{"id":2485,"date":"2014-09-19T03:02:05","date_gmt":"2014-09-19T03:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=2485"},"modified":"2014-09-19T03:02:05","modified_gmt":"2014-09-19T03:02:05","slug":"sonic-the-hedgehog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/sonic-the-hedgehog\/","title":{"rendered":"Sonic, the Hedgehog"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"lTXpTRAl\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Reading Jim Collins\u2019 best-seller, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don\u2019t<\/em>, sent me down the path of memory lane. I have never worked in the business or secular world (unless you count those summer jobs at golf courses and hotels!). My work has centered in ministry and non-profits. I started my professional ministry life at a small, two-hundred year old Quaker church in the foothills of North Carolina. From there, I moved to a medium-sized Presbyterian Church in a ritzy suburb of Houston. From there, I served at a medium-sized United Methodist Church in a quaint suburb of Washington, DC. All of these places had one thing in common \u2013 they did not have Level 5 leadership.<\/p>\n

Why do I say this so frankly? Now, at First United Methodist Church, I am serving with a Level 5 Leader.<\/p>\n

How do I know he is a Level 5 Leader? After working with him for a little over one year, I can confidently say he possesses these qualities:<\/p>\n

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  1. Good to Great and the Social Sectors: Why Business Thinking is Not the Answer <\/em>describes a Level 5 executive as one who, \u201cbuilds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.\u201d[1]<\/a> Level 5 leaders make a difference. With the combination of a humble heart and a strong work ethic, he leads our large staff to pursue greatness.[2]<\/a> Based on Collins\u2019 assessment, I may have worked with competent managers, or even effective leaders, but this man brings leadership to a new level.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    1. The staff on which I currently serve is roughly the same size as the entire congregation of the first church I served. Just recently, two staff members left due to their spouses transferring jobs. The first meetings to take place were not to revise and update job descriptions, but instead the senior pastor led the staff-parish relation committee in compiling a list of qualities and characteristics desired in the people hired to fill the positions. Collins urges leaders to find the right people and then figure out where to go. What if, however, the personnel team hires a great person, and he excels. Would it not be natural to continue to pile responsibilities on that person knowing he will always accomplish the task at hand? It seems that the organization’s leadership need to guard against over-loading and over-working those who are excelling so as not to create burn-out or exhaustion!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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      1. He\u2019s a hedgehog. The man can say \u201cno thank you\u201d to opportunities that fail the Hedgehog Concept. For example, in the 10-year vision (Vision 2022), focuses for our church in one of four areas \u2013 discipleship, missions, small groups, and leadership. These are the areas he is passionate about, and that passion as trickled down into our staff. The goal is to learn from the very best and be the very best in these areas\u2026by 2022!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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        1. The man is a planner. Yearly he gathers the staff for a retreat week to list objectives and goals for the year.[3]<\/a> Those lists are displayed in writing and evaluated quarterly. This creates the culture of discipline to keep each of us focused.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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          1. As for technology, he stands in front of a television audience each week to deliver a sermon to those who are unable to attend. Mid-week, he hosts his own webcast, answering personal leadership questions with thoughtful, candid answers. He calls his personal mission field the downtown business leaders, and the link to the webcast goes straight to their inboxes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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            1. I have only been in the senior pastor\u2019s office twice. Today when I walked by to say farewell for a month, I noticed two red books sitting on the corner of his desk: Good to Great and the Social Sectors: Why Business Thinking is Not the Answer <\/em>and Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap\u2026and Others Don\u2019t.\u00a0<\/em>Two years ago, he required the church staff and the ministry team leaders to read these books as a large group. Continuing education and team work are priorities for him as he moves FUMC from good to great.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              At the end of this week and these two great books, what is the take away? I thought about writing how Jesus was a perfect example of a Level 5 Leader, but I figured my cohort mates, Deve or Mitch, would have that question well answered! In the end I was left with the question of practical application, “How do we morph ourselves into Level 5 Leaders?” The answer is in this\u00a0list:<\/p>\n