Elephants and Lions
Before moving into my current position as an associate Pastor, I had a bizarre, but incredibly powerful dream. According to Daniel Lieberman, and several stories in Jewish-Christian history, dreams can be an effective vehicle for the subconscious or God to get our attention. [i] This dream may have been the Spirit speaking through my subconscious or just my brain synthesizing some leadership podcasts with a childhood that watched a lot of Jungle Book. Either way, it gave me an insight that would prepare and stick with me for my leadership road ahead. I remember it beginning as a “normal” dream, the kind that makes sense while you are in it, but not so much after you wake up. As I was somehow standing on my old property in Tennessee where I grew up, I remember the environment around me was utter chaos. Raging water, debris going everywhere, animals running all over the place, then everything slowed down and seemed to freeze.
As I looked to my right, a massive elephant slowly walked in front of me at a distance. If having an African elephant in southern Tennessee wasn’t weird enough, riding on its back was a lion with its paws crossed. In the dream, I immediately took out my phone and recorded this scene for what felt like a good while. It’s dream time, so who knows! The only way I can describe this moment is “majestic”. It appeared like these animals ripped through the fabric of my dream from another dimension. When I woke up, I couldn’t shake the image of a lion riding on the back of an elephant as well as the way I felt when it happened. In the middle of the chaos, they showed up. All morning it wouldn’t leave my mind. I eventually looked up the meanings of animals and what they might represent. Lions represent “courage”, as we know from The Wizard of Oz, and elephants can represent “wisdom”. As I thought about it more, this scenario was the embodiment of “courage riding on the back of wisdom”. This idea stuck with me to the degree that my wife eventually bought me a little elephant that holds the word “courage” on top. It sits on my desk in my office as a reminder to balance these two virtues when leading.
Annabel Beerel’s book, Rethinking Leadership, was in the pricier range, but I’m glad I own a copy. It’s a reference I’ll be using for years to come. It covers a lot of territory and reinforces the theme of who we are and developing our being as leaders, which makes sense why Edwin Friedman’s theories on leadership from Failure of Nerve would show up.[ii] However, the aspect that I seemed to pick up on the most was her emphasis on courage and wisdom, hence the dream. She says, “Leaders need courage to make wise decisions, not self-interested ones or ones motivated by the need to be liked. This requires setting aside their egos and making choices that could leave them feeling vulnerable.”[iii]
Wisdom and courage are essential to navigating the uncertainty of leading others, especially when moving people from a familiar place to uncharted territory. If I am honest with myself, in uncertain times I’m tempted to search for knowledge, when in fact, I may need to pursue deeper wisdom. When it comes to distinguishing knowledge from wisdom, she writes, “Cooke-Greuter describes knowledge as knowing patterns, rules, and laws that predict measure, and explain, while having wisdom refers to understanding more deeply, recognizing one’s assumptions, seeing whole dynamic systems, and the stripping away of one’s illusions.”[iv] I think wisdom, in contrast to knowledge, is even better explained with the horizontal versus vertical learning model.
Horizontal learning:
Communication, active listening skills, responding effectively, handling conflict, technical proficiencies.
Vertical learning:
Capacity for greater degrees of complexity transforms how one thinks, feels, and makes sense of the world, ability to recognize patterns across different data streams, a new change in identity, change in ego structure.[v]
With many of the models of development that Beerle mentions like Torbert’s action logic schema or Lawrence Kohlberg’s model of moral development, there seems to be a wall that most of us reach. Beerle says, “Based on Kohlberg’s research, only a small percentage of people reason frequently from stage 5 (less than 15%) and an even smaller percentage from stage 6 (less than 5%).[vi] James Fowler, a minister and psy
chologist, who was highly influenced by Kohlberg, created the stages of faith model which integrates psychology, sociology, and value systems. Although his theory and research contain 7 stages of development, he found that most of the world operates and is content at stage 3.[vii] This seems to reinforce what Beerle says about spiraling up when it comes to vertical learning. “Due to the reinforcement of horizontal models that inadvertently support immunity to change, discussed earlier, many adults plateau at a certain level and remain there without continuing the spiral ascent.”[viii]
Our egos would like to think we are all operating at the peak of development. Of course, we are leading from the highest number in all the developmental models! Statistically, that is likely, not true, but just the awareness that there is more growth to be had encourages me to seek vertical learning alongside horizontal. This is where courage plays another key role. The list that Annabel gives that supports vertical learning is not for the faint of heart and challenges me quite a bit.
Factors that support vertical learning:
Dynamic interactions that challenge existing values
Real-time feedback and reflection
Critical reflection on own action logic and learning processes
Working on one’s shadow
Participate in social contexts in which diverse perspectives are represented and discussed
Associate with others at different development levels
Learn new values, cultures, and mental models, that contradict your own
Read widely
Coaching by someone at a higher action logic
Etc.
