A Few Classmates, Humble Leadership…and Forest Bathing?
In his book Leading Out of Who You Are: Discovering the Secret of Undefended Leadership, Simon Walker exclaims, “Leadership is about who you are, not what you know or what skills you have. Why is this? There are two reasons: leadership is about trust, and it is about power.”1
This definition of leadership instantly reminds me of my cohort because trust and the effective use of power evoke humility. I can easily talk about each person in my cohort, but to mention a few regarding how well they wield power and are trusted, I think of:
- Tim Clark – I had no idea until three weeks ago that he succeeded Jack Hayford. Hands down, Tim is a humble, wise, and creative person and pastor who fosters genuine connections.
- Pam Lau – I’ve known about her for over 30 years, and the way she leads is so contagious because she deeply cares for the people entrusted to her.
- Russell Chun – In three years, I have seen Russell open his heart more and more to people with different theories and enjoy and learn from other viewpoints.
- Scott Dickie – One way he proved his leadership was by taking off a semester and coming back so strong, showing the importance of being true to your calling and being at peace with how God changes circumstances.
- Matthieu Yuill – I have never seen a leader joke about his or her accomplishments, abilities, and talents, yet everyone knows his heart is full of humility, grace, and love toward those he leads.
- Kally Elliot – Kally possesses a unique power that she wields gently. By asking thought-provoking questions, she encourages others to reflect deeply on their lives and choices, fostering growth and understanding in a compassionate way.
“Humble Leadership: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust” by Edgar Schein and Peter Schein offers a heartfelt and insightful perspective on leadership in our increasingly complex organizational world. The authors compassionately highlight the limitations of traditional leadership styles, which often rely heavily on authority and control. They encourage us to embrace a more humble approach that values the power of relationships, fosters openness, and builds trust. This shift not only offers a more effective way to lead but also nurtures a more compassionate and supportive environment for everyone involved. “This book introduces a new approach to leadership based more on personal relationships than transactional role relationships.”2
One of the most vital themes highlighted is the significance of nurturing a compassionate culture within organizations. It’s a people over profit mentality. The authors stress that leaders have a heartfelt responsibility to create environments where team members feel truly valued and heard. The humble leader works hard at this. This can be fostered through sincere listening, openness, and the cultivation of authentic relationships. By embracing humility, leaders can more effectively connect with their teams, fostering an atmosphere of collaboration and innovation that benefits everyone involved.
I really love how the authors point out that “the current managerial culture is myopic, has blind spots, and is often self-defeating.”3 The author’s antidote to leader-follower relationships is represented on their continuum.
Level Minus 1: Total impersonal domination and coercion
Level 1: Transactional role and rule-based supervision, service, and most forms of “professional” helping relationships.
Level 2: Personal cooperative, trusting relationships as in friendships and in effective teams.
Level 3: Emotionally intimate total mutual commitments.4
Based upon this continuum, the authors believe, “Humble leadership builds on Level 2 personal relationships that depend on and foster openness and trust.”5 JR Woodward definitely agrees with this because he says in his book, The Scandal of Leadership, “I suggest that the primary way to reshape our desires is through imitating the desires of Christ.”6 Christ was and is known for humility, openness, and trust. In chapter 7, the authors of Humble Leadership, focus on future trends and how humble leadership will impact our culture. I have summarized chapter 7 in a few short sentences. Humble leadership:
- Will focus more on context and process than on content and expertise, partly due to AI’s growing impact.
- Will build relationships unbound by unconscious bias.
- Will challenge abuse of power.
- Will help groups work better together. This will make it easier for leaders to listen to their employees, friends, and customers.
- Will help groups work better together and listen to everyone.
- Will involve being both physically and virtually present as organizations become more globally distributed.
Finally, I would like to end this blog by focusing on an area that I feel can help every leader to get into a posture of humility in order to practice Level 2 relationships.
In the 1980’s, Japanese researchers found that people who spent several hours of quiet, mindful time in forested natural areas came away with lower blood pressure, lower heart rates, and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. The findings were so compelling that the Japanese government designated forests solely for the practice of Shinrin-yoku (“bathing in the forest atmosphere”).7 Immersed fully in nature, people began to experience transformative feelings of enhanced well-being and clarity of thought, lower anxiety levels, and significant improvements in their stress-induced symptoms and diseases.
Could it be possible that forest bathing can enhance our ability to be a Level 2 or 3 leader? While we don’t need to be in the wilderness (or even a forest) to gain the holistic health benefits of forest bathing, we will reap the most profound benefits if we have a block of uninterrupted time in the presence of nature. The foliage is beautiful just about everywhere, calling our name to just be…not do…not bring anything…just be…inwardly transformed into a Level 2 humble leader.
