I have been listening to this line on a song in my I-Pod for last couple days,
“If you want to show’em who is the boss, then you have to trade your high- horse for a cross”- Jenny Anne Mannan.
It has made me realize I need to reread Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership.
If I am to be effective in leading our organization in accomplishing its mission, I must come alongside side people as a servant and teacher, helping them connect the dots from the “how-to-the-why” we do what we do.
Being a leader is either a continual process of evolution in effectiveness or a journey to stagnation and decline.
I’m reading Jim Collins’ book, How the Mighty Fall. I really appreciate his ability to make
helpful and practical conclusions from his research. In appendix five of this work he highlights six principles for what makes someone the “right” employee. I like what he has to say,
1) The right people fit with the company’s values.
2) The right people do not need to be tightly managed.
3) The right people understand they do not have “jobs”; they have responsibilities.
4)The right people fulfill their commitments.
5)The right people are passionate about the company and its work.
6) The right people display “window and mirror” maturity. By this he means that when things go well the right people point out at factors other than themselves, and when things go wrong they do not blame others but see how they were responsible.
So true…
Earlier I had mentioned that there have been two personally impactful ministry opportunities I have been involved in the last two to three weeks. The first was participating in the snow retreat for our church’s youth group. The second is a class I have been leading on Wednesday nights using information from the Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACE Study (http://www.cdc.gov/ace/). As an elder in our church I am interested in how the information found in the study can inform our approach ministry.
The last three Wednesday evenings I have led a group of about 40 folks through study’s findings. In a nutshell the ACE study reveals that adverse or traumatic events that occur to someone during childhood have a strong correlation to health, emotional, vocational, and relational problems in adulthood. The study also reveals that two-thirds of adults have had at least one adverse event in their early lives.
After each class a small group of attendees lingered to debrief. These dear folks identified having a significant number of adverse experiences during their childhood and talked about how they continue to struggle with the emotional and spiritual scars left behind. For them the class has begun a healing process that they are eager to continue.
God is moving. This small group is committed to meeting weekly with a focus on community, prayer, and walking in the purpose and meaning God intended for their lives. I am excited and humbled to a part of what is happening.