Embracing New Realities with Reassuring Calm
The COVID-19 pandemic happened to all of us. It is our common lived experience. Though not as globally impactful I experienced regional viral epidemics and the ensuing public health interventions while living in Vietnam. The first in 2003 when SARS was diagnosed in Hanoi, quickly followed in 2004 by H5N1 better known as the Avian Flu, and in 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu, both spreading to Ho Chi Minh City where I lived. Masks were commonly worn in public places, temperatures taken at entrances to schools and hospitals, adults and children monitored closely when sick. We avoided pork, baked without eggs, and became accustomed to KFC serving fish. It was inconvenient but we took precautions and stayed calm.
Fear was understandable as COVID-19 began to spread. I was scared when travel to visit my daughter in Seoul was cancelled and the country locked down. My counseling practice went online until the lack of in person contact became detrimental to my clients. I had limited access to my kids and grandchildren during those early months. What disrupted my peace the most was the lack of empathy and respect for people making deeply personal decisions, and the absence of calming reassurance from world leaders and public health officials.
Voicing my thoughts and feelings at the time seemed to contribute to the disconnection and chaos I already felt. So, I listened and supported as we all made difficult decisions. I don’t take it for granted that I lived through the pandemic. I prayed earnestly that the world would come out better for it and that God would do something new. I prayed that while staying home we would find rest, a renewed sense of what mattered most, tend to our relationships, and deepen our trust in God. I prayed leaders would make wise decisions.
Was the COVID-19 pandemic a Tower of Babel moment revealing our hearts and presenting us with an invitation to wake up and take notice? I needed a book on leadership that moved me forward out of that not so distant reality as I continue to grasp the new realities of our uncertain world today. I appreciate a leadership voice emerging from those challenging years.
Rethinking Leadership: A Critique of Contemporary Theories, by Annabel Beerel is a thoughtful companion to Peter G. Northouse’s, Leadership Theory & Practice Ninth Edition. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, Beerel’s critique and observations offer a unique perspective during a chaotic time in world history in which reactive leadership appeared to be the norm and the voice of calm reassurance sorely lacking. Her call to rethink leadership is timely and her contribution as a woman adds a valuable perspective and voice to our discussions on leadership. From her prologue to her conclusion she makes a clear call for, “…new leaders with new levels of consciousness, courage, and compassion” to emerge.[1] Beerel contributes to the leadership toolbox with her insights on mindfulness which she believes is an essential trait for effective leadership.[2] Mindful leadership does not rise to the levels of a proper leadership model or theory, but it offers beneficial tools that prepare the leader to name and face the complex realities of our world, make hard decisions, and offer reassurance to those we lead. She gives us the gift of awareness, a call to silence, to see, to listen, and respond rather than react to realities we can no longer deny or avoid.
We live in a rapidly changing world. Beerel writes, “The key task of leadership is to identify, frame, and align people to new realities” (italics mine).[3] This task paired with Peter Northouse’s definition of leadership as, “a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” gives greater purpose to our mission as leaders in any situation.[4] Simon Walker adds, “A leader leads people from where they are currently to another place, at first unknown to them and can only be imagined.”[5] In other words, we live in a world of threshold spaces. Leaders provide the much needed clarity to define the times, provide a steady hand to guide, and reassuring presence that companions us through uncertain realities.
Crisis and chaos, both personal and global, can erupt at any time taking leaders by surprise. Beerel poses the question, “Are we really surprised or are we just not paying attention?”[6] That is an excellent question to consider. I have had my share of unpleasant surprises which took my breath away leaving me overwhelmed and fearful. I really didn’t see them coming. When I slowed down to consider my circumstances there were tell-tale signs I ignored, denied, or was too confused to know what to do. I really didn’t want to see. Not seeing is a problem all leaders must face.