- Leading Out of Who You Are. Simon Walker. 5.
- Humble Leadership. Edgar H. Schein and Peter A. Schein. Humble Leadership. 1.
- Ibid. 7.
- Ibid. 3.
- Ibid. 20.
- The Scandal of Leadership. JR Woodward. xxxiv.
- Healing Trees: A Pocket Guide to Forest Bathing. Ben Page. 31.
About the Author
Todd E Henley
Todd is an avid cyclist who loves watching NASCAR, photography, and playing Madden football. He is addicted to reading, eating fruits and vegetables, and drinking H2O. His passion is talking about trauma, epigenetics, chromosomes, and the brain. He has been blessed with a sensationally sweet wife and four fun creative children (one of which resides in heaven). In his free time he teaches at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary and is the Founder/Executive Director of Restore Counseling Center.11 responses to “A Few Classmates, Humble Leadership…and Forest Bathing?”
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Todd, this post is a beautiful testament to:
• a lovely group of people you have honored by appreciating them so nicely.
• a kind man named Todd that continually puts others before himself.
You are the posterchild for Humble Leadership. 🙂
Hey, my dear brother. Thank you for your kind, gracious words. But I’m not intelligent enough to know what a posterchild is? But I do remember my poster being on the wall in the Post Office back in the early 80’s! 🤔
Hi Todd,
I echo John’s comment, “You are the posterchild for Humble Leadership.”
I suspect you have your own space (in addition to forest bathing) where there is an incredible pool of calm that you draw upon.
Calm/peace/rest are things that emanate from you.
Shalom, Shalom
P.S. Your blog comes at a critical moment for me today. I am speaking to members of our GoodSports International Board regarding our plans for Ukraine. Collaboration, Teamwork, Trust have been dwindling lately. TIME to move forward in humility.
Hey, my brother. I just prayed for you and will continue to do so. I’m unsure what time zone you’re in, but I’ll keep praying. You understand humility deeply, and I pray it will continue to flow out of you! Blessings, my brother! 🙏🏿
Sir Russell, whoa, thank you for those strong intimate words. I’m speechless man…totally speechless!
Todd,
You wrote: “JR Woodward definitely agrees with this because he says in his book, The Scandal of Leadership, “I suggest that the primary way to reshape our desires is through imitating the desires of Christ.”6 Christ was and is known for humility, openness, and trust.” Thank you for reminding us of this book–I had forgotten his chapter on Phil 2.
And I am honored you put me in your list! I agree with the others, Todd, you are the model of Humble Leadership!
Pam, my friend, thank you for your encouraging words. Your leadership skills and character are off the charts, and that’s one of the many reasons I appreciate you!
Hi Todd,
I always enjoy reading your insightful posts. Regarding the list of colleagues you wrote, I can’t agree more. Number 7 is you, Todd. Yes, you! You have the qualities of a humble servant who is willing to listen and respond with joy, especially when we have conversations.
I am interested in your thought, “One of the most vital themes highlighted is the significance of nurturing a compassionate culture within organizations. It’s a people over profit mentality. The authors stress that leaders have a heartfelt responsibility to create environments where team members feel truly valued and heard. The humble leader works hard at this. This can be fostered through sincere listening, openness, and the cultivation of authentic relationships. By embracing humility, leaders can more effectively connect with their teams, fostering an atmosphere of collaboration and innovation that benefits everyone involved.”
When you apply the principles of Humble Leadership, what is the biggest challenge you have ever faced? How did you overcome it?
Hey Dinka, that is a good tough question. My biggest challenge in trying to be a humble leader happens a few times a year. It’s when something good or great happens in our ministry and I know the Lord should get the glory but deep down inside I want a little credit. I want others to know how God used me. But the Lord wants me to be quiet, back away from the glory or credit, be silent and allow him to get all the glory. I would not say I have overcome it but I need to keep fighting this temptation. Thanks for asking man.
What a great post Todd, as you named and described our cohort I couldn’t help but smile and feel incredibly grateful to be a part of such an amazing group of folks. I love our cohort!
A good connection with Woodward, allowing our desires to be shaped by Christ, is essential as wehers. I’ve been thinking lately about the question of “Which Jesus?” It seems that we can have different versions in mind when it comes to Jesus and what he cares about. These days, my guiding image of Christ is compassion, and from what you embody in your practice, I know you feel the same. You model humble leadership beautifully my friend!