Leading Others

"Admonish the idle,
encourage the fainthearted,
help the weak,
be patient with them all."
     (1 Thessalonians 5:14)


Image courtesy of www.trabucopres.com



How do I justly lead others when their needs, dispositions and motives are often so very different? If you are like me, you may have sought out assistance by reading untold numbers of books, pursued numerous conversations on the subject, tried to learn from various real-life situations over the years, etc. But in all those efforts, I have found that one of the most insightful of all sources is packaged in a simple, one-sentence recommendation from the Apostle Paul to a start-up church in Greece nearly 2000 years ago. It's the verse at the top of this post.

See, even back then, wise leaders knew about differentiated practice -- that we need to adjust our leadership to the individual and to his/her situation. And a lot of the variation in our response is based upon our assessment of people upon two dimensions: their will and their skill to do good work. For example, some folks have the skills needed. They know what to do but, perhaps because doing good work requires a great deal of diligence and dedicated effort, choose to not bring those skills consistently to bear. For those "idle" souls, correction (i.e., admonishment) is needed. Others have the skills and interest in doing good work but lack the confidence (i.e., are fainthearted). For such individuals, our main work is to build up belief in themselves so that their light can shine. Still, for another group of people, a lack of skills needed for the job make them "weak." Of course, the major work here is to help such individuals learn about and develop the key skills that will make them effective contributors to the group.

Underlying the simple wisdom of this passage is the idea that I, as leader, can discern what each person needs: admonishment, encouragement, or help. And then, when I can perceive what is truly required, that I can and will deliver what is needed, faithfully and effectively.

And perhaps that is why the closing message in Paul's counsel is to "be patient with them all." And all means you, too, as such skills will take time -- perhaps even a lifetime -- to develop. But with God's guidance and your faith in Him, you can figure this out. "It" is in you if He is in you -- guiding you and your leadership of others. Trust that and be patient with that, so that you may be patient, understanding, and effective with every sort of soul under your charge.
_________________

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the opportunity to lead Your children. Guide my steps through Your wisdom and understanding. Strengthen my resolve to do what is needed and to be at peace with the results. Into your Loving Hands, I place my trust and faith.
Amen.

You Are Never Alone

                                                   “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  (Joshua 1:9)                                                       (Image courtesy of kasparstromman.com)

   

Years ago, during the first few days of my very first job as a school leader, a trusted colleague told me something that I carry to this day:  “Being a school leader is probably the world’s best ongoing values clarification exercise.”  And how right he was!  For as I got to know the people in my new school community, wade into the issues that accompanied their lives,  and ultimately made decisions  in line with my responsibilities, I had to sort out what I believed was right and just in a world with few “black and white” markers.  Through the process of weighing out the complex problems of human life and making my decisions, I was essentially revealing, testing and shaping my core beliefs; and given my formal leadership role in the school, I was thus, over time, also simultaneously revealing, testing and shaping the values of my school community, too.  The world’s best ongoing values clarification exercise indeed! 

Over time, I came to deeply appreciate the way the leader's decision-making responsibilities helped me to figure out who I am and what I believe in terms of core values.  But making decisions in accord with principles of what one can best discern is right and just is often not popular whatsoever.   At such times, the leadership journey seems trod on a deserted path.  Yet in such forlorn hours, we are always accompanied by our truest friend , as William Barclay perhaps says best:  "There are certain decisions which must be taken and certain roads that must be walked in the awful loneliness of our own souls.  And yet, in the deepest sense of all, even in these times, we are not alone, for never is God nearer to us." 

So, leaders, remind yourselves, the path may be lonely but beyond the gift of a life of service also comes an abiding clarity – that you are never LESS alone than when you are doing His work for his children, setting as many on the right path as you can.

                                              “Nothing before, nothing behind

                                              The steps of faith

                                               Fall on the seeming void, and find

                                              The rock beneath.”

                                                                 (John Greenleaf Whittier)

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the road that you have prepared especially for me.  Knowing that You always go before me and and are with me, let me always move with confidence and courage down that path, regardless of what may arise along the journey.  I pray that You guide me in my steps and that I may be open to Your guidance until that day when I finally arrive home with You.

Amen.

Relationships

"But now faith, hope, love abide, these three;
but the greatest of these is love."
                                (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Image courtesy of Pixgood.com




We are living in a results culture. And that certainly is the case for those working in education these days. Quarterly reports, progress monitoring, collective accountability, levels of performance, effectiveness scores -- these are but a few of the means aimed at holding educators responsible for moving the needle on student achievement and success.

