Recently I had a younger staff member ask me if they could start a service project. The project would consist of a couple of our folks taking coffee and bagels down to the Human Services line one morning each week. The whole idea behind the project was to simply provide a few moments of joy and happiness during a day that would most likely consist of sitting in a small room for hours to receive benefits.
Of course, I was supportive of the idea and helped the process along by meeting with the leader to plan the project. As we began to put processes in place a thought came to me.
What if I just let her rip on this? What if I give her the opportunity to design this on her own?
What happened next was a beautiful mess. It wasn’t as organized as I would have made it. In fact it looked nothing like something I would have put together. (I’m not that great at organizing, but we leaders always think we are.) However, that’s the best part. In a matter of days this younger leader had assembled a team and gathered the resources to sustain the project for weeks! She got more work done in two days than I could have in 2 weeks. The project was a huge success and the team was energized. They’ve continued the project and it’s gaining momentum quickly.
Here are 3 observations I have about what happened:
- Younger leaders work to resource what they are passionate about. It was amazing to see how resourceful and excited the team was when the project came together. It was easy for them to resource the project because it was near to their heart.
- Younger leaders challenge themselves when they know you support them. I watched the leader confidently press forward with her project. I let her know on several occasions I was behind them and wanted her to succeed.
- Younger leaders seek opportunities to involve others and build community. This was probably the coolest part of the entire project. She didn’t want to do this on her own. She wanted to share the service experience with others. It was beautiful.
I am encouraged by these observations. I’m also challenged to let go of some responsibility and give it away to my younger leadership team. I think they are ready for it!
Are you ready to take a step and let your younger leaders take on a new or existing project?
Leadership lessons from The Masters.