Sharing Lives and the Gospel

1 THESSALONIANS 2:7 - But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 

What comes across as the maternal side of leadership the Apostle Paul highlights above, as opposed to the authoritative side, is indeed critical for effective Christian leadership at church. Children are like sponges, and they absorb the examples of their parents, primarily mothers while they are still young. Here Paul says that sharing lives that are in line with the Gospel is almost as important as the Gospel itself. What an insight for leaders!

The Positives, Negatives, and Neutrals

Mark Driscoll offers a leadership advice on installing a leadership team in the church that lasts. He puts people in three categories, then recommended the right action for each:

Positives are people who do gospel things in gospel ways for gospel reasons.

Negatives are people who do ungospel things in ungospel ways for ungospel reasons.

Neutrals are followers who are easily influenced.

Read the rest of his posting here.

What he wrote reminded me of management writer Jim Collins' oft-quoted mantra: Get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus before even starting the engine.

Leadership Seminar at GKY Pluit

If you happen to be in Jakarta 2-4 July, I will be giving a series of talk on leadership at GKY Pluit. The series is entitled "Servant Leaders for Christ". The multimedia team at GKY Pluit created this seminar promo clip that details the titles of each talk. For lack of better name, the clip is called Clip Test 3 :-)

But I do hope to see you there!

Strategic Inflection Points

I thought readers of this blog who are not familiar with this oft-quoted buzzword can benefit from the explanation given from the very person credited with the phrase, Andy Grove:

...a strategic inflection point is a time in the life of a business when its fundamentals are about to change. That change can mean an opportunity to rise to new heights. But it may just as likely signal the beginning of the end.

Strategic inflection points can be caused by technological change but they are more than technological change. They can be caused by competitors but they are more than just competition. They are full-scale changes in the way business is conducted, so that simply adopting new technology or fighting the competition as you used to may be insufficient. They build up force so insidiously that you may have a hard time even putting a finger on what has changed, yet you know that something has. Let's not mince words: A strategic inflection point can be deadly when unattended to. Companies that begin a decline as a result of its changes rarely recover their previous greatness.

But strategic inflection points do not always lead to disaster. When the way business is being conducted changes, it creates opportunities for players who are adept at operating in the new way. This can apply to newcomers or to incumbents, for whom a strategic inflection point may mean an opportunity for a new period of growth.

You can be the subject of a strategic inflection point but you can also be the cause of one.

As you may have guessed, this idea can be well applied to our personal lives and any organization we are associated with. For many of us, we are the subjects of our strategic inflection points (translation: we are forced to change ourselves because of some outside factors). A better strategy is to of course reengineer for ourselves a strategic inflection point from time to time, to ensure that we do not live our lives in a complacent manner.

Grove discussed in his book the fiasco at Intel in 1994 when CNN ran a story on the design error in the Pentium chip Intel made. He however turned the situation to his advantage by responding swiftly to restore public trust and making himself vulnerable to the external factors in order to anticipate them (a process he called "constructive confrontation). Again, this is a quality that is worth adopting perhaps.

I can think of a few people in the Bible who experienced strategic inflection points. Abraham is a main case in point. When the call of God came to him in the land of Ur, the old man who was about to just enjoy retirement had to drop everything he had and accomplished, and follow the faith-shattering call to an uncertain territory. The rest of course is history, without which there is no Messiah for people of all nations.

Have you had any strategic inflection point lately?

Helping Our Leaders Not to Become Destructive

In my line of research, I have been fascinated with the topic of destructive or toxic leadership for quite some time now. What is interesting in the myriad of findings in extant literature is the fact that destructive leadership happens not only because of the leader, but also because of the followers (and the environment). In other words, the role of followers in turning good leaders into bad is pivotal, particularly those with unmet basic needs, negative self-evaluations, and psychological immaturity (Padilla, Hogan, & Kaiser, 2007).

I am intrigue by that last characteristic: Followers' psychological immaturity.

Padilla et al. (2007) in their Leadership Quarterly article highlighted that psychologically immature individuals are susceptible to collude in destructive acts their leaders initiate. They drew on famous works of Freud, Milgram, and Kohlberg in suggesting that between 60 and 75% of Western adults conform to their leaders and respect rules; this tendency to conform can be easily manipulated in such a way by the leaders that the followers then engage in immoral behaviors just because their bosses say so. Further, Padilla et al (1997:184) wrote:

"Persons lacking a firm sense of self tend to identify with cultural heroes and to internalize their values. Weierter's (1997) model of charismatic relationships also proposes that followers who lack a clear sense of self will adopt the values of charismatic leaders, which then enhances their self-esteem. Although these vulnerabilities might apply to any immature adult, they apply well to the young (Popper, 2001)—for instance, the Hitler Youth, the Manson family, or Mao's Red Guard. When impressionable followers internalize a destructive leader's vision, they can become committed to a destructive enterprise-conformers can become colluders (Hoffer, 1951; Kets de Vries, 1989; Weierter, 1997)."