But Dave Weber, the opening keynoter of the AWSA Associate Principals' Convention this past week, effectively made the case why we should start with cultivating robust staff relationships and school community if we truly are dedicated to transforming learning results for students. In his arguments, Dave pointed to the research of Dr. Roland Barth, who found that "the nature of the relationships of the adults that inhabit a school has more to do with the school's quality and character and with the accomplishments of its pupils than any other factor." Similarly, the Harvard Principals' Center asserted that "the most powerful predictor of student achievement is the quality of the relationships among the staff."

In a results culture focused on hard data, these reminders about the soft skills of relationship and community building are helpful and timely reminders. But for Christians, these findings should not be all that surprising. Two thousand years ago, Jesus asserted that all the Law and the Prophets could be summed up in just two commandments: (1) love God and (2) love your neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40). Therefore, ultimately everything in life comes down to our relationship with our Maker and our relationships with people. And in both, we are to display love.

So maybe the Beatles had it right when they attested that "All You Need is Love." Or at least, it seems, that's where we should start and sustain the focus. And in an accountability culture gone on steroids, keeping the focus on love and relationship is arguably more important now than ever.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for showing me what true love is. Help me to crave an ever deeper relationship with You, so that You can teach me Your ways. In my daily walk, teach me how to not only talk like a Christian but more importantly how to love like Christ through my relationships with those whom I lead and serve -- so that people may know that I am a Christian by my love. Into Your warm embrace I commend my spirit.
Amen.

Fellowship

     


"As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another."
 (Proverbs 27:17)


Image courtesy of makeitthrough.org



Too often we go it alone. And usually when that happens, we suffer, as the forces of the world smash up against us day after day.  Naturally, facing such fury alone, we weaken. And if we take the solitary path too long, we risk being overwhelmed by bitterness or indecision or depression or fear, ultimately swamping down our progress to some sort of near paralysis. As U2's Bono exhorts a friend who goes it alone in one of the band's more famous ballads:  "You've got stuck in a moment, and now you can't get out of it."  

Leaders, in particular, if not careful, can regularly fall into such a trap. Some times this is due to the nature of the position, other times due to the press of issues before us, and in other instances, simply because we don't know where to start in explaining our situation to another.

But God made it clear from the beginning that it is not good for man to be alone. So He has given us the gift of one another. And through the analogy of the passage above, just as there is mutual benefit in rubbing two iron blades together, so is there means forward in fellowship with one another, particularly in fellowship that is sharpened by interaction around the word of God. For wherever two or more are gathered in His name, He is there, too, adding His grace and blessing to the equation.

This approach was reinforced earlier this week when several family members and I viewed the Oscar-nominated picture Selma. This movie provided insight into the personal challenges that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. faced in addressing major wrongs of our society. On several occasions in the film, we see MLK at a near breaking point, as he feels the full force of the world in all its ugliness press upon him as the figurehead of the Civil Rights Movement. But in each of these moments, he intentionally takes measures to NOT go it alone, but rather, to seek fellowship. In one scene, he makes a late-night call to a friend, asking her to sing him a soothing gospel to tend to his fearful soul. In another, he gains strength through the rock hard support of his wife, despite his waywardness. In another, through the good counsel and timely reminder of a relevant biblical passage from a trusted friend, MLK becomes emboldened to persevere through his fear to committed action for the greater cause. And always, by turning to prayer, he finds guidance, strength, and support. Now, if someone of MLK's stature didn't go it alone, why should you?

Without a doubt, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a tremendous leader, speaker, and human being -- arguably one of the greatest of all time. But Selma helped me to draw this conclusion for consideration:  MLK's discipline to seek fellowship amidst trial was perhaps his greatest strength, and perhaps the primary reason for his lasting legacy today. And that's a discipline that any of us can choose to develop. Now, given such regular "sharpening," just imagine how effective of an instrument that you might be in Your Maker's hands!

Dear Lord,
I thank you that I need not go it alone. Please help me to always remember that and to build into my life the disciplines of Christian fellowship, prayer, and interaction with Your word. Strengthen me for the path ahead. Sharpen me in your word. Make me an instrument of your peace.
Amen.

Trust and Vigilance

      

"We put our trust in the Lord, but we kept our powder dry."

-- Regimental Monument epitaph at Gettysburg National Military Park

Image courtesy of AccuWeather.com

There are over 1300 monuments at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, befitting memorials to the over 50,000 casualties resulting from this most-critical moment of American history. While on a trip there years ago, I encountered one of the park's smaller memorials bearing an inscription that was monumental in stature. It's the passage noted above.

