{"id":31121,"date":"2023-02-16T17:58:56","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T01:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=31121"},"modified":"2023-02-16T17:58:56","modified_gmt":"2023-02-17T01:58:56","slug":"stick-with-your-slingshot-as-you-consider-tortoise-tempo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/stick-with-your-slingshot-as-you-consider-tortoise-tempo\/","title":{"rendered":"Stick with Your Slingshot As You Consider Tortoise Tempo"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the book <\/span>Leadersmithing <\/span><\/i>by Eve Poole, the concept of leadership development is crafted around an analogy of \u201csmithing\u201d or leadersmithing.\u00a0 <\/span>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).<\/span><\/p>\n

Look up <\/span>Leadership Development<\/span><\/i> 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.\u00a0 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 <\/span>Leader in Me<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 \u201c<\/span>Leader in Me<\/span><\/i> 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 <\/span>Leader in Me<\/span><\/i> schools in all 50 states and in over 50 countries. The mission is to unleash greatness in students, educators, and school communities everywhere\u201d (<\/span>https:\/\/www.leaderinme.org\/<\/span><\/a>). [1]\u00a0 In one particular building, you would see students trained in several leadership principles in correlation with Stephen Covey\u2019s work from the <\/span>The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0 Students \u201csharpened their saws\u201d (the seventh habit) by learning a variety of skills, such as goal setting, to help them understand themselves and achieve better outcomes. [2]\u00a0 It was a way for staff to mine for gold in our blooming leaders as early as five years old. \u00a0 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stick With Your Slingshot – Know your Gifts and Live Out Your Calling<\/b><\/p>\n

King Saul gave David armor to fight Goliath, but David declined.\u00a0 He knew the slingshot and stuck with it.\u00a0 We read in 1 Samuel 17 starting at verse 38, \u201c<\/span>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.\u00a0 \u201cI cannot go in these,\u201d he said to Saul, \u201cbecause I am not used to them.\u201d So he took them off.\u201d [3] David must have spent a lot of time growing as a slinger.\u00a0 He seemed to know his gift.\u00a0 Because, as the song mentions. . . (cue the music)<\/span><\/p>\n

Only a boy named David, only a little sling;\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Only a boy named David, but he could pray and sing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Only a boy named David, only a rippling brook,\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Only a boy named David , but five little stones he took. . .<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

And. . . (cue the music) [4]<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The idea of mining for gold and apprenticeship seem to go hand in hand.\u00a0 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. <\/span>Perhaps David\u2019s 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]<\/span><\/p>\n

Tortoise Tempo<\/b><\/p>\n

In his book <\/span>Incarnate Leadership<\/span><\/i>, author and Whitworth University president emeritus, Bill Robinson, offers \u201cperhaps our desire to be good leaders has elbowed its way in front of our desire to be imitators of Christ.\u201d [6] As I study the life of Jesus, I see so much of his leadership style that I desire to see developed in me.\u00a0 Jesus was a \u201ccome alongside of\u201d kind of leader.\u00a0 We see this in the way he led the disciples and \u201cleader-smithed\u201d them.\u00a0 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. \u00a0 Apprenticing with Jesus isn\u2019t a pilgrimage that can be rushed, hurried or fast forwarded.\u00a0 It\u2019s so easy to rush through life and miss all the ways God is speaking.\u00a0 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?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When considering leadersmithing Poole states, \u201cit 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 \u201cword became flesh and made his dwelling among us\u201d offering a way to apprentice with him.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In conclusion, Poole ends with some great reminders for us as we traverse this leadership journey . . . \u201cTomorrow, do not be the best leader.\u00a0 Do not even try to be a good one.\u00a0 Just be better. Leadersmithing takes a lifetime – so be a tortoise, not a hare.\u201d [8]\u00a0 Consider tortoise tempo as we travel this road together.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1] <\/span>https:\/\/www.leaderinme.org\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

[2] Covey, Stephen R.<\/span> The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People\u202f: Restoring the Character Ethic<\/span><\/i>. (New York: Free Press, 2003).<\/span><\/p>\n

[3] 1 Samuel 17:38-39, NIV<\/span><\/p>\n

[4] Arnott, Arthur. 1931.\u00a0 \u201cOnly A Boy Named David.\u201d Accessed February 14, 2023.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=F2r_7O2OmHI<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

[5] Eve Poole, <\/span>Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership<\/span><\/i>. (London, UK: Bloomsbury Publishing 2017), 69.<\/span><\/p>\n

[6] Bill Robinson, <\/span>Incarnate Leadership<\/span><\/i>. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 2009), 19.<\/span><\/p>\n

[7] Poole, <\/span>Leadersmithing,<\/span><\/i> 58.<\/span><\/p>\n

[8] Ibid, 181.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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