Lead from the front.

Another from Falkland Estate.

I have had a number of people say to me over the last few days and weeks that I need to learn to delegate that there is never any need to do everything oneself. How heartily I agree.

One of the difficulties is that when looking for volunteers is that you end up asking another overburdened person to say yes to another task. Over the years I have had many occasions when I have had things I wanted to be done, and not always the easiest of things and I certainly could not do it on my own.

One such example springs clearly to mind. One Sunday morning I climbed the steps to my pulpit and looked around the very many well-known faces. The difference was that this Sunday there was a whole two rows of strangers sitting in the congregation obviously altogether. They were there to ask me to come and be their minister. 

When I agreed to go and see around the place and agreed to make the transfer my wife asked if I was really considering taking my children to this place? The reason was simple. The kitchen of the house we would live in was a disaster zone and the backyard was full of tumbledown dangerous old buildings, ruins.

I became the minister and to cut things short within a short time the ruins became a suite of halls the kitchen looked marvellous with a lovely seating area around which we had many a lovely chat and coffee with members and friends.

Was the church rich? No all of this work was done by volunteers every brick and piece of wood. Much of the materials used were reclaimed. When the work was assessed for insurance we were sitting on a very wealthy bit of real estate.

How did I get so many volunteers? Simple by asking them to help me. I was not asking them to do it but to help me? 

If you want something done lead by example.

On a blood-bank poster which read: "Be a volunteer Blood Donor," somebody had printed, "That's the best kind." 

Many times people had other things to do but on seeing it being done anyway they came along and lightened the load. 

Have a great day.