Experiencing Leadership
Becoming a leader is a journey it is a process. There have been many who would say “Oh they were born a natural leader.” Some of us may have a tendency towards accessing our human response more readily, but leadership is a process, it is a collection of responses and human reactions. In the book Leadersmithing by Eve Poole the author lays out the essentials for leadership. These essentials are sourced from research surrounding leaders and our human response to experiences. One of the important pieces of developing as a leader is understanding your individual threshold for the fight or flight response. Poole notes that elite athletes harness this stress response to find their place of peak performance. It is also a key component to learning as we learn faster when in the fight response. As leaders learning under pressure helps us to “understanding our ‘stretch zone’ thresholds” (1)
The Sports Annalogy
As leaders who are both experienced and actively developing there can be feelings of inadequacy and even the threat of burnout from ever reaching for growth and perfection that seems just beyond reach. As the mother of a teen athlete burnout and feelings of inadequacy are so prevalent. His peers quit their sports from burnout and pressure. I have been asked the question “will you still be proud of me” I have seen the look in his eyes when facing loss or falling short of a goal. These are the moments that a teen has gone beyond their “stretch zone” threshold. This can happen to leaders too. These moments when leaders surpass their threshold is when we see burnout, inappropriate behaviors, unhealthy leadership styles, and epic moments of moral failure. So, what would have become of these teen athletes, this leaders if they had understood their “stretch zone thresholds” Would they have been able to learn and grow under pressure while still finding healthy practices of self-care?
Playing with Risk
As active leaders the time for and value of self-care can take a backseat to all the pressures and responsibilities. So too can a leaders engagement with risk and understanding their fight or flight repose. The tendency is to become consumed with the task of leading and maintaining the organization or position that growth and development can be sidelined, thus leading to the burnout and failures that one is trying to avoid. It is when leaders engage in healthy, playful risk taking that they begin to understand themselves and their fight/flight response more fully. Then in this understanding one can begin to find their “stretch zone threshold”, their healthy place of leading and learning under pressure. Not all pressure is bad and it can be beneficial. You know those peers who work best under pressure, they wait until the night before a deadline and hammer out all the work, and its actually good. For many of us this pressure could be crushing and we avoid it while others embrace it. Understanding these pressure points is important to an individual leader’s success. So finding ways to take playful risks and learn about one’s self can help a leader embrace the right pressure points for them.
Leadership Learning
Learning is a key component of leadership. It is a piece that keeps leaders relevant and engaged, and it keeps leaders healthy. Friedman would argue that leaders don’t need anymore classes, books, training, they need to understand themselves.(2) I would say that Poole reminds us that our learning has to also be about ourself and the skills we possess and that the process of becoming a leader is developing ourselves through experiences. So as leaders let us take the time to learn about ourselves, engage in playful risk taking so that we can learn from these experiences the types of pressure that we are capable of leading through, so that we can be healthy, engaged, and experienced leaders.
- Poole, Eve. Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership. (38-39)
- Friedman, Edwin H.. Failure of Nerve 2017
About the Author
Sara Taylor Lattimore
Sara is adopted, a wife of 17 years, a mother to 2 amazing children who give her opportunities to be a cheerleader, dress up like a princess, play soccer in the mud, and go on amazing adventures. With a Bachelors in political science and sociology, Sara worked for Child Protective Services as a legal caseworker before following a call into full-time ministry in 2008. During her time in full-time ministry Sara has served in medium to large size local congregations, as well as camp ministry. Sara has a passion for serving others, writing, and speaking. In 2016 Sara worked on a joint publication as a Curriculum Writer. Sara wrote the Intergenerational/Family & Day Camp Resources in “Beyond Belief” for InsideOut Christian Resources for Outdoor Ministry- Published by Chalice Press- Release Date 2018. Sara is looking forward to writing her own book next. Sara completed her MDiv from Iliff School of Theology in 2019 and is currently working on her Doctorate in Leadership and Global Perspectives from Portland Seminary. Sara currently serves as Lead Pastor of a local church in Southwestern Montana. She has previously served in ministry positions leading congregations in engaging globally in healthy mission and outreach partnerships, living life missionally, building innovative programs, and building relationships as the Director of Missions and Outreach, College Ministry Coordinator, Family and Children’s Ministry Director, Director of Christian Education, and Camp Program Director. She is an innovator and visionary who looks to find empowering and dignity restoring ways of building communities of belonging, while listening and partnering with others to find ways to also address the needs of the communities she is planted in. Beyond her work, Sara dreams of growing her family through adoption, kayaking with Orcas, going on pilgrimage on the Camino De Santiago in Spain, traveling in an RV across North America, and traveling internationally.8 responses to “Experiencing Leadership”
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Sarah,
I look forward to your posts each week. I appreciate how you are able to make a contribution on top of what the author has enlightened us with. I am curious, have you you always had firm boundaries? Or is that something you have learned along the way?
Peace and Blessings.
Greg, Thank you for your kind words. Honestly, I have been terrible at boundaries and it is still something I have to work on all the time. My wisdom around selfceare and boundaries comes from many failures.
Sara, this is a great perspective to balance out the view that reduces leadership learning to reading books and listening to podcasts. This is learning through the actually act of leading, which Bolsinger writes about in his book Tempered Resilience.
What are some learning practices you have implemented in your own leadership learning journey that go beyond simply gleaning more information as Friedman warns?
David,
Great question and great connection. I have noticed an emerging theme from the last few books we have read about adapting, learning, resilience, and strength/growth from struggle or experience. I have always learned better by doing. I loved the creative hands on projects back in high school. For me learning through experience is key. I love to read the books, watch the videos and then apply it. I think even application through teaching others or sharing insight this semester has been helpful to find the key themes and apply them in new ways.
I would have never learned to surf if I had never gotten into the ocean and given it a try. No book of surfing movie could have helped me to figure out how to get my body balanced on the board and then stand up with my feet in the right position to ride the wave. I had to feel the waves, crash a million times, and keep adjusting little things until finally it all came together in a triumphant moment.
I guess maybe that how I learn to lead… I take all the good the bad, the hard and every experience in-between to form how to move forward and address the next obstacle or challenge in front of me.
Sara,
I always enjoy your posts. You share from your heart. Thank you. Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
Tonette,
Thank you for your kind words! I am grateful to be on this journey with you. It is always my hope that my stories, my words, my experiences, might just help someone else. It would give it all meaning.
Merry Christmas!
Sarah – I found this book particularly relevant being a UMC pastor. Seminary did not prepare me to be a leader in any way. I feel like each week is an exercise in gaining experience points. Do you enjoy being in situations that require you to have the posture of learning on a regular basis?
Hi Chad!
I am not sure I would use the word enjoyment to describe how I feel when constantly in a learning posture… It can get very exhausting and even deleting at times to know feel like I have a grasp or understanding on what is occurring. There is still value in getting to actually feel experienced every now and again. I enjoy learning but I also enjoy feeling competent and confident. I think there is a balance needed between them.