Youth Workin' It

Consultancy and Resources for Youth Workers and Organizations Worldwide

Asking for Permission or Forgiveness – Bureaucracy in Youth Work

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Bureaucracy in youth work‘It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission’.

I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard that phrase.

As someone who follows the rules, boundaries and standards set out with a fastidiousness that makes Rain Man’s feelings about Judge Wapner appear laid back, I don’t do well with with ‘asking for forgiveness’.

I want the permission first. I want to know what’s OK and what isn’t. I don’t want to risk getting in trouble by doing something out of turn.

However, I also like to get things done. A lot of things. I like to make to-do lists and cross them off.  I want to affect maximum change in the lives of young people each and every day.

Sadly, getting things done and having permission don’t always go hand in hand. Particularly if you have a lot of experience working for a bureaucracy like I do.

If you work for a bureaucracy you probably have to make the choice: Get permission and get a lot less done. Or get a lot done and ask for forgiveness. If you’re like me, neither option sits very well with you.

I have three tips for working within a bureaucracy – how to get the maximum amount done while still having permission:

1. Timing

Give yourself more time than usual before the project starts. If you know that it takes 4 weeks (yes, 4 weeks) to get a flyer back before it can go out, you have to start planning your projects months ahead of time. This may mean that you need to improve your time management and organizational skills.

2. Clarity & Permission

Get clarity and permission at the start of a project. Figure out what needs doing before you present it to your boss and get the necessary permissions ahead of time. You may need to do a bit more leg work before presenting it and you may need to make changes. Make sure you ask (and get written proof through email or meeting minutes) about how much latitude you have to make any further decisions on the project.

3. Follow Up

Often, what really slows down a bureaucracy isn’t the policies and procedures – it’s the people that have to perform every step within the procedure. It’s the secretary that has to review it, the supervisor that has to approve it, the co-worker that has to give input or the partner that needs to sign a form.

And I guarantee that reviewing, approving, giving input and signing aren’t that person’s only (or even primary) role. Be kind, be professional, but be firm. Ensure that if you have deadlines, you are still able to meet them by providing deadlines to others (when appropriate).

By following these three steps, it will make it a little easier when working within a bureaucracy and getting permission.

Question: Do you ask for permission or forgiveness? Share your stories and experiences in the comments below. 

Image courtesy of Daniel R Blume, Flickr

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Youth Workers: 3 Steps To Managing Your Workload

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Youth work - managing workload
In the sage words of Steve Miller ‘Time keeps on slippin’ slippin’ slippin’ … in the future…’

Last week I talked about basic time management in your youth work or youth ministry and how it can help improve your relationships. Today, we have a few practical ways you can improve your efficiency in your own tasks and workload through personal time management techniques.

1) Make a to-do list

It doesn’t matter if you make it on paper, MS Word, your Outlook task list, Evernote or on your hand. Make a list. When people go to job interviews and they’re asked how they manage their time, they often say ‘I make a list and then I put it in order of priority…. etc.’ Except that most people don’t actually do that.

They know the right answers for time management but they often don’t do the steps involved to make the most of their time.  

2) Review and Prioritize

Decide what’s urgent, important, both or neither. Do you have a deadline looming? Or did someone come to you in their own inefficiency and expect you to drop everything to assist them?

Often we confuse what’s urgent for what’s important.  And sometimes, other feelings come into play – we want our colleagues to like us, our boss to be proud of us or we just don’t want to do what’s boring but important, so we do what seems urgent first.

Make cuts and be honest about your workload, with yourself and others. There’s no gold star for being exhausted and overworked – you just begin to let your performance slip in other areas. And in youth work, it’s often shortness with our youth and volunteers and poorly planned programming.

3) Schedule when to complete the items on your to-do list

Some people like to work through their list and cross items off. If that’s a system that works for you and you do it – fantastic!  Keep it up!

I like to use my Outlook Calendar (don’t have Outlook? Use Google Calendar) to schedule when I’m going to complete something. I estimate how much time it should take and put it in a slot in my day. I plan out my week on Friday afternoons since Monday morning is always full of fires to be put out. I tend to leave the first hour on Monday for work that’s not as important/urgent, so that when something urgent comes up on Monday (and it always does), I can move my less important work back and it doesn’t really affect my output.

When you use your calendar and something changes in your day (a meeting, more pressing deadline, etc.), you can just move the blocks of time around easily and re-prioritize and schedule your time.  I mark the time that I’m doing tasks as ‘free’ on my calendar, so people scheduling meetings with me don’t think I have meetings everyday, all week long.

Find a system that works for you with workload time management. It’s about working smarter. If you have colored stickies or a notebook and these work for you, keep using them. But if you’re constantly missing deadlines, feeling overworked and wondering where the day went, you may want to consider a new time management solution.

Question: How do you manage your time as a youth worker? Let us know in the comments below.

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3 Steps To Better Time Management For Youth Workers

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Time management for youth workersWe’ve talked about efficiency in youth work before. And recently we discussed line management within a church context. Good program administration often requires having good working relationships.

When it comes to relationships at work, they’re often improved by two things: good communication and good organization. Part of being organized includes managing your time well.

Today we’re going to cover a few basics of time management for youth workers that will improve your working relationships. With reference to line management, it will definitely improve your relationship with your boss – whether it be in the church or other youth organization. For some, these might seem like basic ideas, but you’d be surprised how often these three techniques are overlooked.

1) Think (and plan) ahead

You’re often not the only program running at your youth work organization. Therefore, it behooves you to make a plan with enough time for other programs to make any necessary adjustments (do both of you need the transport, a meeting room or the kitchen?), to source the volunteers you may need, give parents enough time to plan and to put a strong plan in place.

2) Give (and keep) deadlines

If you set clear expectations from the start with your youth, volunteers and colleagues, you’re setting both yourself and everyone else up for success.

Deadlines create boundaries within which to work. By keeping deadlines, you’re not only showing that you’re an efficient youth worker, but that you’re also a trustworthy employee and colleague.

3) Share (and schedule) plans

Use a wall calendar, Outlook calendar or even Google Calendar to create and share appointments with your manager and colleagues. If there are confidentiality issues, use initials or color codes for sensitive appointments.

Try to make appointments to discuss issues or ideas with your boss, colleagues or volunteers, instead of expecting them to drop everything each time you need some support.

By making these small changes in your time management, your working relationships will be great improved. People will also begin to feel that you value their time more as well.

Question: What time management technique would you offer other youth workers to help improve their working relationships? Let us know in the comments below.

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