Concerns About Leadership Styles-What To Do?

[Duncan]

Let's say there was a ward council that was overworked and fed up with the Bishopric due to their collective and individual leadership style(s). Rather then quit the callings en masse what should the ward council members do?

[Calm]

Intervention time I would think...but if he ignored that...

Appeal to the stake president and if that didn't get attention, to the next in the line of authority....

[bluebell]

It seems like the best thing to do would be for each member of the council to have a personal PPI with the bishop and spell out their concerns. After that, it's on to the stake president i guess.

[TAO]

Consult the handbook =). Always safe to do that.

Perhaps you should just talk to them nicely and see if you can get things fixed though.

Then again, I have no experience on this subject, so yeah =).

[Robert F. Smith]

You might consider consulting with an LDS friend who is an expert in such matters. He has a masters from Claremont Graduate School.

See his Leadership Development Systems website http://aranorwood.com/ .

[ERayR]

Let's say there was a ward council that was overworked and fed up with the Bishopric due to their collective and individual leadership style(s). Rather then quit the callings en masse what should the ward council members do?

Let me say that I have a hard time visualizing a ward council that is more overworked than the bishop and his counselors. That said bishops are advised to use their ward councils to minister to the ward.

[Duncan]

Let me say that I have a hard time visualizing a ward council that is more overworked than the bishop and his counselors. That said bishops are advised to use their ward councils to minister to the ward.

Let's say that delegation is a strong suit and burying people with useless paperwork, phone calls, emails etc. For example. Let's say the Primary President talks about an upcoming primary activity, the Bishop takes notes about it. Then he says okay, that sounds great just send me an email with a synopsis about this...(are your notes not good enough?!) That was done. Then he phones to go over the email that was sent. The first counselor's nickname is "The man who ruins everything" with his rigid need to follow rules and policies that to him are more important then people

[ERayR]

Let's say that delegation is a strong suit and burying people with useless paperwork, phone calls, emails etc. For example. Let's say the Primary President talks about an upcoming primary activity, the Bishop takes notes about it. Then he says okay, that sounds great just send me an email with a synopsis about this...(are your notes not good enough?!) That was done. Then he phones to go over the email that was sent. The first counselor's nickname is "The man who ruins everything" with his rigid need to follow rules and policies that to him are more important then people

Compulsive obsessive. Has anyone talked to him about this? If he has already been approached then It seems a stake presidents intervention is in order.

[mfbukowski]

Let's say there was a ward council that was overworked and fed up with the Bishopric due to their collective and individual leadership style(s). Rather then quit the callings en masse what should the ward council members do?

Tell them.

Or you could keep it secret and lead to much eye-rolling and drama. That might be more fun.

[Duncan]

Tell them.

Or you could keep it secret and lead to much eye-rolling and drama. That might be more fun.

hahhahhaahhaahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

[Storm Rider]

A friendly discussion at the time of PPI or any other time you can have a private discussion. Explain your feelings and why certain actions cause you to feel a certain way. If a solution cannot then be found and you don't feel you can serve, ask to be replaced.

[Duncan]

A friendly discussion at the time of PPI or any other time you can have a private discussion. Explain your feelings and why certain actions cause you to feel a certain way. If a solution cannot then be found and you don't feel you can serve, ask to be replaced.

one person had a PPI but it sounds like a change isn't happening anytime soon dot dot dot and the YM Pres.is burned out but I don't think they can see that, everyone else can but...

[bluebell]

one person had a PPI but it sounds like a change isn't happening anytime soon dot dot dot and the YM Pres.is burned out but I don't think they can see that, everyone else can but...

All you can do is deal with your own issues with the bishop, and the scriptures teach that the only right way to do that is to confront the person personally and tell them exactly what the problem is.

The YM's president needs to handle his issues himself and if he's feeling burned out but hasn't told the bishop that, then he really has no one else to blame but himself. If he has, then he needs to decide what the appropriate next action will be, on his own.

In my experience, when people start to criticise in a group, it feeds the issue and makes it worse, not better. It's too easy to feel justified when other people are using your justifications to make themselves feel justified with their emotions in return. Then when the mutiny starts happening, it seems reasonable, even when it's not.

