Stallion or Sailor?

Those of us who lead do so with an intention to bring about change. To create a better world or a better product is in our blood.  Our orientation is to see what could be and then make it happen.

“Make it happen”. That sounds like we can control process and outcome. Is that possible?

The premise of this “Nomadic Leader” blog is that effective leadership requires a nomadic spirit. You can read more on that in my inaugural blog from Sept 2009. We live in a world that itself is constantly transforming, therefore its essential we develop the skills to see what is changing in our world, then change ourselves accordingly. Gone is the great man theory of leadership where he/she sits atop their trusty stallion as the consummate expert and ‘general’, charging ahead into the future, leading the troops to certain victory.

I recently came across another image besides the Nomad, to characterize the kind of leadership required in this day & age. The Sailor.  Credit to the authors of the book “Getting to Maybe” for this image.  These 'sailor skills' reflect the spirit of the nomadic leader and are an essential leadership skill of this age.

“We tend to prefer the image of the leader on the charging stallion to that of a sailor trying to navigate stormy seas. The leader on the stallion seems to be in control of his destiny, while the sailor has no chance of controlling a stormy sea. The sea is too powerful to overcome with force and too unpredictable to reliably anticipate. Instead, the sailor needs to be adept at reading the weather, understanding the patterns, reacting to changes and adjusting his sails”. (p 20; "Getting to Maybe: How the World is Changed") 

I began my leadership life in the era of 5-10 year master plans, secured by a ‘stallion’ leader in place at the top. The attitude then was “come hell or high water we are going to make this happen”. That was the lingo of a true leader. I am not suggesting this age of uncertainty requires we ditch all long term planning. However, we do need a different leadership dynamic.  Here are some examples of how that dynamic is revealed in the life of a leader:

• Learn, learn, learn. Question, question, question. The moment you believe you know all there is to know and create a ‘certainty’ about things is the moment you relinquish the role of true nomadic and transformational leadership.  You have become a Settler. 
• Develop and tell a compelling story of the change you dream of creating. If you are going to get on a stallion at all, let this be what you champion! 
• Draw up your tactics in pencil. Unknown or emergent challenges & opportunities will require shifts in tactics so that you can better achieve your mission. Learn to tack like a Sailor. It may look like you are making many zigzag moves, but as long as it’s in the direction of your mission, you will make headway. 
• Talk to your employees/followers about trends and changes in real time. Keeping them in the loop, even if you are not yet sure what to do tactically, means they are better prepared in mind and commitment to make any shifts eventually required. Hold regular progress check-ins and 'status of our world' updates. Engage their input and you will find they are far more willing to adjust to changes than if you arbitrarily spring it on them. 
• Replace a need to control with toleration for ambiguity. That can be a painful transformation for some. On a practical level, it may simply mean stepping away from a knee-jerk decision and letting it sit for a day or so as a way of developing this tolerance. 

Are you suited to lead in this fluid world?

You are when you choose to be part of the dynamics of transformation rather than a separate figure sitting on a stallion leading the charge.

Marginal

I have experienced in a small way what is is to be marginalized.  Living as a foreigner in Indonesia, Cambodia and Kuwait gave me a taste of what many have to deal with on an ongoing, lifetime basis.  Despite these experiences I don't profess to identify with the deep pain and isolation of systemic marginalization.

The experience of marginalization emerged again while a pilgrim on the El Camino Norte in the summer of 2017. I walked exclusively through Spanish towns and cities where few spoke English.  Fellow pilgrims on my route were also largely Spanish speaking.   Since I did not speak their language I could not join in conversations or  experience the amazing Spanish community many others on the Camino enjoyed.

Foreigner.
Isolated.
Marginal to the dominant culture. 

I was keenly aware how much I was an observer and not a participant.  Always an outsider, knowing that until I knew their language and took steps to move into their world, I would never find acceptance.  So, I stayed at the margins and largely walked alone.

How cool and refreshing then when someone who knew English (even a little) spoke to me.  My face lit up with the hope of connection and community.  Perhaps even acceptance.

I have a question for those of you who are part of a dominant culture:

Must the marginalized around us (which includes the ones we have kept at the margins) learn our 'language & ways' as the dominant culture?  

Is it incumbent on them to 'come our way' or is it we, who hold the dominant power relationships, and social capital , who need to be the initiative takers?  Ideally we all become 'multi-lingual' and cross each others' cultural and psycho-social bridges.  However its my contention that the chief responsibility lies with the dominant culture to learn the others' 'language' first.  That means to know their story and seek to understand their world, not with the goal of assimilating them and making them into our image, but to create a new inter-human experience where acceptance is practiced as a way of being.

We who are the 'new humans in Christ' in particular must resist the natural, human gravitational pull to only associate with those who are like us.  Our role is to demonstrate a new 'multi-lingual' community where all people find a place of love and acceptance.

Let no one be left out of the love of God for all.  No none.

When The Hammer Falls

What follows are not originally my words.  I came across this 'confession' in 2010 while doing research on the issue of doubt.  The source is unknown to me, but I give credit to this person, whoever he/she is. At the time I was living in Kuwait. A family crisis was emerging.  I was beginning to doubt a lot of things about my own identity as a leader, a father, a follower of Jesus.  The situation only got darker when I repatriated to Canada.  I lived on the edge of a fight or flight response to  - everything - for years.  What this person had to say on that website resonates more with me now than it did when I was on the front edge of my crisis of doubt. 

Things got really dark before I could see there was light there all the time.

I share it because the realization that doubt is a part of true faith has transformed my relationship with God and I hope, my leadership. It has made me more honest with Him to the point that I feel more than ever that I have a true relationship with my Creator where everything can be on the table and we will still love each other. So, whoever you are out there who first authored this– thank you for giving expression to my heart and thoughts. Your story is my story and I know that as long as other Christian leaders are honest out there, that this is their story too…

"Ping. The hammer fell and preacher came tumbling after. It's funny, when your faith finally caves, it goes all at once. You realize you were just a shell held together with hackneyed rituals and desperate hopes. You are not strong. You do not have answers....St John of the Cross calls it 'the dark night of the soul'...It broke my heart. I grieved joint and marrow. My reptilian brain cried. I was sad all the way to the bottom.

I decided not to give up without a fight. I can be a stubborn son-of-a-bitch. I sought answers. I read the good stuff and talked with the good people. I learned some things. I found my way. 

Turns out Christianity is an eastern religion. The earliest Christians were Hebrews. Semites. People of the east. They did not know how to separate mind from body. They were holistic before holistic was cool. In our world we have separated mind from body to our great loss. Here a man may betray his wife and neglect his children, but he says he loves them 'down inside'. Bullshit. There is no 'down inside'. Love is something you do, not something you feel. Likewise, we think having faith means being convinced God exists in the same way we are convinced a chair exists. People who cannot be completely convinced of God's existence think faith is impossible for them. Not so. People who doubt can have great faith because FAITH IS SOMETHING YOU DO, NOT SOMETHING YOU THINK. In fact, the greater your doubt the more heroic your faith.

I learned that it doesn't matter in the least that I be convinced of God's existence. Whether or not God exists is none of my business, really. What do I know of existence? I don't even know how the DVD works. What DOES matter is whether or not I am faithful. I think faithful is a hell of a good word. It still has some of its original shine. It still calls us to action. Once I stumbled upon this very old truth, I prayed the most honest prayer of my life:

'God, I don't have great faith, but I can be faithful. My belief in you may be seasonal, but my faithfulness will not. I will follow in the way of Christ. I will act as though my life and the lives of others matter. I will love. I have no greater gift to offer than my life. Take it.' "

Harv