Beerel writes, “Leading in times of crises requires multiple skills. These include a calm demeanor, the courage to speak reality, an ability to find clarity amid chaos, a capacity for deep empathy, and sensitive timing.”[7] So how do we get there? In Chapter 13 Beerel suggests leaders ought to be practitioners of mindfulness and meditation. Leaders need practices that give us space to be, to breathe, to tend to our souls, minds, and bodies. We need practices that slow us down so we can truly see the new realities we face from a place of calm assurance.
If we are to achieve higher levels of consciousness, courage, and compassion as leaders we need practices that will sustain us. Mindfulness, meditation, and intentional spiritual practices that draw us closer to God, all have the power to aid in our leadership callings. I need to get practicing!
What mindful and spiritual practices support your leadership calling?
[1] Annabel Beerel, Rethinking Leadership: A Critique of Contemporary Theories (London, UK: Routledge, 2021), x.
[2] Beerel, Rethinking Leadership, 286.
[3] Ibid., 178.
[4] Peter C. Northouse, Leadership: Theory & Practice Ninth Edition (Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2022), 6.
[5] Simon P. Walker, Leading out of Who You Are: Discovering the Secret of Undefended Leadership, (London, UK: Piquant Edition Ltd. 2007), 6.
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhYKuXagBuA
[7] Beerel, Rethinking Leadership, 165.
About the Author
Jenny Dooley
Jenny served as a missionary in Southeast Asia for 28 years. She currently resides in Gig Harbor, Washington, where she works as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Spiritual Director in private practice with her husband, Eric. Jenny loves to listen and behold the image of God in others. She enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her family which include 5 amazing adult children, 3 awesome sons-in-law, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and 8 delightful grandchildren.6 responses to “Embracing New Realities with Reassuring Calm”
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Jenny,
“We need practices that slow us down so we can truly see the new realities we face from a place of calm assurance.” Such a good reminder! Normally, I would say quieting myself before the Lord in the early morning hours and listening to help center me. However, more recently (since Christmas) life has taken over. So thank you for the reminder that a non-anxious, calm presence is worth more than gold at times.
Hi Esther,
Thank you for sharing your early morning experience. I am with you in that the last 2-3 months have been a whirlwind and my rhythms need some readjusting. I am finding breath prayer to be essential and frequent throughout my day. Sitting with Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I a God” has been a way for me to let go and just be still in God’s presence. I have been reflecting on Jill Weber’s words at Waverley Abbey last September, “Simply be a soul before God.” It’s surprising how much practice that takes! 🙂
What a great post and engagement with the book. I loved how you pulled in other books as well. As far as your question, I had a moment during Christmas when I was feeling really overwhelmed and was framing some things wrong. I prayed, waited, and felt God speak something that I really needed to hear and I can say it shifted my mood, mindset, and inner world from that point forward. I don’t know what I would do without the practice of prayer. Thanks for your posts!
Thank you, Adam. That overwhelmed feeling is what I have to take notice of quicker and why Breath Prayer has been so helpful. It centers me on God who gives me breath, life, and the Holy Spirit. It is also calming to the nervous system. A little book came my way about 18-months ago called, Breath as Prayer, by Jennifer Tucker. So helpful!
Hi Jenny,
I too focused on this, “Leading in times of crises requires multiple skills. These include a calm demeanor, the courage to speak reality, an ability to find clarity amid chaos, a capacity for deep empathy, and sensitive timing.”
I am anything but calm. I would like to say excitable, and enthusiastic, but on the shadow side, driven and relentless. Sigh.
I relooked at Abraham Maslow’s heirarchy of needs and realized that my first two years in Colorado Springs had me rudderless and frustrated.
Now I feel that with THIS program and with GoodSports Ukraine, that all my oars in the water. My wife warned me that I need to remember that “ramming speed” may cost me friends along the way.
Ahhh a note from the wise.
Selah…
Hi Russell,
Thanks for your thoughts and responding to my post. We all have our shadow side. My calm slow demeanor means I struggle with taking action. I appreciate your enthusiasm. Awareness is key!