Stick with Your Slingshot As You Consider Tortoise Tempo
In the book Leadersmithing by Eve Poole, the concept of leadership development is crafted around an analogy of “smithing” or leadersmithing. Poole, adjunct professor at Ashridge Business School shares about how leaders learn and about the process of crafting around ideas and practices that prepare leaders. The first part of the book focuses on an apprentice approach to developing leaders, while the second offers core practices for being familiar with all of the resources available to a leader both internally (diamonds/clubs) and externally (spades/hearts).
Look up Leadership Development in a Google search and you will see numerous leadership development programs, training and trends. Leadership development describes seminars for CEOs to mentoring programs for Kindergarteners. There are a lot of resources for developing leaders. In fact, before Covid, the school district in which I serve offers a program to students in several of our buildings called Leader in Me. “Leader in Me is an evidence-based, comprehensive model that builds leadership and life skills in students, creates a high-trust school culture, and lays the foundation for sustained academic achievement. There are over 5,000 Leader in Me schools in all 50 states and in over 50 countries. The mission is to unleash greatness in students, educators, and school communities everywhere” (https://www.leaderinme.org/). [1] In one particular building, you would see students trained in several leadership principles in correlation with Stephen Covey’s work from the The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Students “sharpened their saws” (the seventh habit) by learning a variety of skills, such as goal setting, to help them understand themselves and achieve better outcomes. [2] It was a way for staff to mine for gold in our blooming leaders as early as five years old. While there are many resources out there for developing leaders, the Bible highlights several leaders, so that we can get a sneak peak into their leadership pilgrimage.
Stick With Your Slingshot – Know your Gifts and Live Out Your Calling
King Saul gave David armor to fight Goliath, but David declined. He knew the slingshot and stuck with it. We read in 1 Samuel 17 starting at verse 38, “Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off.” [3] David must have spent a lot of time growing as a slinger. He seemed to know his gift. Because, as the song mentions. . . (cue the music)
Only a boy named David, only a little sling;
Only a boy named David, but he could pray and sing.
Only a boy named David, only a rippling brook,
Only a boy named David , but five little stones he took. . .
And. . . (cue the music) [4]
The idea of mining for gold and apprenticeship seem to go hand in hand. It is the idea of knowing ourselves, our gifts, our calling, as well as mining the gold we see in others, as we apprentice with Jesus. Perhaps David’s simple slingshot expertise, may inspire us as leaders to attain a reputation for restless questing after quality, as Poole relates from one of her favorite childhood books and as we consider a quest for holiness, reflecting more of Jesus and less of ourselves in our world. [5]
Tortoise Tempo
In his book Incarnate Leadership, author and Whitworth University president emeritus, Bill Robinson, offers “perhaps our desire to be good leaders has elbowed its way in front of our desire to be imitators of Christ.” [6] As I study the life of Jesus, I see so much of his leadership style that I desire to see developed in me. Jesus was a “come alongside of” kind of leader. We see this in the way he led the disciples and “leader-smithed” them. He ate with them, fished with them, walked with them, healed them, cried with them, prayed with them. . . He did life WITH them. The disciples apprenticed at the feet of the master. Apprenticing with Jesus isn’t a pilgrimage that can be rushed, hurried or fast forwarded. It’s so easy to rush through life and miss all the ways God is speaking. What if I intentionally slowed down today and took off the shoes of hurry and busyness and apprenticed more like a tortoise and rejected any notion of proceeding like a hare?
When considering leadersmithing Poole states, “it was always the tradition in workplaces to learn your trade at the feet of a master. [7] This idea of coming alongside another person to learn and develop, mirrors the idea of apprenticeship. I am grateful that the “word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” offering a way to apprentice with him.
In conclusion, Poole ends with some great reminders for us as we traverse this leadership journey . . . “Tomorrow, do not be the best leader. Do not even try to be a good one. Just be better. Leadersmithing takes a lifetime – so be a tortoise, not a hare.” [8] Consider tortoise tempo as we travel this road together.
[1] https://www.leaderinme.org/
[2] Covey, Stephen R. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People : Restoring the Character Ethic. (New York: Free Press, 2003).
[3] 1 Samuel 17:38-39, NIV
[4] Arnott, Arthur. 1931. “Only A Boy Named David.” Accessed February 14, 2023.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2r_7O2OmHI
[5] Eve Poole, Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership. (London, UK: Bloomsbury Publishing 2017), 69.
[6] Bill Robinson, Incarnate Leadership. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 2009), 19.
[7] Poole, Leadersmithing, 58.
[8] Ibid, 181.
