By: Darcy Hansen on February 23, 2021
On July 22, 1943, with the country in shambles, struggling under the weight of war and horrific economic downfall, Mussolini received word from members of his Grand Council that he was to resign his position immediately and that the State would take over all governing affairs. Mussolini deferred response until the Grand Council meeting on…
By: Shawn Cramer on February 22, 2021
In my recent leadership reflections, I’ve become convinced that leaders get out of bed not to primarily further a cause, but to answer a question. While multiple questions persist and exist, there’s one that tends to hold the rest in orbit. It gnaws, focuses, and drives the leader. For Frederick Douglass, the question began with…
By: Jer Swigart on February 22, 2021
In the very moment when Swiss theologian Karl Barth asserted that Christianity was separated “as by an abyss from the inherent godlessness of National Socialism,” Germany was working to fuse the German Volk (people) with the German Kirche (church).[1] Embedded within Hitler’s masterplan for domination was a strategy to make the violent rule of the…
By: Chris Pollock on February 21, 2021
Dorothy Day was a passionate advocate for the oppressed. Her book, ‘A Long Loneliness’, depicts her as strong, intelligent and never alone in the cause. Community was an essential living modality for Dorothy. Her style was not ‘lone ranger’ rather, she seems to have been a contemplative with regards to key partnerships and intentional collaboration.…
By: Darcy Hansen on February 20, 2021
Delusional, stubborn, determined, dreaming only of seeing Fascist glory on the battlefield. Outdated military, scant troops and supplies, accurate information withheld from Il Duce out of fear of punishment- Italy struggled at war’s onset. Intertwined and tangled relations with Germany, the love affair with Hitler endured despite Italy’s military defeats. Positional survival now…
By: John McLarty on February 17, 2021
There are moments when a leader whose vision, positional authority, relationships, and style all converge to accomplish something that seemed to be impossible. Such moment emerged as Lyndon Johnson stepped into the presidency following the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 1963. While the country was reeling emotionally from Kennedy’s death, it still faced…
By: Shawn Cramer on February 17, 2021
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain Malcolm X to Mecca. Diedrich Bonhoeffer to Harlem. And Frederick Douglass to Ireland.…
By: Dylan Branson on February 17, 2021
On April 8, 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was taken by two men to be led to his execution. He had been asked to perform a final service on Quasimodo Sunday – the Sunday following Easter. One of his fellow prisoners, Payne Best, describes the scene: “He had hardly finished his last prayer when the door opened…
By: Greg Reich on February 16, 2021
Like many others, I have always been fascinated by the stars. It is a nightly ritual to gaze into the night sky when I lock up our home for the day. As a youngster I was raised in the country on a small ranch at the base of Mount Jumbo outside of Missoula Montana. It…
By: Jer Swigart on February 15, 2021
Two days after Adolf Hitler was democratically elected to serve as the chancellor of Germany, Bonhoeffer, then twenty-six, gave a radio address entitled, “The Young Generation’s Concept of Leadership.” The speech was part history, part philosophy, and part theology and dealt with the fundamental problems of leadership by a Führer.[1] “Before he could finish, the…
By: Shawn Cramer on February 15, 2021
Never underestimate the redemptive impact of a small act of creative empowerment. No one person can take credit for the formation of the world-changer that is Frederick Douglass, but he (like us) was a result of both his antifragility and the benevolence of others with power. Allow me to showcase a few vignettes. In childhood,…
By: Chris Pollock on February 11, 2021
Love can be the cause of a universe of pain. Dorothy Day, in her book The Long Loneliness, speaks of her life of love, with intimate detail. The men in her life, her faith, social justice and her child are beautiful stories of true love in her life. In her stories of love, her stories…
By: John McLarty on February 11, 2021
What about those times when a leader needs to lead immediately and authoritatively? For all of the attraction many may have toward collaborative and affiliative, somewhat “backstage” styles of leadership as Simon Walker might describe, there are occasions when a more “commanding” style of leadership is necessary. For those in the military, this is probably…
By: Chris Pollock on February 10, 2021
Dorothy Day referred to her work in ‘The Long Loneliness’ as a memoir, not an autobiography. Writing a memoir and presenting it to the world must take some courage. Honesty has impact. Dorothy Day’s honesty, in her memoir, is enough to have an impact. ‘“You ask me what I’d like to be remembered for –…
By: Greg Reich on February 9, 2021
“The past cannot change what is to come. The work that you do each and every day is the only true way to improve and prepare yourself for what is to come. You cannot change the past, and you can influence the future only by what you do today.”[1] (A part of a preseason team…
By: Dylan Branson on February 8, 2021
In March 1933, Dietrich Bonhoeffer penned an essay he entitled: “The Church and the Jewish Question.” This was sparked by what was called the “Aryan Paragraph” – an order that only those of Aryan descent would be allowed to participate in civil service. Metaxas writes that Christians in Germany a unified Christianity that was “strong…
By: Jer Swigart on February 8, 2021
A theological prodigy who achieved his doctorate at the age of twenty-one, young Bonhoeffer found himself in a bit of holding pattern. To qualify for ordination in the Lutheran Church, he had to be twenty-five. To bide his time, he pursued lectureships and pastorates abroad. It was in these immersions into Barcelona and Rome that…
By: Darcy Hansen on February 8, 2021
Mussolini’s years in leadership found him to be an able diplomat. In 1923, some Greeks murdered an Italian general and three soldiers over Graeco-Albanian concerns. Italy gave Greece an ultimatum; war was imminent. Greece ultimately conceded to Italy’s terms and war was averted. But the nearness of the possibility of war alarmed Mussolini, causing him…
By: Greg Reich on February 4, 2021
It is not uncommon for leaders to display their credentials, tout their educational pedigrees as well as their personal accomplishments. In some cases, it may be required and advisable. I find it assuring and almost comforting when visiting my rheumatologist’s office, and see his multiple degrees hanging on his wall. It assures me that he…
By: John McLarty on February 3, 2021
Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Leadership in Turbulent Times” is the story of four US American presidents. Each begins with his upbringing and earliest recognition of leadership abilities, then shifts to formative life experiences that shaped his leadership, and finally a description of a major leadership challenge that would define his presidency. Theodore Roosevelt assumed the presidency…
