You Are Doing a Great Job...But

I recently attended a meeting for a business organization with more than 100 members. Like many volunteer organizations, most of the actual work falls to a very small group — in this case, a board of five people.

During the meeting, the floor was opened for members to share ideas about how the organization could improve.

And several comments began almost exactly the same way:

“You all are doing a great job...but.”

Here’s something worth considering: “You are doing a great job” should rarely be followed by “but.”

What came next were suggestions. Some were good ones.

“This is low-hanging fruit.”

“This should have always been done.”

“Have you thought about doing this?”

There is absolutely nothing wrong with bringing forward ideas. Organizations need new ideas. They need people who see opportunities others may have missed.

But ideas are the easy part.

Execution is where the work begins.

If you see something that could make your organization, community, workplace, church, nonprofit, or neighborhood better, don’t simply hand the idea to the people already carrying the load.

Bring something else with it.

“I think we should do this. I’ve looked into what it would take. Here’s what I found, and here’s how I can help make it happen.”

That changes everything.

Volunteer organizations don’t usually suffer from a shortage of ideas. They suffer from a shortage of people willing to take ownership of those ideas.

There is room at the table.

There is work that can be shared.

And sometimes the best way to thank people for doing a great job isn’t to give them another job.

It’s to pull up a chair and help.