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Leadership
for Saints,
Part 27:
Reinforcement Is the Key by
Rodger Dean Duncan and Ed J. Pinegar
A good portion
of a leader’s effectiveness comes from the Converse part
of CPR–what the leader says and teaches. Even more of a leader’s
effectiveness comes from the Practice part–the actual behaviors
that the leader personally models. And perhaps the most critical
portion of a leader’s effectiveness comes from the Reinforce
part—how the leader encourages positive performance and corrects
negative performance.
Reinforcement
is really not complicated.
You might ask,
“Should I reinforce my people for their little day-to-day
successes, or should I save up my reinforcement for when they accomplish
something really major?”
The answer to
that question lies in the way most Church volunteers (remember,
we’re all volunteers!) get their work done. The simple fact
is that, for most of your people, work is not a string of dazzling
successes that they produce one right after the other. Instead,
the majority of their work consists of somewhat routine activities.
They perform most of these quietly and without fanfare.
For example,
in a given week a good Primary teacher will read two or three lessons
in advance (to get a sense of context for the current lesson). She
will visit the meetinghouse library to retrieve visual aids for
next week’s class. She will prepare other materials and activities
to enhance the lesson. She will read and study all the pertinent
scriptures. She will pray for her children, by name, asking the
Lord to touch their young hearts with the truthfulness of what she
will teach. And then on Sunday she will actually devote precious
little time in face-to-face contact with the priceless children
entrusted to her. While this face-to-face contact has the greatest
impact, it is only part of the Primary teacher’s work. Her
leaders must remain constantly aware of the teacher’s “behind
the scenes” effort.
Then they’ll
be in a position to follow the first rule of positive reinforcement:
“make a big deal about little things.” In fact, giving
frequent, specific and genuine reinforcement on positive behaviors
tends to crowd out negative behaviors.
Earlier, we
said that atmosphere—the performance climate you establish—consists
of the collective patterns of behaviors, values and “unwritten
rules” at work in your organization. Note in the graphic here
how CPR—Converse, Practice and Reinforce—fits
into the whole. The way you as a leader articulate, practice and
reinforce values has a powerful effect on the behaviors of the people
you lead. At the same time, to get the positive performance you
want, the “unwritten rules” at play must be consistent
with the professed values. In other words, your own CPR efforts
impact the way values are perceived and acted on. The “acted
on” part is the behavior of the people you lead. Simultaneously,
their behavior is impacted by the “unwritten rules”
that they observe. The behavior also becomes the “unwritten
rules”—or “the way things really work around here.”
You can now see that it’s critical for these three elements—Values,
Behavior and “Unwritten Rules”—to be carefully
managed.
Let’s
return to the bishop we told you about earlier. He and his ward
council members identified some of the “unwritten rules”
at work in their ward. One of them was “Coordination takes
time, so we often just ‘fly solo.’” The ward
council agreed that this “rule”—this practice—was
diluting the effectiveness of their collective leadership. In trying
to serve a family in need, for example, it often appeared that the
left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing. This
resulted in duplication of effort, or no effort at all. When the
Activities Committee planned a ward event without appropriately
informing and involving the priesthood quorums, the Relief Society
and the youth leaders, great opportunities for service and inclusion
were often missed.
So a new “unwritten
rule” was agreed upon:
“We
carefully use the council system of the Church to bless the lives
of our people. We keep each other informed and appropriately involved.
We correlate all activities. We always consider the big picture.
Our success is a result of unity of effort, not division of labor.”
Then this group
of faithful leaders worked hard to keep their behavior in alignment
with the new “unwritten rule.” They quickly discovered
the blessing of counseling in their council. And with this new clarity,
they found it easier to work together for the benefit of those they
were called to serve.
This Values,
Behavior and “Unwritten Rules” model can be very helpful
in reminding us of the alignment required for good leadership. It
should not be applied in an academic, pedantic way. It works best
when used as a general roadmap. A good priesthood quorum leader
probably won’t leave for a meeting by saying, “Honey,
I’ll be back later. I need to go do some CPR with the brethren.”