No one likes confrontation and it's really hard for most people (me included). But i don't see another way in this situation.

[Questing Beast]

Let's say there was a ward council that was overworked and fed up with the Bishopric due to their collective and individual leadership style(s). Rather then quit the callings en masse what should the ward council members do?

Adjust the time that they serve accordingly, and communicate lovingly their discontent to the bishopric. Nothing gets changed without communication, but changes will definitely (chaotically) occur without communication. So if you want change, talk about it without fear, because you love each other....

[CV75]

Let's say there was a ward council that was overworked and fed up with the Bishopric due to their collective and individual leadership style(s). Rather then quit the callings en masse what should the ward council members do?

The council member can take the leaders aside privately and express his concern... Depending on his own style, hopefully he can get released!

[Freedom]

I say, be grateful you're not the bishop. I put in my best effort in a calling and I try not to let the styles of other people interfere. I recall planning a class and the bishop said he could not approve the teacher until I have a time and location. I explained that, until we have the teacher approved and called, it is not possible to set the time and location. This would be set by the teacher and the adult students. From my perspective, setting a time is pointless if the teacher cannot make it. The bishop held his ground so I declined to organize the class. Easy as that. Someone else was given the job to set it up and they followed the bishops instructions. When the teacher was called the class never happened because nobody could make the time set by the organizer. I said a polite I told you so and left it at that. We have a duty to honor our leaders, but we are not expected to be blind sheep. If a system of administration is too cumbersome, self defeating, and beyond what should reasonably be required I simply do not participate in it.

Life is too short to get frustrated or hindered. If I can't do it, I don't. Despite my stubbornness, I continue to be given positions of responsibility at the ward and stake level. I have had many people express frustration with my leadership style - I apologize and explain that I didn't ask to be the leader. I then set out what needs to be done, and how I want it done. But in the end, my job is simply to get it done right. If they want to do it a different way and if is just as right as my idea I don't get in there way. I demand the same lenience from my leaders towards me.

I was in a stake committee that met at 7pm but I could not make it until 7:15. each time I arrived I got talked down to by the committee chair. After politely re-explaining my schedule and the conditions of being on the committee I declined to apologize for my tardiness and reminded him I am a volunteer and am putting forward my best effort. He could not get me to bend to his will which amounted to unrighteous dominion so in the end, they must moved the meeting to a 7:15 start. I could have kept on apologizing myself into humiliation but I learned early on there is no glory in callings, only in serving.

[Duncan]

I say, be grateful you're not the bishop. I put in my best effort in a calling and I try not to let the styles of other people interfere. I recall planning a class and the bishop said he could not approve the teacher until I have a time and location. I explained that, until we have the teacher approved and called, it is not possible to set the time and location. This would be set by the teacher and the adult students. From my perspective, setting a time is pointless if the teacher cannot make it. The bishop held his ground so I declined to organize the class. Easy as that. Someone else was given the job to set it up and they followed the bishops instructions. When the teacher was called the class never happened because nobody could make the time set by the organizer. I said a polite I told you so and left it at that. We have a duty to honor our leaders, but we are not expected to be blind sheep. If a system of administration is too cumbersome, self defeating, and beyond what should reasonably be required I simply do not participate in it.

Life is too short to get frustrated or hindered. If I can't do it, I don't. Despite my stubbornness, I continue to be given positions of responsibility at the ward and stake level. I have had many people express frustration with my leadership style - I apologize and explain that I didn't ask to be the leader. I then set out what needs to be done, and how I want it done. But in the end, my job is simply to get it done right. If they want to do it a different way and if is just as right as my idea I don't get in there way. I demand the same lenience from my leaders towards me.

I was in a stake committee that met at 7pm but I could not make it until 7:15. each time I arrived I got talked down to by the committee chair. After politely re-explaining my schedule and the conditions of being on the committee I declined to apologize for my tardiness and reminded him I am a volunteer and am putting forward my best effort. He could not get me to bend to his will which amounted to unrighteous dominion so in the end, they must moved the meeting to a 7:15 start. I could have kept on apologizing myself into humiliation but I learned early on there is no glory in callings, only in serving.

we need you! wanna move here?!

