Leadership that Makes The Difference
As I am reminiscent of some of our initial time as a cohort, I can remember hearing how vast leadership was. We were later told that thousands of books on leadership are released annually as many attempt to lay expert claims on leadership. I can recall stumbling and bumbling, trying to articulate the proper definition of a leader, only to find out that discovering what I may have regarded as the best definition only led me down a huge rabbit hole.
Enter Annabel Beerel. Beerel cites this definition, which raised my antenna, Leaders make a difference- they move people to new places- physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually.[1] While this is profundity and simplicity combined, Beerel captures the essence of the role and responsibility of a leader, to usher people to new places and new spaces. Beerel is an executive coach and educator with a specialization in Leadership and Change Management. She is the author of Rethinking Leadership. Her data-driven and research-based work has ushered her to become a highly experienced executive coach and educator. More recently, she has worked passionately with organizations to bring mindfulness into their cultures.
As Beerel points out, the world is calling for leadership. Amidst global leaders positioning and posturing her work is timely. One of the sections that resonated with was her take on Leadership and Authority. Beerel suggests leadership is about the challenge and process of movement and change.[2] In defining authority, she states, People in authority are expected to solve routine problems, to alleviate distress, to mediate between competing stakeholders or factions, and to ward off danger. [3] Despite this clear definition, my experience has repeatedly revealed a sad truth: many assume they are leading when, in reality, they are merely exercising authority.
Authority has a reliance embedded in power and position, while leadership inspires through vision and influence. when these roles operate in conflict, confusion abounds. When leaders equate authority with leadership, I found that individuals become territorial and dictatorial within a few of my contexts. This misnomer has suppressed creativity and discouraged collaboration while creating a stifling atmosphere. As I watch some teams and followers become apathetic, dismissive, or outright rebellious, I hasten to think why some of these authoritarians are blind to the overt tethering caused by their failed “leadership” approach. A common denominator in authoritarian rule is that authority chooses compliance over community.
As I think of my NPO, which is centered on the absence of young adults in inner-city churches, there is a direct correlation because one of the contributing factors discovered in the young adult absence is attributed to engagement. Young adults feel alienated by rigid hierarchy and top-down mandates when they desire authentic connection and community. There is a silent cry for authenticity, vulnerability, and mentorship. They desire to be valued and heard and feel empowered to contribute meaningfully through an intentional institutional investment. A look at Gen-Z and Millennials will uncover an eagerness for transformational rather than transactional environments.
Another topic of interest for me was her take on Leadership and Crisis. One of the critical questions she asks is, “Were you surprised by the enormous impact of the pandemic?” [4] As I reflect back into the days of the pandemic, I thought in the midst of it- Wow, things are never going back to as we knew them. It did not take long for this thought to become a reality. The world was forced to immediately adapt with leaders atop the list. As many factions within corporate and organizational settings sought to return to pre-pandemic methods of operation and governance, crisis and adaptive leadership were now requisites for the forward trajectory.
In crisis leadership, Bereel highlights that the key task of leadership is to identify, frame, and align people to new realities. [5] Hidden within this simple sentence lies much complexity. In some ways, she suggests successful leaders in this area must have hindsight, insight, and foresight. I think about how many businesses, organizations, and churches could not pivot because old norms were preferred over new realities.
Eve Poole touches upon this in her book Leadersmithing, which outlines multiple critical incidents leaders should prepare for. Poole asserts this preparation has positive benefits. This allows leaders to meet situations head-on that would generally make them feel stressed and yet still be able to maintain their cognitive functioning because they have templates for them.[6] As leaders face new norms and realities, anyone lacking crisis management faces a huge deficiency. Still, Bereel provides depth and clarity in making leaders more skillful, as her writing is practical and simplistic. Her book is one I can see myself referring to from time to time, as there are some valuable golden nuggets but no silver bullets.
[1] Annabel Beerel, Rethinking Leadership; A Critique of Contemporary Theories (New York: Routledge, 2021), 5.
[2] Beerel, 91.
[3]Beerel, 90.
[4] Beerel, 179.
[5] Beerel, 166.
[6] Eve Poole, Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership (London, England: Bloomsbury Business, 2017).
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About the Author
Daren Jaime
16 responses to “Leadership that Makes The Difference”
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Hi, Daren, thank you for your post. As you mentioned both authors, Bereel and Poole, it makes me think of templating what you mentioned about Bereel, which you said, “Bereel highlights that the key task of leadership is to identify, frame, and align people to new realities.”
My NPO is kind of similar to yours in which it involves young adults. Therefore, I would like to ask what do mean, or can you elaborate more on this phrase from your post, “Young adults feel alienated by rigid hierarchy and top-down mandates.” Thanks for the post!
