Situational Awareness
In the book Humble Leadership: The Power of Relationships, Openness, And Trust by Edgar and Peter Schein the authors repeatedly return to a particular concept: Situational Humility.
When I first saw this term, it threw me. It reminded me of the phrase situational ethics, which “takes into account only the particular context of an act when evaluating it ethically, rather than judging it only according to absolute moral standards.”[1] I have spent most of my adult life fighting situational ethics in personal morality and ministry leadership—both in my personal life and with others—so humility as a situational proposition seemed off.
I didn’t want to embrace a false humility that showed up only when it was expedient.
But it turns out that they weren’t writing about humility as a possibility depending on the situation, but as an imperative to express a humility that fits the context in order to lead well in any situation.
It’s like situational awareness.
One of the things that I tried to instill in each of my kids is situational awareness. While I can’t say they’ve learned the lesson perfectly, I’ve attempted to teach them to pay attention to whatever context they find themselves in. Whether they are working at a job, sitting with a group of peers, or walking down a city street at night, being mindful of how they are engaging with their surroundings could help them get a great promotion, find a faithful friend, or stay physically safe.
In a world increasing with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) [2], organizational leadership is full of unique challenges that come up daily, sometimes even hourly, and far too often there are multiple and distinctive significant challenges flying at a leader at the same time! In this reality of diverse situations, situational humility can help keep the organization safe.
Edgar and Peter Schein declare that “A very specific sense of the word humility is at the core of Humble Leadership,” and they define it this way:
“Situational humility is a developed skill characterized by the openness to see and understand all the elements of a situation by:
1. accepting uncertainty while remaining curious to find out what is really going on,
2. being open, intentionally and mindfully, to what others may know or observe, and,
3. recognizing when unconscious biases can distort perceptions and trigger emotional responses.”
Even though that is an exceptionally long sentence (an unfortunate pattern in this book), it’s also an exceptionally good target for leaders to try to hit. As the book goes on to explain in a variety of ways, humble leadership is displayed by those leaders who have learned the art of this kind of situational humility.
And part of opening the door to this kind of situational humility, the Schein‘s say, is for leaders to contend for level 2, “whole person” working relationships, and to elevate the social culture over a technical culture. While they claim (and I concur) it’s much easier to rely on Level 1 transactional relationships and make organizational decisions based on bottom-line, metric driven technical data, those who lead with situational humility understand that the values underscored by a strong social culture will better address technical problems that a connected and open team can solve together.
Humble Leadership reminded me quite a bit of Simon Walkers work on Undefended Leadership, and Jim Wilder’s work on RARE Leadership. Though I think each of those authors had more compelling presentations as a whole, the ideas in Humble Leadership are a good supplement and companion to those books.
And that tracks, because humble leadership and situational humility themselves are not stand-alone propositions; instead they are a “fundamental process that underlies and can complement various notions of leadership.”[3] One can be a servant-leader, transformational leader, adaptive leader or even an iconic charismatic leader and still embrace the values and practices of situational humility.
Just like situational awareness, which helps you navigate different environments, situational humility allows you to evaluate your actions and attitudes based on the context you’re in. Embracing this practice can lead to more thoughtful, effective leadership and ultimately benefit both you and your organization. It’s all about staying adaptable and open, no matter what the situation throws at you.
[1] Thank you Wikipedia.
[2] Schein, Humble Leadership, 135.
[3] Schein, Humble Leadership, 4.
About the Author
Tim Clark
I'm on a lifelong journey of discovering the person God has created me to be and aligning that with the purpose God has created me for. I've been pressing hard after Jesus for 40 years, and I currently serve Him as the lead pastor of vision and voice at The Church On The Way in Los Angeles. I live with my wife and 3 kids in Burbank California.9 responses to “Situational Awareness”
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Tim, I really liked how you picked apart a few of the loaded terms in this book. Words are really important to me, and I am with you: “situational humility” gave me a moment of pause, and I was happy to better understand Schein and Schein’s focus on being aware of the context. And then there was that word “humility.” So often we link that concept with being a door mat, and that is so NOT what the authors were implying. I am curious: as a leader of a large congregation, what are some of the biggest barriers for leading with that open adaptable approach that the Schein’s advocate
That’s a great question, Jenn.
