{"id":29096,"date":"2022-10-14T00:58:55","date_gmt":"2022-10-14T07:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=29096"},"modified":"2022-10-14T00:58:55","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14T07:58:55","slug":"the-reality-of-leadership-failure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/the-reality-of-leadership-failure\/","title":{"rendered":"The reality of leadership failure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Edwin H. Friedman\u2019s A Failure of Nerve \u201cLeadership in the Age of the Quick Fix\u201d shares insights that elicit lots of questions about leadership. Friedman focuses on the Leader\u2019s presence and differentiation instead of relying on technique or knowledge. Even though he clarifies that he is not in support of autocracy, I wonder what he would have to say about the current global leadership, the events in Russia and Ukraine, or the recent events at Capitol Hill. \u201cI have lived and worked in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area for almost four decades. During this time, I have watched families and institutions recycle their problems for several generations, despite enormous efforts to be innovative.\u201d[1]<\/a> As I was reading, having lived around Washington D.C.\u2019s beltway for several years now, I can imagine Friedman spending countless hours on the Beltway traffic struggling with leadership challenges. \u201cWhat counts is the leader\u2019s presence and being, not technique and know-how\u201d[2]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The reality of leadership failure as described by Friedman is evident. The well-differentiated leader will do their best to serve in their time giving their best but solving every problem in leadership may not happen until the Prince of Peace takes charge. Friedman\u2019s suggestion that a well-differentiated leader would take a decisive stand at the risk of displeasing others is a reminder of the recent conversation in Cape Town concerning consensus leadership. Friedman adds that unhealthy emotional family systems contribute to most of the chronic anxiety as seen in the whole culture.<\/p>\n

Rick Warren in Lead like Jesus says that \u201cthe purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence.\u201d[3]<\/a>\u00a0 As he shares about the stewardship of influence Rick brings insights from the prayer of King Solomon in Psalm 72 and concludes he would spend the rest of his life serving those who do not have that influence.<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t that the kind of leadership that Jesus would endorse? As a Jewish Rabbi, a politician, and an organizational consultant, Friedman must have attempted his best to bring about the kind of leadership contribution he could. Since the book was not completed till after his death, there is a chance he was writing with the understanding that his time here and contribution would be coming soon to an end. Friedman\u2019s writing reveals disappointment in America\u2019s leadership describing it as \u201cstuck in the rut of trying harder and harder without obtaining significantly new results\u201d[4]<\/a> There is also a mention of the new season of renewal or renaissance and other adventures. Does Friedman describe these as the kind of leadership to imitate? These brought to memory stories of conquest where the so-called explorers attempted or succeeded in exterminating natives for their selfish ends.<\/p>\n

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[1]<\/a> Edwin H. Friedman, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix<\/em>, ed. Margaret M. Treadwell and Edward W. Beal, 10th anniversary revised edition. (New York: Church Publishing, 2017).<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Lead like Jesus Classics<\/em>, The Why and the How of Leadership with Rick Warren, n.d., https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=t1hiNDE_2nk.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Friedman, A Failure of Nerve<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Edwin H. Friedman\u2019s A Failure of Nerve \u201cLeadership in the Age of the Quick Fix\u201d shares insights that elicit lots of questions about leadership. Friedman focuses on the Leader\u2019s presence and differentiation instead of relying on technique or knowledge. Even though he clarifies that he is not in support of autocracy, I wonder what he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":164,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1990,1660],"class_list":["post-29096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dlgp1","tag-edwin-friedman","cohort-dlgp01"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/164"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29096"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29097,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29096\/revisions\/29097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}