The wisdom and insight of this inscription is timeless. Certainly, as believers, we are to place our complete trust and faith in God. But not as mindless drones, scuffling along in life, waiting upon God to do both His part and ours. No, it's a much more active faith that is required. We are called to be agents of light and hope in a world daily battling darkness and despair. Fulfilling our role, we thus need to be ever alert and prepared to engage in the good fight, effort that will likely require all that we have.

In short, we have to get comfortable with the paradox of being both fully trusting in our faith while also being fully committed to acting on that faith. Or, said another way -- pray as if it all depends on God; act as if it all depends on me. 

________________________________________________________________

Dear Lord,

Thank you for calling me as one of Your own. Thank you for buttressing my faith. Help me to be attentive and vigilant to act on this faith, prepared to take on whatever the day brings. Under Your triumphant banner, I cast my lot.

Amen.

Fortitude

Fortitude 

"Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house." (Ezekiel 3:8-9)

Image courtesy of lovelifelivenow.com

There is a lot of anger in this world. Some of it warranted, much of it not. But if you are a leader of any sort, you will be dealing with it.  

Some of it will find you simply because you are the face of the group.  Other times, it will be a product of setting some reasonable boundaries for folks who aren't used to them -- at least for themselves. Or it will occur because the unlimited desires of others collide with a world of limited resources. And hard choices have to made.  Still, on other occasions, anger flares up for who knows what reason. But people are upset, determined to let the whole world know, and someone's head is going to roll. Growl! Hiss! Roarrrrrrr!

And typically the most painful of these situations occurs when the anger, the ganging up, perhaps even the betrayal comes from within the group -- the very folks who you are trying to responsibly lead and serve.

In such situations, I have found this passage to be of comfort. Not because I aspire to be some hard-headed jerk. On the contrary, seeking to understand before being understood, meeting legitimate needs in full whenever possible, finding win-win -- all of these should be hallmarks of the servant leader. But there are, regrettably, times when such everyday approaches no longer serve the situation at hand. When after due discussion and deliberation, it's time to articulate a position, demonstrate fortitude, and endure whatever is to follow.

It is important in difficult moments like these to recall that you are not alone.  Our Lord is the rock who can fortify you with the strongest of His stone.  If needed, He can match any force brought up against you with equal force -- and then some.  For geology simply expressed is "time + pressure." And in God, you have the power of eternity on your side of the equation.
____________________________________________________
Dear Lord,
Thank you for the opportunity to lead and serve Your children. Help me to daily be an instrument of Your peace. Strengthen me for the burden of each day; fortify me for whatever comes my way.  On the rock of Your truth and love, I will stand, endure, and thrive.
Amen.

Dealing with Trials

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:1-2)

Image courtesy of tcpermaculture.com

As Christians, we are expected to positively impact others, leave things better than we found them, make a difference. Or, as expressed through the common metaphor of scripture, we are to show ourselves to be "fruitful" -- "for a tree is known by its fruit" (Matthew 12:33).

OK, that concept makes sense. Make a difference. Be fruitful. Got it.

But in order to make a difference, we actually have to daily wade into the world, with all its problems and schemes. In order to positively impact others, we need to engage in their affairs, dysfunctional as they may often be.  In order to leave things better than we found them, we regularly have to deeply invest of ourselves, for token efforts simply won't do.  But in deep investment, we expose ourselves in ways that, frankly, may leave marks. For in working to change things, improve conditions, and help others, the world is likely to push back -- and often with a vengeance! Forces collide, claws come out, and we can feel bruised, battered, crestfallen, or even indignant in the process, for all our well-intended efforts.

In such times, we may feel tempted to bemoan our own sufferings and trials. I was only trying to help. So why does it now seem like I'm the one suffering? That's not fair.

But today's scripture from John reminds us that doing good for others despite personal suffering is the way of the Christian.  And it was the choice Christ made for us as well. Christ is the vine, and we are the branches.  Like branches from the vine, our fruitfulness comes from our source.  But in efforts to expand the fruitful influence of our lives on others, we should expect numerous trials and personal sufferings (i.e., pruning) along the way. It's the way of God's vineyard.  Through such pruning, we are cut back again and again, essentially recreated over time into a better form of ourselves -- one more befitting of the fruitful vine from where we originate.

So next time you feel like complaining because of some burden faced in helping others, remind yourself that this is a signal that you, a faithful servant, are being pruned -- so that you may grow through suffering to make even more of a difference -- be even more fruitful -- for a world in dire need of it.
___________________________________________________
Dear Lord,
Thank you for placing me in Your vineyard. Make me fruitful. Thank you for the loving hand that You bring to my growth and development.  Help me to understand and accept your regular pruning that makes me more pleasing to Your eye and more fruitful to the harvest in Your vineyard. Into Your Almighty and loving hands, I place my faith and trust.
Amen.