“How do I get people to participate more?” This is a question I get from safety ministry leaders A LOT. This is also a very tough subject for leaders who are prior military or first responder to grasp. In those worlds we can very easy command somebody to go to training, or do their job; failure to do so results in some sort of discipline. This doesn’t necessarily work in volunteer organizations like safety ministries. So, what is the 80/20 rule and how do we manage it as safety ministry leaders; and how can individual safety team members affect this rule? What Is The 80/20 Rule? I’m not an expert in business by any means. Those that have more experience probably refer to the Pareto Principle when I mention 80/20 rule. That principle states that 20% of input drives 80% of outcome. In emergency response we tend to apply a different meaning to it. 80% In emergency response organizations 80% of the people in the organization fall into the median competency level. This means that 80% of the people on a team, or an organization as a whole perform barely on par with what you’d expect of them. In the safety ministry those are the people that meet the minimum training requirements, serve when it’s convenient for them, and not much more. They may exhibit a desire to do more but either of two hinderances prevent it: * Their family life is so busy that they just can’t pull off additional safety ministry participation, or: * They simply lack the discipline to drive additional safety ministry participation, and though they express desire to do more, they tend to put other items/events in a higher priority category than safety team training/service. I have absolutely NOTHING against folks that fall into this category. They likely make up the bulk of your team, and at least they hit the minimums. Furthermore, at least they are involved in something!!! As I’ve mentioned in previous posts one of the major ministry aspects of the safety ministry is that it draws in people that don’t fit in with any of the stereotypical church ministries. Your 80 percenters are involved in church community, and that is what counts. Otherwise, they may not be at your church, or involved at all. Zero 5 Safety Training's Substack made possible through paid subscriptions and subscription-free donations. If you or your safety ministry has been blessed by our content consider upgrading your subscription, or at the very least sharing our content with others. 20% (Bottom 10%) The 20% part of the rule is actually broken into two groups of 10%. 10% of your safety ministry is likely made up of folks who either barely meet the training requirements and rarely serve, or who don’t meet the requirements (due to not showing up to training) but sign up to serve a little more often that is ideal for their lack of training. I’ll be honest, as a guy who has operated on higher level teams my whole adult life I have a VERY hard time understanding this group; and frankly, this group poses a distinct leadership challenge for me. In 8 years of working with my church’s safety ministry the people who fall into this category typically do so for the following reasons: * They have a strong desire to serve, but want to do so on their own terms; * They want to learn the skills the safety ministry trains for, but don’t necessarily want to be in a position to apply them; * Their heart is in protecting and serving, but they are self aware of their lack of experience and skill and their pride prevents them from exposing/admitting their incapability in order to improve; * Serving in the safety ministry sounds great, they do all the initial training, and then realize it’s not what they thought it was; * They were hoping to be a crusading GI Joe, or John Wick for Jesus and realized that emergency response service is 90% boredom, 9% low-medium level response, and only a VERY SLIGHT possibility of real action. While it’s unfortunate that these mindsets exist, safety ministry leaders need to understand that they DO exist and how to manage them. Generally, safety ministry leaders that I work with just want to cast these people aside and boot them from the team. NEVER EVER EVER just kick somebody out of a ministry (unless their conduct is completely unbecoming and they’re unwilling/unable to change it)!!! I say this because doing so will scar a person’s faith and lead to either a dislike or a distrust of the Church. I use capital “C” Church because that distrust will be in the body of Christ in general; not just your particular church. As with your 80% people, take it as a victory that those in this bottom 10% category are involved in SOMETHING! Perhaps their lack of involvement is due to them just needed a little encouragement, or additional fellowship; which is possibly why they joined the team in the first place. Rather than writing these folks off, at least attempt to bring them along. Remind them of the training and participation requirements or recommendations for being on the team. At my church we have a bit of a carrot that we dangle to be able to enforce training and participation minimums. Our church pays for Right to Bear insurance policies for all of our safety team members who meet the minimum requirements. Once a team member drops below those requirements I have a talk reminding them about where they are falling short, and try to figure out why and how to remedy it. I then warn them that if they continue to remain below those requirements I have to drop their coverage. This provides an incentive for people to at least meet the minimum training requirements that I set, which then helps me to know that 100% of my team meets a certain baseline of competency. It also puts the ball in their court on whether or not they want to remain as a team member. This can be taken a step further by adding a requirement to have personal defense insurance; but thus far I haven’t had to go farther than removing their coverage. 20% (Top 10%) These folks are your top performers. They are the ones who have a strong desire to not just be good, but to be great responders and protectors of their congregations. They are the ones who show up to almost every training event, and to serve even when their families aren’t in attendance. There is very little management needed with these folks because they make up the backbone and drive the character or your team. Your top 10% people are the key to your ministry moving forward and being the best it can possibly be or sliding backwards and fading out of existence; and here is why. There is a tendency to fall into the “squeaky wheel gets the grease” mentality as safety ministry leaders. The focus of our attention falls onto the bottom 10% because they need it, and away from the top 10% because they are self-driven. The problem with falling into this trap is that if you ignore your top 10% for too long they will get burned out very quickly. Once that happens it can be a quick roll downhill for your team because the people that were carrying it are drifting off due to being burdened by the mental stress of being in the “yellow” too much. To remedy this and to drive your team FORWARD safety ministry leaders need to. take the opposite approach. INVEST IN YOUR TOP 10%!!! These folks are hungry to learn and get better; so feed them. Bring in outside trainers. Pay for some of their training ammunition. Get the church to pay for them to go to training classes. Buy them appreciation gifts. This not only demonstrates the church’s appreciate for their above-and-beyond service but also serves as motivation for the 80% folks to step up more. The result is a top 10% that gets stronger, an 80% that follows suit, and a bottom 10% that wants to get into the game. In Discipline Over Motivation I discuss the pitfalls of motivation; however, motivation is typically the start in the road to discipline. As a safety ministry leader you cannot force your team members to exercise discipline, but you can absolutely motivate them in the hopes that they build discipline on their own. That’s what investing in your top 10% does. Conclusion If you are a safety ministry leader strongly consider the dynamics of your team, and how you can invest in your top performers to drive everyone else to move forward. If you are a safety team member, and your finding yourself in the top 10% keep doing what you are doing because your work is important! If you’re in the 80% and can’t give anymore thank you for giving all that you can. Your time and effort are appreciated by your church more than you know. If you’re in the 80% who chooses other events over serving/training, or you realize you’re in the bottom 10% figure out whether the safety ministry is truly where you want to be. Be a contributor; not just a consumer, particularly if your church invests financially in your safety ministry. All in all we want the same thing; to protect our families, friends, and congregations. The best way we can do that is by being well organized, well trained, and having enough people at their security posts to effectively respond to any situation. PROTECT HIS PEOPLE. GIVE HIM THE GLORY. Mike Get full access to Zero 5 Safety Training's Substack at zero5safetytraining.substack.com/subscribe