About the Author
Cathy Glei
Cathy Glei serves as an instructional leader and pastor with over 27 years in education and ministry. She is dedicated to discipling others as they grow in their relationship with God, others and the world. Cathy has facilitated numerous professional development sessions, trainings, and workshops in both education and ministry. Passionate about supporting others in uncovering the Creator's design within them, Cathy lives in Michigan with her husband, Steve, and their eight-year-old Springer Spaniel, Otis. Cathy is a mother of three daughters and "Gooma" (grandma) to two adorable grandsons (emphasis on adorable 😊). She enjoys listening and exchanging laughter and stories with others, hanging out with friends, both old and new, as well as being outdoors, enjoying activities such as cycling, camping, hiking, and kayaking.9 responses to “Stick with Your Slingshot As You Consider Tortoise Tempo”
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Great to connect yesterday Cathy….thanks for leading! Your blog comments highlight for me the tension we live in as we seek to adopt and experience the life-long process of leadership development (and discipleship) in a world that wants immediate results. Our next book, “Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix” addresses this very tension in its title. How do we lead faithfully and develop people over time when most business and most churches want ‘immediate results’? It seems leaders must walk a constant tightrope of long-term thinking and development with immediate (and often measureable) results in the present. Over-emphasizing either side of this equation can have a negative impact on the leader.
Scott, This is a conundrum (trying to use bigger words. . . ha, ha). Or maybe it is a challenge to keep always in our minds as leaders. . . in an anxious world of speedy everything. . . instant results, hare paced rat race how do we maintain a tortoise tempo. The work of the Spirit in a person’s life can’t be microwaved. It takes time and patience. This will be so counter- cultural, which offers the challenge of accepting this as leaders.
Oh man, I think you nailed it on the head with going at tortoise pace. The results of living in the Technology age that has launched us at Hare speed, everything and fact and video and info we need is right at our fingertips…literally! I think your calling attention to working at a tortoise pace is salve for our world. Question is how? I suppose the answer to that comes in our slingshot…or as I mentioned in my post, that We are the medicine, how well do you know the medicine? Shaking off the armor and structure and expectations the world gives us and trust our slingshot! I am curious if you have given thought on how to help younger people like the one’s your NPO is addressing, slow down enough to notice that they have a sling shot that is most likely different then what you tube is telling them is important?
Jana, I have been thinking about it a-lot. There is much to learn. In this pilgrimage with Jesus, the development of a non-anxious presence (contemplative and reflective presence) in a very anxiety driven culture, is one way young adults may slow down and notice that they have a sling shot unlike everyone else’s that God has given them to use as part of a greater plan and purpose. Connection with mentors and coaches is another means for encouraging them to slow down and see the gifts (slingshot) they have.
Cathy,
There is so much to glean from your post. However, the phrase you cited by Bill Robinson “perhaps our desire to be good leaders has elbowed its way in front of our desire to be imitators of Christ” struck me the most. It is so easy to fall prey over and over again to furthering ourselves in a selfish way. My mind thinks of the question that is addressed by the Westminster Catechism “What is the chief end of man?” Perhaps leaders would say it would be to lead well and be satisfied in life. However, our deeper longing is to love God and enjoy Him forever.
The Christian life is a paradox. We are called to deny ourselves and take up his cross… leadership bathed in followership of a higher calling. Though I know these things, I ask myself and others, do we live them as leaders daily?
“The Westminster Larger Catechism,” Ligonier Ministries, accessed February 18, 2023, https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/westminster-larger-catechism.
Yes, we can miss it (forget our true longing) by trying too hard. . . One’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him forever.
Thank you for your writing, Cathy!
Poole’s thoughts calmed me down to proceed in no hurry and freed me from the shadows of ambition to be the best. Our God also appreciates the slightest potential we have. What He wants is our endurance. I then remembered Mother Theresa saying that our calling is to be faithful. Based on that, I’m just wondering how we answer the need regarding providing the best solutions through our NPO topics and how to answer the urgent needs required by our stakeholders.
Ms. Glei, I like the idea where you relate leadersmithing to apprenticeship. I went through two apprenticeship programs and though they are simpler than traditional schooling, I learn just as much with more confidence because we practice as we learn.
Cathy, When I was appointed the pastor in my current church, John Fehlen gave me a literal slingshot. There was no way I could walk in the armor of the founding pastor of this church who had a globally impacting and recognized ministry. The theme of my life has been ‘don’t try to wear anyone else’s armor’.
It’s probably too late for this question (didn’t get to commenting on blog posts until Sunday night this week) but what I thought when I read your post was “how do we maintain authenticity (slingshot) while submitting under apprenticeship to a master (who may be wearing armor they want to teach us to wear)? Not saying they are necessarily mutually exclusive, but often they seem to be.