will help keep this important work moving ahead in spite of the
inevitable changes of leaders and workers!
Learn,
Learn, Learn!
Remember the Parable of the
Talents. Ask yourself, "Which person in the parable am I most
like?" We owe it to the Lord to continually develop
our talents in
order to be more effective instruments in His hands in building the
Kingdom and furthering His work. Magnify your calling
(link).
I, like many of you, often felt
frustrated and that
I was wasting
my time when doing my FH shift each week when no patrons would
come.
Then I had a shift of thinking. Now I think of it as a welcome
Gift of
Time to further my learning. Use the time for your own work; to
practice, so you feel more confident helping patrons when they do come;
to explore the many helpful genealogy sites and lessons that are on the
internet---there are soooo many out there!! At home, we are
often too
busy with family and life duties to take the time to learn. So
let's
not waste our shifts when no patrons come. Let's use that gift of
time
productively and Learn,
Learn, Learn!