Leadersmithing and Me
Eve Poole’s book, Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership, discusses how Practice and Pressure are needed to forge healthy leaders. A key to leadership is knowing yourself and feeling resourced to accomplish the task.[1] Critical incidents shape the lives and outcomes of the leader. Practice templates help develop muscle memory for known situations and anxiety-inducing scenarios. Leaders don’t generally rise to the situation but live out of their character and what they’ve practiced. Ideally, templates will change and evolve as culture continues to change. Leadership for Poole is like an apprenticeship learned slowly by practicing alongside masters.[2]
Poole gives four areas of meta-learning: leadership muscle memory, self-regulation, reflective judgment, and learning to learn.[3] I’ve been fortunate to have people around me pour into these areas in my life. I want to compare my experience as a makeshift apprentice to Poole’s four areas of meta-learning and reflect on the four men who have imparted these to me.
Leadership Muscle Memory
When my wife and I got married, we would drive in the car, and I would practice preaching. Sarah would read a scripture to me, and I would make up a sermon on the spot. I didn’t realize I was templating. I was practicing speaking off the cuff on scriptures I had knowledge of but hadn’t studied. This practice served me well when I got to Cambodia.
Scott Sward was our team leader on the mission field. The roads of Cambodia are awful. We would have long hours driving small miles dodging tuk-tuks and water buffalo. Scott and I would travel to a small village to teach a Bible study and have lunch with a church. On the drive there, Scott knew about how I had practiced preaching with Sarah. He would give me scenarios he had experienced in Cambodia and ask how I would respond. I could template and practice my language and culture in a safe environment.
Self-Regulation
I learned more about self-regulation and controlling reactions and impulses through trusting and relying on my relationship with God in seminary. Dave Williams was my cohort leader for my master’s degree. I knew I needed self-regulation before I went to seminary, but I didn’t have all the skills that Dave exposed us to. He introduced us to books by Henri Nouwen and Pete Scazzero about living and ministering from the excess God gives us when we rest in him. He taught us not to let our work for God become more than our time with God can handle. Capacity as a leader comes from resting in God. I learned that our self-regulation becomes more manageable when we have a solid relationship with the father.
Reflective Judgment
Poole says, “Templating helps leaders to remain cool under fire, but you also need to be famous for your discernment.”[4] The first mentor I had was SSG Monroe. He was an infantry soldier, reclassifying to become an interrogator in my class. He was my squad leader for the course. He taught me the concept of the miniature. Poole points out that apprentices make a miniature to convince “both you and your masters that you are ready for bigger things.”[5] SSG Monroe used the Army method of crawl-walk-run as a miniature.
He would show us how to do something, and we would crawl through it slowly, with him demonstrating the knowledge for us. Then, we would walk through it – trying to do it at speed without messing up. He would correct and teach. Finally, he would apply a level of anxiety and stress through yelling and intensity. The run phase asks how you will handle this new knowledge under pressure. We learned how to ‘remain cool under fire’ – literally. Poole writes, “Learning under pressure…helps you to face it more confidently and to see it not so much as the absence of certainty, but as an opportunity for leadership.”[6]
Learning to Learn
Spencer Thury mentored me in college. I had just exited the Army and went to William Penn to work with Spencer. I met with him twice a week for three years until I graduated. He began every meeting with the same question: “What have you been reading?” He always wanted to know what scripture I was reading (that I wasn’t preaching or teaching from). Also, he had a list of classic devotions, leadership, and modern Christian self-help books that we would cycle through. He introduced me to Dallas Willard, Augustine, and Friedman.
He now pastors a church an hour north of me; we get together a few times a year and always ask, what have you been reading? He’s always interested in what I’m reading for class – he’s one of my biggest fans. In my free time, I keep the rhythm of reading classic devotionals, books on leadership, and modern works.
In hindsight, I would not be here without these men. A couple of weeks ago, Dr. Clark asked me how old I am – I’m 34. I often surprise people with how young I am. That’s partially my looks. I think it’s more that I’ve had wonderful mentors pour into me and give me experience and wisdom. I think the measure of a leader ought to be what the people they pour in to go on to do. I recognize I’m the product of God using these men to build me. I hope to see myself pour into others in this same way.
[1] Eve Poole, Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership (New York: Bloomsbury Business, 2017), 181.
[2] Poole, 57-58.
[3] Poole, 12.
[4] Poole, 13.
[5] Poole, 58.
[6] Poole, 13
About the Author
Robert Radcliff
Hi! I'm Robert, and I'm seeking to understand who God is calling me to be in my community while helping others do the same. I enjoy reading, training for triathlons, and using exclamation points!3 responses to “Leadersmithing and Me”
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Robert,
Thanks for breaking down Poole’s 4 key points with personal stories. I look forward to hearing an improvised sermon when we are in Cape Town.
You started out your post with what is likely my favorite page in the book, page 181. Aside from the statement that most leaders wish that they would have known ten years ago that they “…can do it” my attention was continuously drawn back to this statement. “Remember, you don’t need to be smart, loving, and brave; you just need to FEEL as though you are.” Would you be willing to share your thoughts on her statement? When is doing those things simply living out of our character, and when is it hypocrisy?
I like how you started with the overview of Poole’s reading and then shared your experiences regarding the four areas of meta-learning from her book. In the Self-Regulation section, I appreciate how your mentor directed you to the books by Henri and Pete. These books helped you realize that we shouldn’t allow our work for God to overshadow our time with Him. With everything happening in your life, when do you find that precious time to spend with God?
Robert-
I appreciated your multi-step example of simulation, first in English preaching to your wife, then in Cambodian navigating a different context. As an old man, I want to wave the banner of “in a straight fight, experience wins.”[1] You’ve given a clear example where purpose and preparation gets the gloves up and the feet moving.
[1] Poole, 13.