The implication is loud and clear for churches and other organizations. We need to ensure that the body of Christ is developed into maturity not only spiritually but psychologically, which really means they need to have a healthy self-concept rooted in what Christ has done on the cross, a Christ-centered set of core values, and a Christ-exalting life vision which will give their lives anchor, meaning, and direction.

Confessing Your Sins to Others

I always believe that vulnerability is a great asset that leaders can have. Leaders who are willing to be vulnerable garner a level of trust that followers would otherwise never develop towards their leaders. The reason is simple. When the leaders are willing to be vulnerable (admitting mistakes, limitations, and weaknesses, or simply sincerely saying "I am sorry. That's completely my fault"), followers can associate themselves with their leaders in a far more profound way.

In the context of Christian community, that may mean leaders who are willing to confess their sins to a (few of) Christian brothers and sisters in their accountability circles. The practice of confessing sins is without question very hard to do in cultures that uphold face-saving. Confessing sin is a big way to lose face, one runs the risk of losing his/her reputation for good. Sure the risk is minimized or even absent in the context of a Christian accountability group. But the risk is still there on the part of the confessor. But what is interesting is that this tendency is not exclusive to those cultures. Because of the prevalent presence of pride in every person, no one likes to confess sins. The following quote from Bonhoeffer's Life Together says it best:

“Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, andthe more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation… This can happen even in the midst of a pious community. In confession the light of the Gospel breaks into the darkness and seclusion of the heart. The sin must be brought into the light. The unexpressed must be openly spoken and acknowledged. All that is secret and hidden is made manifest. It is a hard struggle until the sin is openly admitted. But God breaks gates of brass and bars of iron (Ps. 107:16)…”

“The root of all sin is pride… I want to be my own law, I have a right to my self, my hatred and my desires, my life and my death. The mind and flesh of man are set on fire by pride; for it is precisely in his wickedness that man wants to be as God … In the confession of concrete sins the old man dies a painful, shameful death before the eyes of a brother. Because this humiliation is so hard we continually scheme to evade confessing to a brother. Our eyes are so blinded that they no longer see the promise and the glory in such abasement.”

“Since the confession of sin is made in the presence of a Christian brother, the last stronghold of self-justification is abandoned. The sinner surrenders; he gives up all his evil. He gives his heart to God, and he finds the forgiveness of all his sin in the fellowship of Jesus Christ and his brother… Now he stands in the fellowship of sinners who live by the grace of God in the Cross of Jesus Christ.”

'We' vs 'Me' Leadership

Bill George, the famous author of Authentic Leadership (and True North) who became a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School after leaving his chairman and CEO post at Medtronic recently offered his take on Obama and his leadership in his Business Week column. He characterized it as "We" leadership as opposed to "Me" leadership.

The sweeping victory of Barack Obama ushers in a new era of leadership that will affect every aspect of American institutions and that sounds a death knell for the top-down, power-oriented leadership prevalent in the 20th century.

A new style of "bottom-up, empowering" leadership focusing on collaboration will sweep the country. A new wave of 21st century authentic leaders will take oversee U.S. institutions of every type: business, education, health care, religion, and nonprofits. These new leaders recognize that an organization of empowered leaders at every level will outperform "command-and-control" organizations every time.

The 20th century leaders focused on money, fame, and power, earning the title of the "me" generation. Their leadership destroyed many great institutions, as evidenced by the failures of Enron, WorldCom, and dozens of companies like them. The recent fiascos on Wall Street can be traced to the failure of "me" leaders who put themselves ahead of their institutions.

He contrasted Obama's 'we' leadership approach and Bush's top-down, I-am-the-decider leadership mentality which has rendered ineffective in this era. He then cited Google, IBM, Avon, and even Saddleback and Willowcreek churches as champions of the empowering, collaborative leadership approach. His conclusion is:

The most successful leaders will be those who can align people around common goals of serving people and empower them with a collaborative style. Their organizations will be the winners in restoring the U.S. to global greatness.

