Jules Glanzer’s Sound of Leadership, An Ecology of Power, and Ludwig Göransson
In The Sound of Leadership, Jules Glanzer compares the exercise of leadership to the experience of sound, drawing on a definition of leadership put forward by Leonard Sweet: “Leadership is an acoustical art.”[1] In my opinion, the analogies of sound to leadership could be a fascinating supplement to Simon Walker’s ecology of power, or Kurt Lewin’s theories[2] around Action Research (AR) and change. I’ll highlight these in a minute, but first…
There were so many rabbit trails I wanted to chase while reading Glazner’s book. I wanted to write about the way I think Glanzer may have unnecessarily bifurcated the sacred and secular, comparing kingdom leadership vs. marketplace leadership.[3] Of course, that may depend on one’s theological framework. There are different ways to talk about “kingdom” work and “secular” work. In our present economy, I’m sure it’s a precipitous endeavor when trying NOT to conflate two seemingly divergent subjects, especially when our cohort is immersed in discussions around evangelicalism and capitalism. I wonder if there is a way to propose Glanzer’s kingdom leadership frequencies[4] within the marketplace without creating an either-or? In my circles, this is somewhat of a debate. There are Presbyterians (my current tribe) and Lutherans and other reformational protestants who hold a “two-kingdoms” view, either knowingly or unknowingly. Yet, others have a “transformationalist” (some consider this to be a neo-kuyperian view).[5] Again, some may not even be aware of these positions. Others within my tradition probably hold to some hybrid of the two views. And, many of these folks still manage to be friends – ha!
Speaking of kingdom, I also wanted to write more about Glanzer’s reflections on the kingdom of God. Specifically, whether or not Christians advance or build the kingdom of God. Glanzer highlights the fact that “no place in Scripture are we asked to build God’s kingdom.”[6] I think there is so much right about his statement. Author Anthony Hoekema defines the kingdom of God as “the reign of God over the entire created universe, dynamically active in human history through Jesus Christ. To be a subject of that kingdom means obedience to God in every area of life.”[7] Though not the only definition of “kingdom,” Hoekema seems to paint a picture of something that is rather than something that can be built. This seems to fit with a perspective from Princeton Theological Seminary’s Darrell Guder, author of Missional Church (I’m guessing many within the evangelical church planting world read Guder’s book, way back in the 1990s). According to Guder, “kingdom of God” language, in many Christian circles, “tends not to be thought out very well.”[8] Guder contends, “The verbs to build and to extend are not found in the New Testament’s grammar for the reign of God. The announcement of God’s reign nowhere includes an invitation to go out and build it, nor to extend it. These are not New Testament ways of speaking about the reign of God.”[9]
Back to Glanzer’s connections of sound to leadership…
DO RE MI and Organizational Change
Just as there are two scales “central to all musical compositions,”[10] there are five words, according to Glanzer, that form a type of “scale from which all leadership happens.”[11] Like foundational notes of DO RE MI, basic to leadership are the words “Listen, See, Learn, Do, Love. These five words are the scale from which all leadership happens.”[12] These words are similar to words used in Action Research (AR), a model used for organizational or societal change: analysis, planning, acting, observing, reflecting, and then repeating the process again. Think of “love” as an underlying premise for change.
Walker’s ecology of power, Hans Zimmer, and Ludwig Göransson
According to Glanzer, “For leadership to happen, you need a situation that needs addressing, a group of people who desire to see a change, and a person prepared and called to bring them together for the common good.”[13] Here I thought of Simon Walker’s analogy of an ecology of power. The way one leader brings people together and addresses a situation may not be the same exercise of leadership another leader uses for organizational or societal change. It’s one thing for leadership to happen, it’s another thing to know what kind of leadership to use and when. “This is the value of the concept of the ecology of power: it gives us a model that explains the fundamental structure of power in any social system. This enables us to identify, almost in a clinical way, all the different forces that could be brought to bear and it puts us in a strong position to predict how the system will react if B applies force to Y to A.”[14]
Glanzer asks, “What song best personifies your personal leadership soundtrack?”[15]
Using Walker’s ecology of power framework, I am currently consensus-building rather than pacesetting in my work. While in this season of consensual leadership, I’m going through the process of action research with stakeholders (we recently conducted a survey among 50 stakeholders). I suppose I need a soundtrack to accompany that work. In this case, since I’m a Christopher Nolan fan, I think I’d choose Hans Zimmer and Ludwig Göransson’s film scores for this soundtrack. Although I love Nolan’s work with Hans Zimmer, I think some of his best work has been in collaboration with Göransson. Regardless, here’s a piece for each part of the AR process:
Analysis – “Theorists” by Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer
Planning – “The Plan” by Travis Scott, Tenet (okay, so this isn’t Göransson or Zimmer, but it’s on the same Tenet soundtrack scored by Göransson and has a great bass line)
Acting / Implementation – “Trucks in Place” by Ludwig Göransson, Tenet
Observing – “Home,” by Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch, Dunkirk (especially if the implementation “worked” and especially at the 4 minute mark of this piece)
Reflecting – “Destroyer of Worlds,” by Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer
Doing it all over again – “Can You Hear the Music,” by Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer
[1] Jules Glanzer, The Sound of Leadership: Kingdom Notes to Fine Tune Your Life and Influence (Plano, TX: Invite Press, 2023), Kindle version, page 18 of 166.
[2] For more information about Kurt Lewin and Action Research, check out the following article: Dickens, L., & Watkins, K. E. (1999). Action research: Rethinking Lewin. Management Learning, 30(2), 127-140. See: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1350507699302002.
[3] Glanzer, 118. .
