No Bananas, No Empowerment

On a recent trip, I wanted to get a quick meal without resorting to fast food, so I looked up the closest smoothie store on my smart phone. (Isn’t technology wonderful!) I walked in, and as I was scanning the menu, the guy behind the counter said, “We’re out of bananas today, but we can substitute another fruit in any of the smoothies.” I’m not a smoothie expert, but I do know that bananas are a staple in the majority of smoothie recipes. While I appreciate the employee’s willingness to make a substitution, I wondered why he hadn’t solved this problem. Why not take $20 from the cash drawer and buy bananas from the closest grocery store? Or ask the closest store to make an emergency delivery? Or call the manager for help? It’s clear to me that this store was going to lose business, not only that day but probably in the future, all because an employee didn’t feel empowered. That raises the question for you to consider: Do your staff and volunteers feel empowered? Are they in tune with the things that are important to your constituents? Do they realize that their “little” decisions and actions can make a big difference in how your church or ministry or nonprofit is viewed by your constituents? If you’re not sure of the answers to these questions, start by asking those on the front lines. But don’t stop there. Make it a priority over the next few weeks to observe and listen. Do you see evidence of empowerment? What do you hear from the people that you are serving? Teach on the value of serving, and then be sure to model this value. Pay attention to the decisions that land on your desk and ask your leadership team to do the same. Are these decisions that could have been made on the front line? Or maybe just pass out bananas and a copy of this blog for discussion at your next staff meeting. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>