Hey Noel! Thank you for asking. Rigid hierarchy refers to a strict, structured system within an organization or church in my context where authority and decision-making flow from the top down, but leave little or no room for flexibility or input from lower levels of the team. When I speak of top down mandates these typically are directives imposed by leadership without collaboration or consideration of feedback from those affected. More of a do as I say do and that is it.
“A common denominator in authoritarian rule is that authority chooses compliance over community.” This is so true, Daren. It makes me think of chapter 15, where Beerel talks about the Toxic Triangle of narcissistic leaders. In this case, the followers are either coluders or conformers/compliant. When we as leaders do not try to build community and expect compliance, we start down the path of destructive leadership.
Hey Kari, building community still works,, but unfortunately,, some see this philosophy as antiquated or ineffective.
Daren,
If you could determine the silver bullet to leadership can we all write a promo for the back cover of your book?
I haven’t heard too much about your NPO and think it is interesting. Can you share a bit more about what the leadership deficits are that you have seen for the youth? Are they more interested in collaborative leadership approaches? Or what leadership approaches do you think might engage that generation a bit more?
Hey Adam, Yes, I can use that collab on my book. I am still thinking about writing one. Young adults have a desire for inclusivity. Young adults in a church often gravitate toward leadership approaches that emphasize collaboration, authenticity, and empowerment.
In many settings, young adults reject environments based on a strong resistance to change or places that shun innovation and modern perspectives. It is not their way or the highway, but it makes them feel included and not disengaged.
Great analysis on these topics Daren. What do you think you need to prepare for right now (a la Poole), so you aren’t caught off-guard? What’s looming in the future within your context?
Hi Debbie, Looking at church, young adults, and the community, there is a strong argument that we are woefully deficient in mental health preparedness.
Anxiety, depression, and social isolation are rising due to the heightening social and economic pressures, social media influence, and lack of accessible mental health care is plaguing communities, and so consequently, we are forced to deal with it in the workplace, church, school, and other settings.
Daren,
Great insights. As I mentioned to Chad, our church during COVID asked if it was an interruption or a disruption. Think of your tv program being interrupted for “This is a test, only a test . . . ” afterwards it went back to the normal schedule. Disruption requires change. Our goal was disruption, we identified changes that needed to be made to navigate COVID and beyond.
I appreciated your comment about compliance over community. It has me thinking about things in my own context.
I’m going to ask you the same question I asked Kari
Think about leaders that impact your life. Think about the books we have read so far that have specifically addressed leadership. Is there a leader who you would want to give one of the books (you do not have to identify anyone in your response), which book, and why (what specific content would you want them to read)?
Hey Jeff I would give Illuminaire to a couple of people. The reason is they have a false sense of leadership and the true essence of leadership is read in those books.
I actually gave Leadersmithing to some of my ministerial staff to acclimate them to leadership from a broader perspectives. They liked the card analogy and the emphasis on crisis leadership through critical incidents.
Hi Daren – thanks for sharing about your NPO. Why do you think that leaders struggle to meet millennials and Gen-Z with leadership that will be contextualized to those generations? Which leaders do you know that have been able to lead younger people well in inner-city churches?
Hi Christy, Thanks for your question. Leaders who generate success are those who walk in authenticity and accessibility. There is something about direct connection that is a win for young adults. Leaders who also empower young adults to innovation will be successful. Leading them while unlocking their potential will always be a strong suit in any leader who desires a young adult population.
Hey buddy. You explore Beerel’s concept of the “shadow side” of leadership and the impact of fear on leaders and their teams. What strategies have you found most effective in helping leaders recognise and address their fears before negatively affecting their leadership and those they serve?
Hey brother! Great question. Understanding leadership derailment occurs in a couple of ways, I try to help create a strategy that prioritizes self-awareness and accountability. I hold a leadership retreat annually and bring in some speakers who speak directly to this.
I also follow this us with finding a couple of professional development programs locally that we participate in together, to keep us refreshed and up to date. These have been helpful in establishing a good foundation for us to lead from that has resulted in intentional and impactful leadership results.
Daren, thank you for exploring the rabbit hole. You distinguish between leadership and authority, noting that authentic leadership inspires through vision and influence rather than relying solely on power and position. Given the challenges of hierarchical organizations, particularly in faith communities and nonprofits, how can leaders transition from authority-driven models to more transformational leadership approaches while maintaining structure and accountability?
Hey Chad! Oh this is huge! As there is this aversion to rigidity, shifting from rigid oversight to collaborative effort which focus on growth and outcomes rather than compliance alone would be a start.
Leaders who are humble and can encourage feedback, take criticism, and still have dialogue, in my estimation, are the new transformative leaders because trust and inclusivity will certainly be formed. This type of relational leadership with clear expectations, allows the structure to remain in place while fostering engagement, innovation, and shared responsibility.