In any organisation, movement or community, leaders are faced with the challenge of getting spectators to jump off the sidelines and get in the game. If there’s any leader who knew how to mobilise people, it was Jesus. While He often had thousands following Him, Jesus always found ways to engage people and to get them into action.
Maybe your church is full of members who are not inclined to work as volunteers. Maybe your ministry or charity has followers but very few donors. Maybe your business has disengaged employees who won’t jump on board wholeheartedly and are just in it for the pay check.
It doesn’t have to be that way. People can and will get more involved if given the right motivation. It falls on you as a leader to compel them into action. Here are five ways that you can get more spectators involved.
1. Cast a vision
If there’s one skill that leaders must completely master, it’s the skill of casting a vision. Where there is no vision, people will remain stagnant and confused. Casting a vision involves showing people where we want to be, how we are going to get there and why they should get involved. Jesus mastered this best when He would cast visions to His disciples. He called His disciples fishers of men, showing how they would serve a purpose bigger than what they saw now.
2. Be open about your weakness
There is a misconception that a leader should show no loose ends. But nothing could be more disengaging than a leader who covers up his weakness. When you show weakness, you showcase to people areas where you need help and how they can jump into the game. If there’s one area you are weak, show it to people and there will be an itch within them to get involved so that they can be part of the solution.
3. Know people’s strengths and passions
When you keep asking people to do what they aren’t good at, they’re never going to want to jump in. People want to be assured that good results will come out once they invest their time and effort in an undertaking. To achieve that, they want to do something that they are good at. Engage people using their particular strengths and give them a platform to glorify God with their passions.
4. Align your values with theirs
Humans are not driven by decisions. We are driven by values. We ignore things that have no value and we chase after things that have value. Does the vision that you cast align with the values of the people we are working with? What benefits will they get if they engage in one project and reached their targets? Returns don’t always have to be monetary but they must be valuable to people.
5. Make assimilation simple
No matter how compelling your pitch is, if assimilation into involvement is tough, you won’t be maximising sign-ups. When getting involved is a simple process that is clear and direct, people find it easier to get involved.
By Patrick Mabilog
