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

Leaders: You Gotta Serve Somebody

Leaders are great at words.  Some of the most common – and disingenuous – are words declaring the identity of the people they serve.

In my country of Canada, this has come to a head as political leadership’s decisions have, with more hypocrisy than usual, revealed who they truly serve. The typical rhetoric of leadership will eloquently identify and woo a constituent community to be served. However at some point down the road it’s the leaders’ practice, policy & behavior that become the actual ‘speech’ that reveals the priority constituency.

Politicians will state: “Once elected, we serve all people”. However, examine their policy decisions, budget allocations and patronage appointments and it’s clear that they mostly serve the survival of their party into the next election. 

Corporate leaders will say:  “We serve the client”.  Ask most clients and you will discover the truth is that they are merely the ‘target market’.  The real client is the investor.

Faith leaders state emphatically that: “We serve God and His mission to this world”.  However, decisions, budgets and programs reveal it’s the preservation of the institution and the ongoing security of the donor base/congregation that is the focus of their servant-hood. 

Leaders - STOP DECLARING whom you serve as though that is enough to preserve your reputation or elicit loyalty.  Instead, REVEAL who you serve through your decisions and actions.

Bob Dylan sang a truth that although you have choices of who to align with in this life, at some point “You’re gonna have to serve somebody”.  Centuries before that, Jesus Christ affirmed you can only follow one master and it is dangerous to try serve two.  The reason? Because the result is you will actually hold contempt for the one while serving the other. Contempt? Yes. That’s what happens when you do not lead consistent with your public declarations.  Your decisions, attitudes and actions will always lean toward your REAL master.  Then the neglected constituency experiences at minimum a benign neglect and at worst, a blatant contempt.  

The truth is, you already serve only one master.  Have you figured out who or what that is?

Faking Faith

It took a personal burn out and a long reflective walk on the Camino to clarify for me how much I had led a leadership life that faked faith.  I said I believed in Gods’ power.  I acted as though it was all mine.

The ministry work ethic and leadership drive of North American Christian leadership culture places a great deal of importance on effort, skills, high-quality materials and events, performance evaluations and KRA’s.  What is ironic (and tragic) is that we as leaders will publicly use a rhetoric of faith in God’s leading and power, but then our execution demonstrates something very different.  It’s a vocational hazard of leaders to inspire with words but lack aligned execution.  I find it especially poignant when faith leaders speak of ‘trusting God’ and ‘prayer first’, but then spend tremendous leadership, organizational and financial energy to organize their efforts as though God’s involvement didn’t matter.

Many of us act out of a functional atheism concerning the sovereignty of God.  However the truth is, only He can produce faith.  Only He can draw people to Himself.  Only He can restore the world to Jesus.   

He is the Master Builder.  I am the worker. How does that relational dynamic show up in your daily efforts?  How much better to lead, live & love in the world and space you occupy with a calm trust in the sovereignty of God to do what only He can do.  

Maybe I am saying slow down and ‘faith up” because I just don’t want to work so hard anymore.

Maybe I am saying all this because after 35+ years of ministry I am tired.

Maybe it’s because my burnout stole something from me.

OR...

Maybe I am finally discovering what it means when Jesus said His yoke is easy & light.

When was the last time you felt that your yoke of ministry was ‘easy and light’?  Was Jesus lying to you about this or is something else off?  Perhaps it’s time for you to step away and re-examine whether you are faking faith in your leadership activity.

Your Path Makes You

Many leaders live out of an illusion.

It’s an illusion that we can be the unconquerable masters of our fate and captains of our soul. This illusion has a deep root in the Western psyche, perhaps best captured in the 19th century poem Invictus by William Henley:

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.



In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.



Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.



It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

This ‘master of my fate’ life perspective is expressed in the notion of the ‘self-made man/woman’. It is regularly reinforced through the North American child-rearing mantra of: “you can be anything you want to be” and then echoed in adulthood via leadership gurus’ seminars and books. Just Google “you can be anything you want to be quotes” and you would think nothing can ever get in the way of our goals except our own level of belief in ourselves!

Reality check: No one is a self-made. No one finishes their life path the way they initially envisioned.

Truth check: You don’t make your path. Your path makes you.

This phrase "you don't make your path; your path makes you" came to me with particular power after a week of walking multiple paths along the Camino del Norte in August 2017. My experience in the previous 7 years was the crumbling of many of the best-laid plans for my own life and surprisingly, the successful accomplishment of some completely unplanned endeavours. These multiple events and circumstances created a zigzag pattern of experiences. I was reeling, wondering what to make of it all. I took a sabbatical for 3 months to try make sense of things, and this phrase popped up:    You don’t make your path. Your path makes you.

This isn't advocating giving up on dreaming and planning. It is about dealing with emerging reality and your ability to shift direction on the road to becoming resilient as a leader and person. Lets face it, plans get made, hopes are set high and then 'life' happens. Circumstances both within and outside our control determine the path we actually walk. In those moments, some things are demanded of you:

1. What CHOICE will you make? As I see it, there are 3 options. Accept, Refuse or Run. You have to determine in your circumstance what is called for. However, no matter your choice your path has already shifted to some degree.

2. What CHARACTER will you demonstrate? Your choice will call out your character. More important than the path you take is who you become as a result of your choice. Unplanned changes have a way of unearthing what is buried deep inside of us. A leaders' effectiveness derives more from character than skill, so pay close attention to what emerges!  Resilient leaders are not shaped by success so much as they are by challenge.

3. Will you accept the new CONDITIONS? This is the time for realism. Your circumstance and the new resulting path is what it is, so deal with it. The alternative is to keep living in your head and in a reality that does not exist! Acceptance doesn’t mean you must like the new path, but it does mean you receive it as a part of your new life. Only after acceptance can you begin to walk the new path with purpose and intention.

With great thought and planning I have designed many paths for my personal and leadership life, believing that I would become someone and accomplish something as I pursued the path. In all cases, I have experienced redirection and on occasion outright failure to arrive at my original destination. However, I am now the leader and person that I am not because I achieved my original plans, but because of who I have become in the process. I also believe that I am in my current position of leadership because of the character, interests and skills that have been shaped by my circumstances, because:

My path made me


Harv

“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9