Empowerment Leadership Model for Small Groups, Teams, & Families
Course 2, Lesson 3b
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Establishing a Clear Contract
with the Group Leader and with One Another
PART TWO
what the group does to get started correctly
Note: Whenever "group" or "team" is used, it can mean "group", "team", or "family".
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The group now officially comes into being. Individuals wanting to form the group have decided on the group purpose, discussed the rights and privileges group members can expect from being in the group, and agreed who is to be a member.
Next the group leader helps the group and its members understand the different roles of (1) a group member, (2) the group as a whole, and (3) the group leader. There are very important functional differences in these three roles.
In the pure application of this group and team leadership model, the leader is not a member of the group. Instead, his or her job is to help the group achieve its purpose. This ideally allows the distance necessary to focus just on the social system (group, team, family, etc.) being built.
Next the group leader helps the group and its members understand the different roles of (1) a group member, (2) the group as a whole, and (3) the group leader. There are very important functional differences in these three roles.
In the pure application of this group and team leadership model, the leader is not a member of the group. Instead, his or her job is to help the group achieve its purpose. This ideally allows the distance necessary to focus just on the social system (group, team, family, etc.) being built.
Jesus was not a member of the group of disciples he led. (We speak of Jesus and the disciples.) Once you are a little further into this training you will see why it is best that the leader not be a member. Even though seldom done in church small groups, it can be a great improvement if the small group leader is not a member of the group and does not seek to get his or her own needs met in the group experience (other than being an effective leader). This way the leader is free to focus on the difficult task of group development and functioning.
It really is best if the leader meets his or her needs as a member of another group. The leader must be able to stand back and look at the group’s process to be of critical help. However, once the group is helped to take on its own leadership tasks, probably after 6 to 12 months, the leader can become a member of the group in terms of behavior, if necessary. My recommendation is that the leader lead a group that meets every other week and on the alternate weeks is a member of a group led by someone else. |
SUMMARY OF DIFFERENT RESPONSIBILITIES
The GROUP works toward accomplishing its purpose.
The GROUP LEADER helps the group function so that it works toward its purpose. The GROUP MEMBERS contribute to the group's efforts. |
THE GROUP'S ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES
At the beginning the group might not act very independently or skillfully, but the goal is to take the group to being able to handle almost everything. This empowerment model of group and team leadership allows the group or team to reach its maximum effectiveness. The leader actually works himself or herself out of a job, and that is the mark of success.
Right at the start it is important that the "group-as-a-whole" understands that it has responsibilities for many things traditionally thought of as group leader responsibilities. If the group leaves its tasks to the leader, it will be held back in its development and accomplish much less. A group should never be a passive experience. Many groups fail because the group, and even the leader, thinks the group's tasks should be done by the leader.
The group leader explains that it is the group as a whole that must pursue the purpose of the group. He or she can point out that the purpose of the group cannot be accomplished by individual members working independently. The leader points out that he or she will help the group as a whole get individual members working together so that the group can make an assertive effort to accomplish its purpose.
For example, the group leader might explain how encouragement is not only an individual responsibility. (And, it certainly is not the leader's job to encourage, except to encourage the group as a whole.) It should be easy to show how a group can encourage better than an individual, what with so many more people making encouraging statements and some people clarifying misunderstandings, etc.
The group leader can also use our list of 65 Togethers to show the group and its members all of the things that cannot be done by individuals but are now possible because they have formed a group. These “Togethers” are 65 things God asks, actually commands and expects, his people to do by getting together. (Find the list, Bible verses, definitions and applications at our website at ChristiansTogether.org.)
The group can eventually do almost everything that a leader does, and do it much better. The group can make its own decisions, teach its members, guide the course of its meetings, make its members feel valued -- almost everything we now normally assign to the leader.
If the group is to become strong, it must become responsible for its own success. The group leader cannot be responsible for something that is really only in the group's control. A grave mistake is believing that good leadership alone brings group success. It is proper leadership plus enormous group effort that brings group obedience and victory!
Just consider again that a member who has dropped out of the group because he or she thought that no one cared cannot easily be brought back to the group by the leader. Instead, the group and its members need to reach out and bring the person back into the group.
THE LEADER'S ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES
At the beginning the group might not act very independently or skillfully, but the goal is to take the group to being able to handle almost everything. This empowerment model of group and team leadership allows the group or team to reach its maximum effectiveness. The leader actually works himself or herself out of a job, and that is the mark of success.
Right at the start it is important that the "group-as-a-whole" understands that it has responsibilities for many things traditionally thought of as group leader responsibilities. If the group leaves its tasks to the leader, it will be held back in its development and accomplish much less. A group should never be a passive experience. Many groups fail because the group, and even the leader, thinks the group's tasks should be done by the leader.
The group leader explains that it is the group as a whole that must pursue the purpose of the group. He or she can point out that the purpose of the group cannot be accomplished by individual members working independently. The leader points out that he or she will help the group as a whole get individual members working together so that the group can make an assertive effort to accomplish its purpose.
For example, the group leader might explain how encouragement is not only an individual responsibility. (And, it certainly is not the leader's job to encourage, except to encourage the group as a whole.) It should be easy to show how a group can encourage better than an individual, what with so many more people making encouraging statements and some people clarifying misunderstandings, etc.
The group leader can also use our list of 65 Togethers to show the group and its members all of the things that cannot be done by individuals but are now possible because they have formed a group. These “Togethers” are 65 things God asks, actually commands and expects, his people to do by getting together. (Find the list, Bible verses, definitions and applications at our website at ChristiansTogether.org.)
The group can eventually do almost everything that a leader does, and do it much better. The group can make its own decisions, teach its members, guide the course of its meetings, make its members feel valued -- almost everything we now normally assign to the leader.
