In contrast, empowerment encourages you to function on a higher level of expectation, using your abilities and talents to do mundane and complicated tasks without close supervision or direction. Thus, allowing your pastor to focus their energy on much more important things such as preaching and teaching. In the “Parable of the Talents” we read:
Again, it will be like a man
going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to
them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to
another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to
work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two
more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the
ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those servants
returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five
talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five
talents. See, I have gained five more.' His master replied, 'Well done, good
and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you
in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' The man with the two talents also came.
'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two
more.' His master replied, 'Well done,
good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put
you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Then the man who had received the one talent
came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you
have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your
talent in the ground. (Matthew 25:14-25a, NIV)
Thusly, your pastor is telling you what and how to
do a task, virtually eliminating any sense of independence or accomplishment. Micro
managing does not allow you to use your own creativity and talents for the
advantage of the body. In retrospect, so-called delegation can often be seen as
micro managing as it simply offends the employees acumen, and creates a sense
of fear and lack of independence. With this in mind, if you think that you are
being micro managed, talk with your pastor and ask him/her to consider talking
through the following questions with you:
What is your leadership style? If you are unsure, would you be willing to discuss it?
Do you keep vital information from me?
Do you have difficulty sharing this vital information with me?
If you did share this with me, would you feel powerless?
If your pastor answer yes to any or all of these questions? It is a telltale sign that you are serving with a classic micro-manager. A leader is only as good as the people around them, and how they do or do not empower people is a reflection of their trust or lack thereof.
This can be corrected by working together to create a way to assess you and your pastors’ leadership style. Many online assessment tools can help with this. A few of these tools are listed at the end of this article. If you approach this as a way to discover how you relate to each other, greater success for the kingdom will result. This assessment should be an exercise so that you can evaluate each other and the environment in which you serve. This assessment will allow you to determine how your personalities relate or do not to each other. This then, will allow each of you to be more effective in your respective roles and with each other.
What is your leadership style? If you are unsure, would you be willing to discuss it?
Do you keep vital information from me?
Do you have difficulty sharing this vital information with me?
If you did share this with me, would you feel powerless?
If your pastor answer yes to any or all of these questions? It is a telltale sign that you are serving with a classic micro-manager. A leader is only as good as the people around them, and how they do or do not empower people is a reflection of their trust or lack thereof.
This can be corrected by working together to create a way to assess you and your pastors’ leadership style. Many online assessment tools can help with this. A few of these tools are listed at the end of this article. If you approach this as a way to discover how you relate to each other, greater success for the kingdom will result. This assessment should be an exercise so that you can evaluate each other and the environment in which you serve. This assessment will allow you to determine how your personalities relate or do not to each other. This then, will allow each of you to be more effective in your respective roles and with each other.
The easiest
way to begin to assist your pastor to break away from the micro-manager style,
if in fact your pastor is a micro-manager, is for you and your pastor to start
asking questions of each other opposed you just answering your pastors’ questions.
This will empower both of you, and allow you to openly communicate rather than follow
through with your pastors directives.
Start by finding projects or tasks that you could do without directions from your pastor and form ways in which you can help your pastor empower you, which will allow your pastor to focus on the big picture. Empower, empower, empower, will allow you to solve and create ways to do area related jobs and tasks yourself. Unless the roof is caving in, your pastor can give you some space to do what you were hired to do. Your pastor will be pleasantly surprised by the results.
It is also very important for them to let you fail, “pick yourself up and start all over again.” Unless life and limb, or thousands of dollars is at risk, this should not be a problem for your pastor. You will succeed because your pastor will WANT you to do your best for God and the church. Results will vary; but if you get the job done, all concerned have succeeded and may have discovered a new way of doing things. If the job is being done, the results your pastor desire are being achieved, your pastor will most likely let you know that you have done a great job. Possibly you pastor will concede that their way of doing things may not have been the only way to do something. However, don’t count on it. The freedom alone should be reward enough.
Micro managing in reality does NOT put anyone in control, but rather creates
disharmony through undue stress, it ties your hands, and may affect your
overall effectiveness as a leader within the body. There will be no winner or loser, but rather
an unhealthy working relationship. Whereas,
being allowed to fly on your own creates and produces successes that you both can
celebrate.
Start by finding projects or tasks that you could do without directions from your pastor and form ways in which you can help your pastor empower you, which will allow your pastor to focus on the big picture. Empower, empower, empower, will allow you to solve and create ways to do area related jobs and tasks yourself. Unless the roof is caving in, your pastor can give you some space to do what you were hired to do. Your pastor will be pleasantly surprised by the results.
It is also very important for them to let you fail, “pick yourself up and start all over again.” Unless life and limb, or thousands of dollars is at risk, this should not be a problem for your pastor. You will succeed because your pastor will WANT you to do your best for God and the church. Results will vary; but if you get the job done, all concerned have succeeded and may have discovered a new way of doing things. If the job is being done, the results your pastor desire are being achieved, your pastor will most likely let you know that you have done a great job. Possibly you pastor will concede that their way of doing things may not have been the only way to do something. However, don’t count on it. The freedom alone should be reward enough.
They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards
and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and
others live in them, or plant and others
eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones
will long enjoy the works of their hands.
They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for
they will be a people blessed by the Lord...
(Isaiah 65:21-23a, NIV)
Assessment resources: These resources are only
offered for reference (some serious, some fun), but does not constitute an
endorsement of these sites.
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp
http://cupped-expressions.net/cheese/quiz
http://www.personalitypathways.com
http://www.od-online.com
http://cupped-expressions.net/cheese/quiz
http://www.personalitypathways.com
http://www.od-online.com
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