And honestly the answer will feel almost dismissive but I couldn’t be more sober.
The biggest barrier for leading this way is me. My frontstage can present exactly the same but if my backstage isn’t anchored in humility not many people will know it but I will and my close team will and eventually it will destroy the church. As a large church pastor that is part of the challenge: the frontstage gets way bigger. In a smaller church I think perhaps its easier to determine if a leader is truly leadign with humility, it’s easier to fake it in a larger situation.
Tim,
Thank you for taking me on a journey of understanding the situational aspect of humility better. It truly is needed on so many levels in ministry. When I think of humility, I think of one of our previous superintendents. He always had such wisdom and presence, especially in complex church situations. He definitely exuded situational humility. You never felt like he demanded the platform. He listened well. He truly gave worth to those he spoke with. However, he always understood the room and spoke to what was needed.
Thanks again for a very informative post.
Hi Tim,
You wrote, “And that tracks, because humble leadership and situational humility themselves are not stand-alone propositions; instead they are a “fundamental process that underlies and can complement various notions of leadership.”[3] One can be a servant-leader, transformational leader, adaptive leader or even an iconic charismatic leader and still embrace the values and practices of situational humility.”
I truly enjoyed hearing in your words, the echos of
servant leadership, transformational leadership etc…
Alas, in my personal life, Pride is the bacteria eating away at my soul. I need to dip my cup back into the well of Humility.
Jennifer Vernham wrote, “how can I best equip our team to use their skills, talents and giftings to build new solutions for problems we have never seen before?”
This resonates with me as I am working with young adults who are so distinctly different, but have the same goal of ministering to those in Ukraine.
Humble leadership/Servant Leadership, somehow I am connecting the two. Add a return to Team Leadership. (Tammy spoke about polycentric leadership to me at the advance & I am hearkening back to Northouse and his chapter on Team leadership.)
More collaborative leadership!
The coach I am using this semester is all about team leadership and particularly an identification of the “six Geniuses.” https://www.workinggenius.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpsGI-JCiiQMVxTXUAR3AVSqAEAAYASAAEgKt_vD_BwE
ChatGPT summarizes.
The “Six Geniuses” often refer to a framework developed by **Geniuses at Work**, a concept popularized by the author and speaker, **Dr. G. L. L. Silva**. This framework identifies six distinct ways of thinking and problem-solving that individuals can embody. Here’s a brief description of each:
1. **The Genius of Wonder**: This genius is characterized by curiosity and the ability to ask insightful questions. People with this genius often explore possibilities and envision what could be, driving innovation and creativity.
2. **The Genius of Discernment**: Individuals embodying this genius possess strong intuition and judgment. They are skilled at analyzing situations, understanding nuances, and making decisions based on deep insights and instinct.
3. **The Genius of Completion**: This genius focuses on execution and the ability to bring projects to fruition. These individuals excel at organizing, managing details, and ensuring that tasks are completed on time and to a high standard.
4. **The Genius of Galvanization**: Those with this genius have a natural ability to inspire and rally others around a cause. They are persuasive communicators and leaders who can mobilize teams and encourage collaboration.
5. **The Genius of Enablement**: This genius is marked by a supportive and nurturing approach. Individuals embodying this genius excel at empowering others, providing encouragement, and fostering an environment where others can thrive.
6. **The Genius of Activation**: This genius is characterized by action-oriented thinking. People with this genius are proactive, always looking to take initiative and implement ideas quickly.
Together, these geniuses represent different strengths and approaches that can enhance teamwork and problem-solving in various contexts. Understanding and leveraging these different genius types can lead to more effective collaboration and innovative outcomes.
Too much?
Anyway, it sort of speaks to diving into relationships and understanding the team (their strengths an weaknesses).
Pam Lau spoke about the root word of humble to be found in humus, or dirt.
