Written by: Adam Cheney on August 25, 2025

Diani, Kenya – Indian Ocean

I was bored — reading through the first book of the semester — Humble Leadership, wondering why our Advanced Subject Matter Expert would have us read this book. It seemed as if the book was just an addition to some of the other leadership books along a similar vein to Rare Leadership or Simon Walker’s trilogy. Then, Schein compared culture to the beach, and he gripped me.

I miss the beach.

I miss the sand between my toes.

I miss the smell of the salty ocean and the roar of the crashing waves.

Schein writes, “Culture [the beach] is both a friction impeding change and an accelerant shaping the gradual response to the leadership and change cycles.”[1] Throughout my life I have gone to the same beach repeatedly. It is never the same, it is always evolving. The sand responds to the outside forces that are upon it, the wind, waves, and the footprints of man. But the sand is not going anywhere, it just takes a new shape.

In similar ways, culture is all around us. It will always be there, yet it too, is constantly changing. Some aspects of culture are strong and foundational, such as American individualism. Other aspects of culture are light and transitory. For instance, can anyone recall the names of the couple disgraced on the Cold Play jumbotron? Probably not. Yet, culture was shifted in that moment of time.

When our cohort was in Oxford, we heard Rev. Prof. Will Foster speak into culture as well. He highlighted the work of Edgar Schein and spoke into some of the aspects of leading through cultural challenges. He said, “Culture is the game, not just one aspect of it.”[2] A leader must understand the culture of the time, whether that is the culture at large, or the corporate culture they lead. Regarding the evolution of cultures, Schein writes, “In a dynamic environment made up of many subcultures, it is therefore important for Humble Leadership to work from a realistic model of the dynamics of how culture evolves.”[3]

Understanding Culture and Leadership

• Edgar Schein focuses on the humbleness of the leader, with an understanding of the cultural flow.
• In Rare Leadership, Warner and Wilder focus on emotional intelligence and a leader who is deeply personable.[4]
• In Leading Our of Who You Are, Walker focuses on the undefended leader.[5]
• In A Failure of Nerve, Friedman focuses on the integrity of a leader.[6]

If I were to bring these concepts all together synoptically, I might say that the term “authentic leadership” would be most apt. What is an authentic leader? An authentic leader is who I try to be. This is a constant struggle for me in my work. I work for a mission agency. I work with a refugee resettlement agency. I work with Africans. I work with Muslims. I work with people who would dismiss me right away if they heard the term “missionary.” Yet, I work with churches who constantly refer to me by that term. How do I portray myself to three different broad audiences (Christian, Muslim, non-Christian but Western) while remaining authentic to who I am, who God created me to be and the work that I do?

I find myself tiptoeing this line often and I strive to be the same person to all three audiences. It is in my honest approach that I find myself navigating more two relationships. Without the trust that is built up, through living authentically, it would be harder to attain level two relationships which are more collaborative and built on trust.[7]

Navigating Immigrant Beach

Where does a walk along the beach factor into the authentic, trust-building relationships?

Over the last few months, I have been progressively more vocal about the political situation in our country, specifically regarding the treatment of refugees and immigrants. This is a field that I am deeply knowledgeable in and am a subject matter expert on the topic in my city. Essentially, I know the contours of this particular beach I walk as I write and speak out on the subject. I realize I am not an expert on the contours of every beach (say the Tariff beach.) But I do know Immigrant Beach. So, I have chosen to speak of my experiences at, and perspectives of, Immigrant Beach. Not shockingly, this has come with some backlash. There are many people who have never visited Immigrant Beach, they have only seen pictures, but they want to argue that the pictures are correct, while my first-hand perspective is false.

These online commentors might be at a -1 or a +1 relationship with me. Yet, as I choose to refrain from name calling, or giving into rabbit-hole arguments, I have been striving for authenticity and a building of relationships. I realize that the sand on their beach looks different. The waves at their beach, National Beach, are calm as a big wall was built around their beach keeping the waves at bay. National Beach has many warning signs and flags about all the dangers but since it is heavily guarded, National Beach is boring. I realize that the idea of Immigrant Beach with its huge crashing waves and significant winds can be scary, but it is beautiful. As I share about this beach, I want to continually highlight the beauty and gently encourage those who have never stepped foot into it to come and check it out because the smell of Immigrant Beach is full of flavor.

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[1] Edgar H. Schein and Peter A. Schein, Humble Leadership, Second Edition: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust, Second Edition (Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2023), 98.

[2] Will Foster, “Organizational Leadership” (Presentation, Oxford Advance – Session, Oxford, UK, September 25, 2023).

[3] Schein and Schein, Humble Leadership, Second Edition, 96.

[4] Marcus Warner and E. James Wilder, Rare Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits for Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2016).

[5] Simon Walker, Leading Out of Who You Are, The Undefended Leader Trilogy 1 (Carlisle, UK: Piquant Editions Ltd., 2007).

[6] Edwin H. Friedman, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix, ed. Margaret M. Treadwell and Edward W. Beal, 10th anniversary revised edition (New York: Church Publishing, 2017).

[7] Schein and Schein, Humble Leadership, Second Edition, 15.

About the Author

Adam Cheney

I grew up in California, spent five years living along the beautiful coast of Kenya and now find myself working with refugees in the snow crusted tundra of Minnesota. My wife and I have seven children, four of whom have been adopted. I spend my time drinking lots of coffee, working in my garden, and baking sourdough bread.

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