According to Beerel, these are the practices, experiences, and opportunities that transform our consciousness and move us up the vertical learning spiral. I really like that idea of, “shifting our consciousness”, even if the scientific community is not sure what that is while we attempt to code robots![ix] Unfortunately, many of the things that do create this inner transformation are extremely uncomfortable. Seeking out contradictory ideas, shadow work, getting real-time feedback, putting ourselves in new environments, etc. I pray I hold the courage to not only grow in knowledge, which is important, but spiral up in wisdom and increase my capacity for complexity as a Christian, spouse, parent, citizen, leader, and doctoral student! After reading this book it made me more thankful for weird dreams where lions (courage) ride on the back of elephants (wisdom)!
[i] Lieberman, Daniel Z. Spellbound: Modern Science, Ancient Magic, and the Hidden Potential of the Unconscious Mind. Dallas, TX: BenBella Dooks, Inc, 2022.
[ii] Friedman, Edwin H., Margaret M. Treadwell, and Edward W. Beal. A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix. 10th anniversary revised edition. New York: Church Publishing, 2017.
[iii] Beerel, Annabel C. Rethinking Leadership: A Critique of Contemporary Theories, (New York: Routledge, 2021) 112.
[iv] Beerle, Rethinking Leadership, 380.
[v] Ibid., 378.
[vi] Ibid., 331.
[vii] Fowler, James W. Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, (First HarperCollins paperback edition. New York, NY: Harper One, 1995). 172.
[viii] Beerle, Rethinking Leadership, 380.
[ix] Poole, Eve. Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity. New York: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2024.
About the Author
Adam Harris
I am currently the Associate Pastor at a church called Godwhy in Hendersonville, TN near Nashville. We love questions and love people even more. Our faith community embraces God and education wholeheartedly. I graduated from Oral Roberts University for undergrad and Vanderbilt for my masters. I teach historical critical Biblical studies at my church to help our community through their questions and ultimately deepen their faith. I love research, writing, learning, and teaching. I oversee our staff and leadership development. Before being at Godwhy I worked as a regional sales coach and director for Anytime Fitness. I've been married for over 13 years to my best friend and we have two amazing boys that keep us busy.11 responses to “Elephants and Lions”
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Adam,
Your post was comprehensive and offered an overview of Beerel’s Veritcal learning.
You wrote, “Unfortunately, many of the things that do create this inner transformation are extremely uncomfortable. Seeking out contradictory ideas, shadow work, getting real-time feedback, putting ourselves in new environments, etc.”
How do you seek out uncomfortable opportunities for Vertical learning as a pastor?
This program for starters! lol Seriously though, this program, especially some of the books, trips, and cohort engagement, have challenged some of my assumptions and belief systems. Last semester challenged me the most (in a good way).
Great question Pam! It is VERY easy to get stuck in little subcultures or echo chambers as a pastor. Another thing, besides this program, that does help with that is attending a monthlyish men’s event called “Whiskey night”, people don’t have to drink, but that’s how it started so the name stuck. Several of these guys are agnostic. We sit around a fire and specifically talk about the big questions, theology, philosophy, ethics, meaning, etc. These guys don’t really hold back, some have been burnt by religion, unfortunately, so they ask very hard questions and bring up some complex topics.
What do you feel has developed your vertical learning the most over the years?
Just because every class one must have one conspiracy theory here is a new ridiculous one, Covid kept people at home, “Covid was released by Zoom to raise their stock!”
Thanks for speaking to vertical learning. At this point I am not sure if I get it. I like to think I am teachable, but I am not sure I exist in place where I am going any hire on the leadership totem pole.
Selah…
Oops, higher not hire.
Actually Russell, you are incredibly teachable. I have seen you turn on a dime with some of your NPO ideas when you felt it needed tweaking or got feedback. I also saw that while we were in Cape Town concerning some self-discovery moments while talking with our peer group. Much respect
I really appreciate your focus on vertical learning. That’s something I’m going to circle back to and try to implement more. Of the examples you gave that support vertical learning, is there one (or maybe more) that you find particularly challenging to put into practice?
I think shadow work is probably one of the hardest to practice since its repressed and usually undetected. It takes time and alot of self reflection to pinpoint why I respond or feel certain ways as a result of repression that Beerle talks about. Its hard to see blindspots!
What about you? Any on the lists that you find particularly difficult?
Adam,
I am fascinated by your dream and the image of a lion riding on the back of an elephant with his paws crossed. I wish I was an artist as that would be a powerful peace of art to contemplate. It is an image of the restraint and cooperation required for courage and wisdom to abide together. That image will be with me for awhile. Thank you for sharing your dream! Where do you notice both courage and wisdom operating together in your leadership?
Certain type of confrontations or feedback takes both. The courage to do it and the wisdom of when and how to do it with love and humility is something I am always trying to grow in as a leader.
Wow. What an incredible dream with such significance. Courage and wisdom…truly what is needed to lead in today’s world. Also, thank you for your thorough review of vertical learning and ways to support it. Which one of the ways to support vertical learning would be one you would want to implement at a greater level in your ministry context?
Thanks for the response Esther, it has really stuck with me over the years. As far as your question, I would have to say, “Critical reflection on own action logic and learning processes”. This is something I am not as familiar with, but I can see the value of developing it more as a leader!