Regardless of the language patterns he uses, he will simply understand
that effective leadership consists of persistently teaching correct
principles, modeling positive behaviors, reinforcing good performance
and occasionally correcting poor performance. He may never even
use the term “unwritten rules,” but he’ll be alert
to the assumptions his people have about performance, and he’ll
work to adjust those assumptions in the direction of great performance.
Great leadership
is no accident. It’s the result of very deliberate effort
and acknowledgement of our dependence upon the Lord’s graces.
Clearly, creating
a positive, “We Can Do It!” atmosphere is not a one-time
event. It is a constant process. And in addition to having the right
“climate” in which to perform their service, your people
need to have confidence in their collective implementation. As someone
said, “Planning is everything. Execution is everything else.”
Quotes
to Remember
… In short,
each of us has to purge from his life those values, traditions,
customs, and attitudes that do not conform to the principles of
the celestial kingdom. – Ensign Editorial
I believe with
all my heart that if we can abound in the virtues of effective leadership
exemplified by the Savior, he will make us equal to the challenge.
– Joseph B. Wirthlin
Note:
The excerpts of Leadership for Saints posted on Meridian
are only a fraction of the contents of this 349-page book. To learn
more about this ground-breaking book and to order copies, click
here.
Contents
Section 1: Understanding the Role of Leadership
Chapter 1
- What Great Leadership Is
Chapter 2 - What Great Leaders Are
Chapter 3 - What Great Leaders See
Chapter 4 - What Great Leaders Do
Section 2: Getting
the Results You and the Lord Want
Chapter 5
- Planning the Work, Working the Plan
Chapter 6 - Councils: Strength in Unity
Chapter 7 - Creating a Climate of Hope and Energy
Section 3: Skills
That Help You Sleep at Night
Chapter 8
- Communication: Building Bridges to Their Hearts
Chapter 9 - Stewardship Delegation: The Great Multiplier
Chapter 10 - The Power of Influence
Chapter 11 - Gatherings of Saints: Think Purpose, Not Meeting
Section 4: Special
Challenges and Opportunities
Chapter 12
- Discernment: The Gift of Great Price
Chapter 13 - Personal Balance: Your "Being" vs. Your
"Doing"
Chapter 14 - Common Questions, Humble Responses
About
the Authors:
Rodger Dean
Duncan, a descendant of 19th century Protestant evangelists, was
baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at
the age of 18. Early in his career he was an award-winning journalist,
editor and syndicated columnist. He has been a consultant to cabinet
officers under two U.S. presidents, members of the U.S. Senate,
and senior officers of major corporations. He earned a Ph.D. at
Purdue University, and is founder and president of The Duncan Company,
a consulting firm focused on leadership development and organizational
effectiveness.
Brother Duncan
has served on several stake high councils, twice as bishop, as stake
president, and as stake mission president. Under President Spencer
W. Kimball he served on the Advisory Council that first recommended
the subtitle to the Book of Mormon, "Another Testament of Jesus
Christ."
Brother Duncan
is married to Rean Robbins-Duncan, a fifth-generation Latter-day
Saint. They have four children and two grandchildren. The Duncans
live in Missouri, only a short walk from Historic Liberty Jail.
Ed
J. Pinegar, a dentist by training and vocation, graduated from Brigham
Young University and attended dental school at the University of
Southern California. While practicing dentistry, he taught seminary
for several years, then taught the Book of Mormon and Gospel Principles
and Practices courses at BYU for 18 years.
Brother
Pinegar's Church assignments include stake high councilor, bishop
(twice), stake president, member of the General Board for Young
Men, and member of the Missionary Programs Advisory Committee. He
also presided over the England London Mission and the Missionary
Training Center in Provo, Utah. He is author of several books for
the LDS market.
Brother
Pinegar is married to Patricia Peterson Pinegar, former General
President of the Primary for the Church. They are parents of eight
children and have 32 grandchildren. The Pinegars live in Orem, Utah.
