Ask any personal trainer and they will attest to the fact that using correct form is one of the keys to making the most of your workout.  There are a few reasons why using correct form is so important:  it helps to isolate the muscle groups you are working on and it can keep you from sustaining an injury that will keep you out of the gym.  Why is this a part of a leadership boot camp blog series?  Because using correct form in faith communities can help you get to the heart of an issue and keep you from sustaining an “injury” that will put you “on the bench.” 

Learn the form that best works for you and choose your trainers wisely!

Everything does not work for everyone in the same way and in the same place.  Think about your leadership style, learning style, and communication style.  Think about the styles of your faith community.  Pay attention to limitations for change and move with care.  No matter how long you have been in this work or in this setting, there are always things to learn.  No one is ever too old to have a trainer or a mentor.  Who are the leaders around you that most often use that correct form?  Having a mentor and/or a coach can help remind you when you are paying less attention to your form or cheer you on when the workout gets hard. 

Learn the communities form!

Every faith community has its own way of making decisions, following process, and getting things done.  What is the form in your faith community?  Using correct form is essential to providing quality leadership.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that every faith community is also using correct form, but we have to understand the what and the why in order to see where they are coming from and where they might hope to go. 

Finally, if you do sustain an injury make sure you give that injury the appropriate attention that it deserves in order to heal properly.  In other words, take the time to understand what happened, look for what might need to change, change it, and apply grace to every situation. 

Melissa Clodfelter August 2010