As a gardener this has special meaning for me since I am constantly evaluating soil and trying to amend them for better plant growth (I need to start amending my personal soil with HUMILITY)….but I digress
For the non Christian writers of this book, I imagine
they are moving towards polycentric leadership and perhaps have never heard of Jesus’ servant leadership.
Shalom.
Russ, the 6 geniuses are fascinating. I’d only heard of Lencioni’s take on that and didn’t know it was based on other research. I’ll have to explore that more.
I would imagine the Schines had heard of servant leadership even if not Bibilically, as Greenleaf popularized it decades ago and since then it has been a ‘subversive’ part of leadership theory.
You highlighted the definition of situation humility that Schein and Schein put forward: “Situational humility is a developed skill characterized by the openness to see and understand all the elements of a situation by:
1. accepting uncertainty while remaining curious to find out what is really going on, 2. being open, intentionally and mindfully, to what others may know or observe, and, 3. recognizing when unconscious biases can distort perceptions and trigger emotional responses.”
I thought about Friedman’s discussion regarding how we interact with data/feedback (though you also noted the way the authors wrote about how transactional leadership interacts with metric-driven data). Friedman would say that listening to / responding to feedback — having an “orientation toward data rather than the capacity to be decisive” (Friedman, A Failure of Nerve, 26) — can hinder differentiated leadership. Do you think it’s possible to be too situationally aware (does that make sense?)…and thus make it difficult to make definitive decisions? Like, could one be so consumed with trying to perceive what others know/observe that they have difficulty with being decisive?
I’m also thinking of the late Dorothy Sayers, the 20th century British playwright who wrote the following: “There is, in fact, a paradox about working to serve the community, and it is this: that to aim directly at serving the community is to falsify the work; the only way to serve the community is to forget the community and serve the work.” (see Dorothy Sayers’s essay “Why Work”) In the same essay, she goes on to say, “if you set out to serve the community, you will probably end by merely fulfilling a public demand – and you may not even do that. A public demand is a changeable thing. Nine-tenths of the bad plays put on in theaters owe their badness to the fact that the playwright has aimed at pleasing the audience, instead of at producing a good and satisfactory play.” Even as I cut and pasted that quote, I’m thinking that this may not be the best comparison to what could be a pitfall of being overly concerned with situational awareness. And maybe I’m trying to create a problem that isn’t even there – ha!
Travis, I totally get what you are talking about. I had the same questions wrestling through this book/concept. If you make humility into a checklist, are you genuinely leading with humility, or are you getting in your own way? And does trying too hard to lead with humlity take away from Friedman’s confidence necessary to lead? Those are great questions (and I’ve long loved that Sayers quote/concept) that I’ve considered but not answered.
I wholeheartedly agree with your closing statement that “Embracing this practice can lead to more thoughtful, effective leadership and ultimately benefit both you and your organization.”
You and I both see that in our lives and ministries, and yet what do we make of those ministries and leaders that seem to be really effective, and their organizations are really booming, all the while they are far from humble?
Is it temporary?
Is it all gonna fall apart at some point? (which we indeed see in many situations).
Is it a book of Psalms kind of thing in which we get frustrated when we see the wicked prosper? Those that are prideful and leading out of narcissism seem to have the biggest platforms, podcasts, and number of parishioners?
Thoughts?
Yeah, I get it. It’s true.
Partly.
I think often we see the people who work to be seen…it’s a kind of self-fulfilling prophesy.
And we don’t notice those who aren’t trying to get noticed, but who are flourishing personally and leading thriving congregations.
I wonder if there is something to the confidence and vision that a narcisist projects. Prideful and strong may be poor leadership but the strength often produces results (that aren’t healthy…that will fall apart at some point). But humble and weak isn’t good leadership either and often fails to see the fruit of confident, clear, self-differentiated (thanks Friedman) leadership.
So maybe the key is that a strong confident leader produces results, but the humility is the secret sauce for health and longitity in the organization?
Wow I rabbit trailed…what was your question again? 🙂