If the group is to become strong, it must become responsible for its own success. The group leader cannot be responsible for something that is really only in the group's control. A grave mistake is believing that good leadership alone brings group success. It is proper leadership plus enormous group effort that brings group obedience and victory!
Just consider again that a member who has dropped out of the group because he or she thought that no one cared cannot easily be brought back to the group by the leader. Instead, the group and its members need to reach out and bring the person back into the group.
THE LEADER'S ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES
PRIMARY GROUP AND TEAM AND FAMILY
LEADERSHIP SKILL Do not do anything that the group or team or family can do. |
Unless it is relatively insignificant or the group cannot yet do it for lack of skill, training, or understanding, it will only hold the group back and make it dependent if the leader does things the group or its members can do. Often a little of the right kind of help will get the group and its members to do whatever needs to be done - and to do it from then on without the need of so much help.
The leader needs to explain that while the group and its members are working to achieve the group's purpose, he or she must be thinking of much different things. He or she must be working hard mentally to assess how the group is doing, what barriers to the group’s success does the group need to address, and a host of other things that are clearly more important to the group's success than the leader participating as a member.
And, so, the leader needs to ask the group to make a conscious, verbal decision to let him or her lead the group somewhat like a coach rather than an active member of the group. It can be explained that such leadership is absolutely necessary if they are to grow in their own abilities and if the group is to become strong. Once agreement is reached, another part of the contract that will aid success is in place.
THE ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES OF INDIVIDUAL GROUP MEMBERS
After clarifying the leader’s role and the group’s role, then comes a discussion of individual responsibilities. During this discussion of individual responsibilities, things like being on time for the group, coming to give as well as receive, speaking up with helpful contributions, etc. are identified. The leader helps individual group members understand that the group cannot do its work if the individuals resist doing their work. He or she can bring the group as a whole in this task of showing individuals how they have to contribute.
The group that helped David Under the Desk had discussed what behavior would be necessary if they were to accomplish their group purpose of helping one another over their problems. These 7, 8 and 9-year-old "troubled" boys discussed right at the beginning that they would need to listen and try to understand what each group member was going through. They decided that they would have to offer ideas without worrying if they were correct or “right”. They also discussed what kinds of behavior would get in the way of their accomplishment of the group purpose. They decided that ridiculing what members said would get in their way. They decided against unruly behavior, rough-housing, coming late, getting up and wandering around the room more than just occasionally, and a host of other dysfunctional behaviors.
FINISHING UP THE CONTRACT
The last thing to complete the group contract is for the group leader to ask if the group and its members accept their respective roles as group members and group, along with accepting the role of the group leader.
Note that it is not critical to consummate the contract during the first meeting. In fact, holding final decisions and agreements until the second meeting will weed out those who really do not want to be a part of the group. What is most important is getting "informed consent" to the agreements in the group or team contract.
It might appear to you that this task of forming the group is tedious and long. It can be. But, it is one of the most concentrated periods of growth for group members. And, group members will most likely be fascinated by this process. They will be using their own minds to decide how to participate in God’s sanctifying process. They will be feeling quite capable, with the Lord’s help and Holy Spirit’s guidance, of course. Please don’t be restless to “get on with it”. It is very important to lay down the structure for success before beginning to work toward that success.
The leader needs to explain that while the group and its members are working to achieve the group's purpose, he or she must be thinking of much different things. He or she must be working hard mentally to assess how the group is doing, what barriers to the group’s success does the group need to address, and a host of other things that are clearly more important to the group's success than the leader participating as a member.
And, so, the leader needs to ask the group to make a conscious, verbal decision to let him or her lead the group somewhat like a coach rather than an active member of the group. It can be explained that such leadership is absolutely necessary if they are to grow in their own abilities and if the group is to become strong. Once agreement is reached, another part of the contract that will aid success is in place.
THE ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES OF INDIVIDUAL GROUP MEMBERS
After clarifying the leader’s role and the group’s role, then comes a discussion of individual responsibilities. During this discussion of individual responsibilities, things like being on time for the group, coming to give as well as receive, speaking up with helpful contributions, etc. are identified. The leader helps individual group members understand that the group cannot do its work if the individuals resist doing their work. He or she can bring the group as a whole in this task of showing individuals how they have to contribute.
The group that helped David Under the Desk had discussed what behavior would be necessary if they were to accomplish their group purpose of helping one another over their problems. These 7, 8 and 9-year-old "troubled" boys discussed right at the beginning that they would need to listen and try to understand what each group member was going through. They decided that they would have to offer ideas without worrying if they were correct or “right”. They also discussed what kinds of behavior would get in the way of their accomplishment of the group purpose. They decided that ridiculing what members said would get in their way. They decided against unruly behavior, rough-housing, coming late, getting up and wandering around the room more than just occasionally, and a host of other dysfunctional behaviors.
FINISHING UP THE CONTRACT
The last thing to complete the group contract is for the group leader to ask if the group and its members accept their respective roles as group members and group, along with accepting the role of the group leader.
Note that it is not critical to consummate the contract during the first meeting. In fact, holding final decisions and agreements until the second meeting will weed out those who really do not want to be a part of the group. What is most important is getting "informed consent" to the agreements in the group or team contract.
It might appear to you that this task of forming the group is tedious and long. It can be. But, it is one of the most concentrated periods of growth for group members. And, group members will most likely be fascinated by this process. They will be using their own minds to decide how to participate in God’s sanctifying process. They will be feeling quite capable, with the Lord’s help and Holy Spirit’s guidance, of course. Please don’t be restless to “get on with it”. It is very important to lay down the structure for success before beginning to work toward that success.
The next thing the group needs to do is to define goals that will likely lead to accomplishment of the purpose.
Copyright 2012 Dick Wulf, Colorado, USA