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<\/a><\/p>\nWhen the great explorers of centuries past, Verrazano, Vespucci and Columbus (Loc. 3431) set out, they didn\u2019t know what they would discover; they went with the purpose of discovery. Not everyone believed in their efforts, in fact many doubted the necessity of their trips based on old and previous patterns of thinking. In particular Christopher Columbus had a capacity to stretch his team beyond their natural, emotional, and logical boundaries; and together they discovered what some would call “the new world” even though it was obviously a world that was already existing. It just needed discovery. Centuries later, it seems almost comical to consider these explorers held minority views of the world around them.<\/p>\n
Edwin H. Friedman calls a leader like Christopher Columbus, a self-differentiated leader, in his book, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix. <\/em>Friedman defines such a leader as one who has a \u201c\u2026capacity to be a non-anxious presence, a challenging presence, a well-defined presence, and a paradoxical presence. Differentiation is not about being coercive, manipulative, reactive, pursuing or invasive, but being rooted in the leader\u2019s own sense of self rather than focused on that of his or her followers. \u201c(Loc. 4174)<\/p>\n Friedman then continues to take the leadership qualities, as he sees it, of these explorers and distill them down to five qualities that would be vital for those in current leadership roles, particularly for those who are looking to change the way others view the world (Loc. 3443-3459):<\/p>\n These qualities certainly caught my attention and have captured my thoughts as I have considered my recent experiences in South Africa, my role as a pastor, my role with our work in El Salvador and most importantly, my role as a husband and father. While this space is too short to detail each one these qualities, I will say that I have great agreement with the first four. The first one in particular, emotional awareness, is significant in helping to develop a culture or team. Learning to diffuse the natural inclination to be led by emotion impulses is a challenge that many a leader has failed. The result has been a tarnishing or even a demoralizing destruction of the organizations in which they led. Harnessing those emotions, knowing what to do with them leads into the middle three qualities that follow on Friedman\u2019s list. However, it almost contradicts the fifth one.<\/p>\n And that is where I believe a Christ-centered leader can re-write that fifth principle as one that demonstrates a humble resolve to honour God. Consider Moses:<\/p>\n And yet, through a process that sounds much like the discovery process of self-differentiation that Friedman espouses, Moses came to understand leadership from God\u2019s perspective. Under God\u2019s patient and compassionate guidance Moses, is remembered not by how he started, but what he overcame and how he finished. He is remembered not first, for his accomplishments, but for his unrelenting faith in Our God (Hebrews 11:26):<\/p>\n It was only when he gave in to his emotion, and lost track of the \u201cself-differentiation\u201d, as a representative of God, in a manner that affected the culture of his team, that he faced the reprimand from God.<\/p>\n The legacy of Moses is that he came to discover new territory: his worth, not by what he did, but in who he was by virtue of his deeply developed relationship with Our God. The strength and trust of this relationship is what helped him to graciously accept God\u2019s decision to let him see the promised land but not enter it. He demonstrated a humble resolve rather than a headstrong or ruthless demeanor.<\/p>\n Friedman may not like my tinkering with his observations (likely because we share opposing worldviews). However, I would like to think that we would agree that the strength of those who serve in leadership is not measured in external factors rather it is forged from inward refinement which enables new discoveries of the world that stretches out around us. That inward refinement can only happen through a developed understanding of our identity as uniquely created, purposefully gifted and deeply cherished children of God.<\/p>\n Friedman says it this way:<\/p>\n \u201cThe way out, rather, requires shifting our orientation to the way we think about relationships, from one that focuses on techniques that motivate others to one that focuses on the leader\u2019s own presence and being.\u201c (Loc. 158-159)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Jesus says it this way:<\/p>\n \u201cYou are the salt of the earth\u2026You are the light of the world.\u201d (Matthew 5:13-14)<\/p>\n The words of Jesus speak of presence and being, but they also speak words that place no limit or restriction on their use. We live in a world that needs healing and the preservation of good. We live in a world that is often shrouded by darkness. What we need are people who, by virtue of their personal discovery of a relationship with God, are undaunted to make the voyage across the street, across the city and across the world.<\/p>\n Of the four (or five) qualities that Friedman describes which one most challenges you?<\/p>\n\n
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