{"id":30941,"date":"2023-02-09T08:45:31","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T16:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=30941"},"modified":"2023-02-09T08:45:57","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T16:45:57","slug":"a-r-a-r-e-definition-of-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/a-r-a-r-e-definition-of-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"A R.A.R.E. Definition of Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my early years of ministry, I heard repeated ideas about the essence of leadership. \u201cLeaders have a bias toward action\u201d and \u201cLeaders get things done\u201d were common descriptions voiced about the identifying marks of strong leadership. In Rare Leadership, <\/em>Doctors Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder point in a different direction than outcome-based definitions and performance metrics as evaluators of excellence in leadership. Dr. Wilder brings an extensive background in clinical counseling and a non-Western cultural lens from South America. He serves as the chief neuro-theologian of Life Model Works. Dr. Warner serves as the president of Deeper Walk International, with a background in pastoral work and seminary instruction.<\/p>\n

Classified as pastoral theology, the authors state their premise early: \u201cthe fruit of four uncommon habits related to emotional intelligence is a dramatic increase in trust, joy, and engagement in the people you lead.\u201d[1]<\/a>Counterintuitive to results as the measure of a leader, this book argues that relational leadership exists as its most potent form. The four habits that compose the bulk of the book are the acronym R.A.R.E. The first R stands for \u201cremain relational\u201d and relates to a sense of belonging. The A means \u201cact like yourself\u201d by understanding and manifesting your identity. The second R encourages a \u201creturn to joy,\u201d found in community with others. Finally, the E invites a leader to \u201cendure hardship,\u201d using difficulty to foster greater collective unity.[2]<\/a> After an opening introductory chapter, the following ten chapters unpack the premise and the habits that contribute to rare leadership.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The book is equal parts leadership theory and neurological study. A central tenet of the argument relates to the terminology of \u201cslow-track\u201d and \u201cfast-track systems.\u201d[3]<\/a> Containing some, but not complete, correlation to Kahneman\u2019s fast and slow thinking, the authors differentiate between the functions of the left and right brain activity. The left brain functions slowly and engages in the dynamics of management. The right brain functions faster than conscious thought and contains the elements of rare leadership traits.[4]<\/a> The right brain also holds the individual and corporate identity center.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One book section that jumped off the page for me sought to understand \u201cwhy accountability doesn\u2019t work.\u201d[5]<\/a> My experience with accountability groups is not a good one. For example, a staff member, while in an accountability relationship years ago, carried on several affairs during a time of structured accountability. My shallow understanding believed that accountability only works to the degree that the participants want it to work. Warner and Wilder plumb a deeper level of diagnosis. Born in the Enlightenment, the transformation paradigm believed that reason + good choices = transformation.[6]<\/a> Generally speaking, I believe the American church vests life change with a similar pattern: Bible content + the Holy Spirit = transformation. However, a cursory reading of Jesus\u2019 time and investment in His disciples reveals a personal, dynamic, and diverse approach to spiritual growth.<\/p>\n

The authors note how accountability was added to the reason + good choices = transformation model to ensure life change. The goal was not met. \u201cAs widespread and apparently sensible as the accountability solution has become, it has proven to be a massive failure at producing the results it promises.\u201d[7]<\/a> The reason for the failure rests with a motive of fear pervading the accountability group structure. If I have kept my commitments, I will be happy to meet with the group. If I have failed in my commitments, I will be afraid of the consequences. Like Friedman, the authors expose an intentional anxious system bound to fail in its attempts to produce positive change.<\/p>\n

I remember the value placed on such accountability groups during the Promise Keeper<\/em> phenomenon. Unfortunately but not unsurprisingly, the tenure of groups I knew ended quickly. In contrast, Warner and Wilder offer a different paradigm for life change: identity + belonging = transformation.[8]<\/a> Lasting transformation occurs when a person\u2019s identity changes and they live out their newfound identity. They conclude that section with a critical thought repeated throughout the book: \u201cThe best coaches, pastors, teachers, managers, and leaders are the ones who instill a clear sense of identity into their group and help people understand \u201cThis is who we are and this is how it is like us to act.\u201d[9]<\/a> The list of items I never heard in seminary includes the responsibility of a senior leader to establish a corporate identity and shape the values and cultures of the organization they lead. \u201cA groups identity is formed by the answer to two simple questions: \u2018Who are my people?\u2019 and \u2018How is it like us to act?\u2019\u201d[10]<\/a> A more significant assignment than a job description of duties centers on a leader\u2019s ability to build a community of trust and develop a corporate identity, shaping a common understanding of values and behaviors.<\/p>\n

After I wrote the above paragraph, I went on \u201cchurchstaffing.com\u201d to look at several Lead Pastor openings and the accompanying description. Not one list of job responsibilities included anything related to identity or culture. Instead, each list contained many to-dos like preaching, caring, meetings, etc. I wonder if the consensus about the essence of leadership in the church amounts to carrying out certain duties alone.<\/p>\n

One section of the book I found mislabeled would be the second R in the acronym of R.A.R.E. Listed as \u201creturn to joy,\u201d that portion of the paradigm emphasizes overcoming or healing from negative emotions like shame, fear, hopeless despair, disgust, and sadness.[11]<\/a> Returning to joy results from emotional health, intelligence, and freedom. Perhaps the second R could be relabeled \u201cRoot out negative emotions?\u201d The other three letters of the acronym describe actions of rare leadership. Return to joy describes the result of other actions.<\/p>\n

The science and spirituality behind the topic of joy serve an invaluable role in this book. Most people view joy as merely an emotion. Emotions are often viewed as uncontrollable. In a way I have never encountered before, the authors point people toward the source of joy. \u201cWe have found in our study of Scripture and brain science that joy, that feeling of being in the deepest part of our soul, is primarily relational. To the human brain, joy is always relational.\u201d[12]<\/a> Is it any wonder that God intended the church to be a community of deep, trusting, and mutually beneficial relationships? May that be what people encounter as they engage the people of God.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder, Rare Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits for Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead <\/em>(Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2016), 13.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid., 25.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid., 26.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid., 27.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid., 45.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Ibid., 44.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid., 45.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Ibid., 46.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Ibid., 46.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Ibid., 92.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Ibid., 166-167.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Ibid., 24.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my early years of ministry, I heard repeated ideas about the essence of leadership. \u201cLeaders have a bias toward action\u201d and \u201cLeaders get things done\u201d were common descriptions voiced about the identifying marks of strong leadership. In Rare Leadership, Doctors Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder point in a different direction than outcome-based definitions and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"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":[2602],"class_list":["post-30941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-warner-and-wilder","cohort-lgp11"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30941","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\/149"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30941"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30943,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30941\/revisions\/30943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}