Jack Welch on McCain's Leadership Loss

The former world's best manager of the century, Jack Welch (and his partner), offered his insights on why Obama wins and McCain loses. First he said he believed that McCain's economic platform "made better sense for business, especially in terms of free trade, tax policy, and job creation", then went on to point out that McCain was deficient in three vital areas of leadership succcess: Vision, Execution, and Strategic Allies. Finally, some lessons for business leaders are drawn. Here are the key points:

Start with the granddad of leadership principles: a clear, consistent ­vision. . . McCain's health-care policy, for example, had real merit. But his presentation of it was always confoundingly complex... Meanwhile, Obama's message was simple and aspirational. He talked about the failings of George W. Bush. He talked about change and hope and health care for all. Over and over, he painted a picture of the future that excited people. He also set a perfect example for business leaders: Stick to a limited number of points, repeat them relentlessly, and turn people on.

The next leadership principle should sound familiar: execution... In nearly two years of steady blocking and tackling, Obama's team made few mistakes. From the outset, his advisers were best in class, and his players were always prepared, agile, and where they needed to be. McCain's team, hobbled by a less cohesive set of advisers and less money, couldn't compete.

Finally, this election reinforces the value of friends in high places...That's why you need to start any leadership initiative with your "high-level friends" firmly by your side, convinced of the merits of your character and policies. But that's not enough. If you want to keep your board as an ally, don't surprise them. Think about McCain's "gotcha" selection of Sarah Palin. Scrambling to catch up with the story, the media was not amused.

Read the whole thing here.

The Problem with Christian Leadership Books

I wholeheartedly agree with Chris Blumhofer, Associate Editor for BuildingChurchLeaders.com, who wrote a recent piece in the Out of Ur blog on the misrepresentation of Jesus as merely a leader in many well-meaning but theologically flawed Christian leadership books.

I have written elsewhere that the Christian leadership literature is replete with three kinds of authors: (1) Academically rigorous but theologically flawed; (2) Academically weak but theologically sound, (3) Both academically weak and theologically flawed. Sadly, category #3 abounds in the crowded leadership shelves in many Christian bookstores.

What we need is the fourth category: Academically rigorous and theologically sound. I have a copy of the book "Jesus CEO" referred to by Blumhofer; which I think is not only theologically flawed, but very anthropocentric in its treatment of Christ Jesus, the Gospel, and the Word of God.

Here is a portion of Blumhofer's piece. The complete text can be read here.

The major problem with the books that get him wrong occurs in the area of interpretation. Take John 10:10, Jesus saying, “I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.” Let’s evaluate the reflection on that verse published in Jesus, CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership:

Many times leaders and managers expect their employees to leap through the flames for them but do not define what the purpose or reward will be. Then they wonder why nobody is leaping…. As Harry Pickens, a marketing seminar leader, said, “People are tuned in to one station: WIFM. And those letters stand for “What’s in it for me?”
Jesus clearly defined his staff’s work-related benefits.

No. Jesus was not demonstrating any principle about the year-end bonus, revenue sharing, or 401(k) matching. In the cosmic battle between God and Satan, John 10:10 sets up Jesus, the sacrificial Good Shepherd, against Satan, the thief. Jesus wasn’t talking about—and never meant to imply—anything about “work-related benefits.”

Reading the Gospels for leadership principles like team building, vision casting, or “seeing the potential in others” makes a mockery of authorial intent and historical-cultural backgrounds. Such readings appear to take the Bible seriously, but they don’t do it justice; they simply create anachronistic interpretations. Could Jesus-as-leader book be flirting with recreating Jesus as one of us (or one of who we hope to be)?

Jesus has much to say to leaders, but we (especially those of us who lead) can only hear him clearly when we remember that Jesus is not primarily a leader. He is God’s Anointed One, the Suffering Servant, the prophet greater than Moses.

Servant Leadership

In my leadership class today, we discussed core values and their importance in shaping our lives. We learned the core values of individuals like William Wilberforce which helped him to persevere in pursuing his calling. We also did an exercise to identify our core values. Everything went well as planned until one student asked THE question I've been anxiously hoping to avoid: "Sen, what's your core values?" There was a deafening silence for about three seconds, into which I felt many years of studying, teaching, researching, and living were squeezed. Then I began to answer, "I will tell you just one of them It's making a positive contribution to the world through academia in the field of leadership."

I then proceeded to tell them that my heart resonates with the idea of servant leadership. I believe that to a large extent, everything rises and falls with leadership (for better or worse, that is). I also believe that servant leadership is most God-glorifying, Christ-exemplifying, Spirit-enabled approach of leadership (which I did not elaborate in class for reasons that have to do with political correctness). Thus far I believe that I should spend a good portion of my life introducing the biblical concept of servant leadership into the organizational and church life, despite its slow and small trickle-down effect.

History taught us that the academia is a well-beaten path towards incubating and disseminating significant, lasting ideas. A case in point: I recently co-authored a blind, triple peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Management Studies. The painstaking process took nearly 2.5 years (though in the end I'd it's worth doing since it's one of the top-tiered journals in the field of Management).