[mfbukowski]

All you can do is deal with your own issues with the bishop, and the scriptures teach that the only right way to do that is to confront the person personally and tell them exactly what the problem is.

The YM's president needs to handle his issues himself and if he's feeling burned out but hasn't told the bishop that, then he really has no one else to blame but himself. If he has, then he needs to decide what the appropriate next action will be, on his own.

In my experience, when people start to criticise in a group, it feeds the issue and makes it worse, not better. It's too easy to feel justified when other people are using your justifications to make themselves feel justified with their emotions in return. Then when the mutiny starts happening, it seems reasonable, even when it's not.

No one likes confrontation and it's really hard for most people (me included). But i don't see another way in this situation.

Exactly.

You would be surprised at how much power there is in 4 or 5 people telling someone the same thing, privately.

[cinepro]

If you have an upcoming Temple Recommend interview with a member of the Stake Presidency, that's a good opportunity to "oh, one more thing..." them.

I did it once in a former ward, but it turned out the Stake Presidency already knew about the problem and was just trying to figure out how to best resolve the problem.

[Duncan]

If you have an upcoming Temple Recommend interview with a member of the Stake Presidency, that's a good opportunity to "oh, one more thing..." them.

I did it once in a former ward, but it turned out the Stake Presidency already knew about the problem and was just trying to figure out how to best resolve the problem.

shucky darns, I personally don't but maybe others. Would a well worded email to a member of the Stake Pres. do? in a very nice but constructive way help?

[Alan]

Let's say there was a ward council that was overworked and fed up with the Bishopric due to their collective and individual leadership style(s). Rather then quit the callings en masse what should the ward council members do?

Sustain their leaders and quit fault-finding.

[CASteinman]

Let's say there was a ward council that was overworked and fed up with the Bishopric due to their collective and individual leadership style(s). Rather then quit the callings en masse what should the ward council members do?

I would get over it. I doubt the Bishop is doing anything but being annoying. And thats a small matter.

[Duncan]

Sustain their leaders and quit fault-finding.

to what end though? missing matters that are of importance (young man ran away from home in our ward but trivial matters the bishopric brought up) that don't get any airtime while they get a presentation of how to use the calendar feature on Lds.org? besides the time consuming, strength sapping phone calls and emails?

[ERayR]

to what end though? missing matters that are of importance (young man ran away from home in our ward but trivial matters the bishopric brought up) that don't get any airtime while they get a presentation of how to use the calendar feature on Lds.org? besides the time consuming, strength sapping phone calls and emails?

Let me describe our ward council meeting. After prayer and spiritual thought it goes something like this. Bishop turns to executive secretary and says go ahead. (executive secretary has the meeting agenda). ES says How is your efforts with young man x coming. Young man x has had some problems and has missed a couple of weeks. YM pres. reports on efforts made on x's behalf and then this continues with other concerns each one being discussed as to how the different organizations can be of help. The Bishop directing the discussion. This process continues throughout the rest of the ward council with a little bit of calendering thrown in. When the primary president mentions the primary presentation the Bishop asks her everything is going well and if she has concerns about that it is addressed. The majority of the meeting is used in exploring ways to help ward members to grow in the gospel.

[Duncan]

Let me describe our ward council meeting. After prayer and spiritual thought it goes something like this. Bishop turns to executive secretary and says go ahead. (executive secretary has the meeting agenda). ES says How is your efforts with young man x coming. Young man x has had some problems and has missed a couple of weeks. YM pres. reports on efforts made on x's behalf and then this continues with other concerns each one being discussed as to how the different organizations can be of help. The Bishop directing the discussion. This process continues throughout the rest of the ward council with a little bit of calendering thrown in. When the primary president mentions the primary presentation the Bishop asks her everything is going well and if she has concerns about that it is addressed. The majority of the meeting is used in exploring ways to help ward members to grow in the gospel.

that sounds nice!!!!

Edited April 3, 2013 by Duncan