[4] Jules Glanzer states, “Three leadership frequencies best identify the kingdom leadership paradigm.” (Glanzer, 119). These are as follows: 1. “Kingdom leaders seek God’s kingdom rather than building their own empire.” (119) 2. “Kingdom leaders influence rather than control.” (120) 3. “Kingdom leaders work from inside out rather than outside in.” (121) Jules Glanzer, The Sound of Leadership: Kingdom Notes to Fine Tune Your Life and Influence (Plano, TX: Invite Press, 2023), Kindle version, 119-121.
[5] A few articles that might be helpful for understanding these differences include the following: 1. Tim Keller’s “Coming Together on Culture, Part 1, Theological Issues,” here: https://timothykeller.com/blog/2014/4/17/coming-together-on-culture-part-1-theological-issues. 2. Tim Keller’s “Coming Together on Culture, Part 2, Practical Issues,” here: https://timothykeller.com/blog/2012/2/10/coming-together-on-culture-part-2-practical-issues, and 3. Kevin DeYoung’s “Two Kingdom Theology and Neo-Kuyperians,” here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/two-kingdom-theology-and-neo-kuyperians/.
[6] Glanzer, 119.
[7] Anthony A. Hoekema, Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 229.
[8] Guder, Darrell, Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 1998), 93.
[9] Ibid., 93.
[10] Glanzer says that the “diatonic scale of C D E F G A B C plus the chromatic scale, adding the sharps/flats, is central to all musical compositions. All music, harmonious or discordant, finds its source in these twelve notes.” (Glanzer, 23 of 166)
[11] Glanzer, 24.
[12] Glazner, 24.
[13] Glazner, 24.
[14] Simon P. Walker, Leading with Nothing to Lose: Training in the Exercise of Power, (Carlisle, CA: Piquant Editions Ltd, 2007), Kindle Version, location 2332-2344 of 2753.
[15] Glanzer, 60.
About the Author
Travis Vaughn
6 responses to “Jules Glanzer’s Sound of Leadership, An Ecology of Power, and Ludwig Göransson”
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I had Darell Guder as a professor in seminary! He taught at Columbia Theological Seminary where I attended 2000-2004. I don’t remember if it was him or other profs who discussed the idea that we don’t build God’s kingdom (I’m thinking it was in my Reformed Theology class that I heard more about this but it was probably sprinkled throughout the teaching at Columbia.) Anyway, though I usually have some internal pause when I do so, I often catch myself falling into what seems to be popular language about building the kingdom rather than participating in God’s (already but not yet) kingdom. Yet, to be invited to participate in what God is already doing, rather than the onus being on me to build it, is freeing when it comes to leadership (and to life in general). Also, it’s a great reminder that I am not God.
Kally, I completely forgot that Dr. Guder taught at Columbia Theological Seminary (and I didn’t realize that is where you went to seminary)! Regarding Guder, I believe that it was in his Missional Church where I first heard an author push back on “building the kingdom of God.” Another interesting take on the “kingdom of God” comes from N.T. Wright in his book The Challenge of Jesus, written more than two decades ago. Wright says, “The great majority of scholars down the years have agreed that the kingdom of God was central to Jesus’ message; but there has been no agreement on what precisely that phrase and the cognate ideas that go with it actually meant.”
I resonate with what you said: “Yet, to be invited to participate in what God is already doing, rather than the onus being on me to build it…” Yes! That is such a great reminder, which reminds me of something another professor once said, referencing John the Baptist of course: “I am not the Christ.” Like you said…this is God’s work, and we have the privilege of joining in the work God is already doing.
TRAVIS, I love how you “sign-posted” in saying “I’ll highlight these in a minute, but first…”. It is so evident that you are taking Dr. Clark’s recommendations to heart and integrating them into your writings. Well done. It’s something that I would like to get better at!
I would not have taken you as a Christopher Nolan fan, but now that you’ve confessed that, I can SEE it! My wife and I are going back and watching his works again, starting with Memento.
Instrumental music, in particular, movie soundtracks are my go-to for study, deep thinking, etc. You have given me a list of songs to get into my playlist. Thank you!
I think you meant “Travis” and not “Russell” – ha! And yes, Jason’s feedback on signposting is spot on, and it is indeed something I need to improve on in my writing. The feedback (and the questions from you, Pam, and Dinka) was so helpful!
Yes, we love much (most?) of Nolan’s work, though some of his films are better than others. My son and I recently (re)watched Memento, and…I don’t think he liked it as much as Nolan’s work over the past decade or so. It certainly moves a bit “slower.”
And it doesn’t surprise me that you like movie soundtracks while studying. I actually wished that Glanzer would have taken a deeper dive into the science of “why” music resonates with activities like that. I thought he was going to drill deeper with the complexity of sound when he wrote, “The science of sound is complex, complicated, and consequential.” (Glanzer, 19, Kindle version)
Ugg. My bad. I fixed it TRAVIS! I think I saw “Göransson” in the title and immediately thought of Russell. Ha!!!
Actually, it’s probably because I was running and gunning to get the posts before I flight to LA. I’m now on that flight before take off trying to fix my Russell mistake….and because I only had seven posts done before I left the office…THIS. IS. NOW. NUMBER. EIGHT!
bye bye portland. hello LA.
You noted, “Glanzer highlights the fact that “no place in Scripture are we asked to build God’s kingdom.”
Hmmm…this hit a gong in my brain. I have used this term so many times. I have equated GO make disciples as the same as building God’s kingdom.
Time for a rethink…thanks for bringing the point to the foreground.
I will have to dwell on this a bit more.
Shalom….