Everyone who has published in peer-review journals has experienced rejections by journal editors or reviewers or both. They are not easy to accept, particularly if you have spent months and years writing a particular peace. Many years ago, I thought that I should be resilient because, to use Nietzsche's catchphrase, 'what does not kill me makes me stronger'. But upon further soul-searching (I am only doing this once in a blue moon), I believe these words penned by J. Gresham Machen best capture my motive in persevering the publish-and-perish academia setting. The quote is taken from his article Christianity and Culture published in The Princeton Theological Review, vol 11, in 1913:

"What is today matter of academic speculation begins tomorrow to move armies and pull down empires. In that second stage, it has gone too far to be combatted; the time to stop it was when it was still a matter of impassionate debate. So as Christians we should try to mold the thought of the world in such a way as to make the acceptance of Christianity something more than a logical absurdity."

Post-note: On the day I received in my mailbox the hardcopy of the article, I also received in my email inbox that my other paper got rejected. God has His way to ensure that I stay humble, to always remember my created-limited-corrupted nature.

Spiritualitas Pemimpin Gereja

Dr Murray Capill, Principal dari Reformed Theological College yg baru menjabat 1 Januari 2008 lalu, menulis sebuah artikel pendek mengulas pemikiran Richard Baxter tentang spiritualitas pemimpin gereja. Dalam artikel tersebut, Capill menulis bahwa Baxter sangat menekankan integrasi antara hidup spiritualitas dan keefektifan seorang pendeta, pengkotbah, atau pemimpin gereja. Berikut elaborasi dari tesis tersebut:

[Baxter] warned against the dangers of cold professionalism in which a man may prepare a message without preparing his own heart, pray for success in ministry but not for personal sanctification, convict others of sin but never face squarely his own sins, take an interest in the study and proclamation of God’s Word without ever coming under its power and influence in his own life.

Artikel lengkapnya ada disini.

Next Generation Leaders @ Wheatstone Academy

Baru-baru ini saya tersandung di dunia maya dan bertemu dgn Wheatstone Academy, yang menyelenggarakan program pembinaan untuk "the next generation of Christian leaders." Pelayanan ini dimulai oleh dua orang usahawan yang memiliki konfiksi melihat 50% dari mahasiswa di berbagai universitas di Amerika berhenti berbakti di gereja. Yang menarik dari program mereka adalah tekanan pada mandat budaya dan servant leadership, dua hal yang telah lama menggetarkan hati saya. Berikut VIDEO ttg program mereka (12:39).

The L books I recommend my students

There is at least one leadership book published every single day. At that rate, compulsive reader one may be, trying to catch up with leadership books and still maintain his or her sanity is simply obnoxious and impossible. Thankfully, for every 100 books, there is one that stands out from the rest. The books below are those that in my view stand tall, shaping the practice of leadership around the globe, for better or worse...

Sovereign Grace Leadership Interview Podcast

Sovereign Grace Ministries baru-baru ini melakukan launching Leadership Interview Series podcast yang menampilkan roundtable discussion antara C.J. Mahaney (president of Sovereign Grace Ministries), Jeff Purswell (dean of Pastors College), dan Joshua Harris (senior pastor of Covenant Life Church). Ketiganya muncul secara reguler membahas isu-isu teologia dan kepemimpinan pastoral. Relevan bagi semua orang, khususnya bagi pendeta.

Leadership Class

I am about to finish teaching Summer intensive course in Leadership which runs for two weeks 5 hours each. It's tiring, but self-rewarding. The opportunity to touch the lives of others through the course is something that I enjoy doing profoundly. Equally important is what I teach helps me to challenge my own preconceived notion of leadership and the many other issues associated.

We discussed many leaders from William Wilberfore to Steve Jobs, from Mahatma Gandhi to Jim Jones. What becomes clear to me is that leadership starts with a process of self-discovery. As there are no universal traits of leaders, one need to be authentic - to be who she or he really is. That is why a lot of soul searching is required for any effective leadership. Our earliest experiences as a baby/child did play a role in determining the effectiveness of our leadership, and so are all the 'defining moments' later in our lives.

Our fascination (and mine) with leadership will be likely to continue. Despite how unhealthy it may become, one should acknowledge that everything rises and falls on leadership. Borrowing de Vries' metaphor, you can have the most sophisticated engine and most aesthetic design in the world for your car, but without a capable driver, the only direction the car will run on itself is downhill. Organizations are not different. If anything, this course deepens my conviction that cultivating our leadership character is priceless, particularly since we have a role model to imitate: The Servant King, Christ Jesus.