Volunteer Culture: How to Lead a Lifer
This is the last of a four-part series on the types of people we find on our volunteer teams. Missed the first part? Get started here.
Defining the Lifer
In the first post of this series, I defined Lifers as the folks who have kind of always been there and whom you suspect always will be. They may or may not be your most talented volunteers, but they’re certainly the most dependable.
Now, I think a caveat is in order here. Too many times we conflate “talented” with “ambitious.” We see a Ladder-Climber and think that just because they’re tackling 16 things at once, they’re especially gifted. That could be true. Or perhaps they’re just especially busy.
A Lifer seems different to me. Lifers tend to be steady, stable, and happy to do whatever they’re directed to do. But that word “directed” is important. How can we motivate, empower, and equip them so they head in the right direction?
Motivating the Lifer
As leaders, we need to be honest that it’s all too easy to overlook the Lifer. If they’re always there, we can’t imagine a time that they won’t be there. In our best moments, that can be a sign of trust. In our worst, a symptom of our own neglect.
So we have to create a regular rhythm of checking in: whether it’s a weekly Sunday morning 30 second catch up conversation, a hand-written note every six months, a lunch meeting once a year, or a public recognition on a special serving anniversary, we have to make sure the Lifers get seen. Recognition may not be all that important to them, but forgotten could be the death knell to their service on our team.
Empowering the Lifer
It’s important to note that not every Lifer wants to do more. You may have a great doer on your team, but asking them to lead other doers would be a terrible fit for them. Much like the crackerjack car salesman who gets promoted to sales manager and then fails miserably, some Lifers need to be empowered to do exactly what they’re already doing. That happens with the aforementioned check-ins, attaboys, and giving them small opportunities to replicate themselves in others without an ongoing leadership role (for example, having a new team member shadow them for a couple of weeks to pick up their best practices).
But other Lifers need to see how their gifts could be used in a greater capacity. If you have a leadership pipeline on your team, review it with your Lifer during that lunch meeting check in. Let them know that their skills matter, and there are ways that they can infuse the next generation of volunteers with their hard-wired DNA. Sometimes a Lifer simply needs to know that we think they’re capable. It’s often up to us to call out the gifts we see in them.
Equipping the Lifer
Equipping the Lifer is slightly different than equipping the Ladder-Climber, but there is definite overlap. A Lifer can benefit greatly from smaller gatherings like the Guest Services Collective or the High-Capacity Volunteer Cohort. (We’ve had Lifers in both who experienced incredible “light-bulb” moments that revolutionized their service after years on the team.)
But for many Lifers, equipping comes back to a regular review of the basics…saying core beliefs and best practices in brand-new ways. We equip them best and serve them best when we don’t let their serving get stale. We reinforce desired behavior when we look them in the eye and call them out on the great things they’re already doing. And when that happens, the equipping and empowering and motivation comes full circle as they feel seen, appreciated, and known.
If you lead a Lifer, what works for you? What honors them?
