{"id":31841,"date":"2023-03-15T10:09:31","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T17:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=31841"},"modified":"2023-03-15T10:09:31","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T17:09:31","slug":"i-walk-a-lonely-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/i-walk-a-lonely-road\/","title":{"rendered":"I Walk A Lonely Road"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Familiar Leadership Maxim<\/strong><\/p>\n

It has been said that if you are a leader, but no one is following you, then you\u2019re not a leader. You\u2019re just going for a walk.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This leadership maxim would align with the definition of leadership according to Peter G. Northouse in his book Leadership: Theory and Practice<\/em>.[1]<\/a> \u201cLeadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.\u201d[2]<\/a> If one is pursuing a goal, and yet does not influence a group of individuals towards that same goal, then, by Northouse\u2019s definition, one is not a leader.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Leadership Northouse Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Northouse expertly provides in Leadership<\/em> a concise overview of the various theories and practices of leadership. These leadership theories range from trait-based (leaders are those with a defined set of traits) and skills-based (both are externally focused) to situational leadership and team leadership. Northouse provides an overview of each theory, case studies, practices, and a breakdown of each theory’s strengths and criticisms.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Leadership: Reduced to Traits, Skills, and Strategies<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In reading Northouse, I was deeply appreciative of the vast, yet simple, elucidation of each leadership theory and practice. There are exceptionally helpful insights and frameworks. Each theory can be applied with its strengths as long as one is aware of its drawbacks.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

However, what I found lacking in Northouse\u2019s work was the absence of a theory and practice of internal character formation in leadership. One could utilize the theories and strategies Northouse presents. However, without the formation of character, one can lead people in the wrong direction. Granted, Northouse does write about the importance of ethics in leadership as promoted by theorists like Robert Greenleaf and Ronald Heifetz.[3]<\/a> But the formation of character is not mentioned. Though this is a book on theories and practices of leadership and not a guide for leaders on how to be transformed from the inside out – radiating goodness, justice, and humility – we cannot overlook the key training arena of leadership as modeled by the greatest leader who walked the earth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I Walk A Lonely Road<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you are a leader, but no one is following you, then you are not a leader, but simply going for a walk. However, what if you are going for a walk by yourself, with no one following you, but you are going in the right direction? As Christian leaders, I believe there are times we need to walk in the direction where God leads, even if this means no one is going to follow us. Does this make us any less of a leader? According to Northouse\u2019s definition and this popular leadership proverb, yes. But what if there was another way?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jesus of Nazareth is, I believe, the greatest leader who ever walked the planet. Yet, he had moments of walking a lonely road followed by, well, no one. Jesus was compelled by the Spirit to go to the wilderness for 40 days of fasting, prayer, and solitude. The climax of Jesus\u2019 earthly work was a lonely walk to the cross \u2013 a walk in which his close friends he invested in for three years abandoned him to walk alone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Maybe the way of Jesus teaches us something about leadership. It is far more about the character of the leader \u2013 in Jesus\u2019 case, this was full submission to the will of God throughout his life, even to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). And maybe, as was the case of King David in the Old Testament, the shaping of the leader\u2019s character occurs in the unseen, the boring, the lonely place of the wilderness while tending sheep.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Green Day\u2019s song, Boulevard of Broken Dreams<\/em>, may at times be the anthem for church leaders. When the choice arises between the road of societal conformity or the road of character and faithfulness, we must not fear the lonely road where our \u201cshadow\u2019s the only one that walks beside me.\u201d For regardless of whatever or whoever is walking beside us or behind us, we are following our God who is ahead of us and with us.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Character-Based Leadership in The New Testament and Early Church<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The early church emphasized looking at a leader\u2019s character for church leadership, not their skills and charisma (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:7-9). The advice in one of the early church writings on what to look for in a bishop is, \u201cLet him therefore be sober, prudent, decent, firm, stable, not given to wine; no striker, but gentle; not a brawler, not covetous; ‘not a novice, test, being puffed up with pride, be fall into condemnation, and the snare of the devil: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abused.'”[5]<\/sup><\/a> When talent and competency is prioritized in Church leadership over character, we see abuse, pride, and great damage done in the name of Jesus.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Training Church Leaders without Skipping the Lonely Walk<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Training in character formation, also known as spiritual formation when focused on Jesus, is essential for the development of our future church leaders. This may involve embracing the formation of character that takes place on the lonely walks when no one is following. If emerging church leaders faithfully walk the lonely road of character with their eyes fixed not on who is following them, but rather fixed on who they are following (Hebrews 12:2), maybe God will bring people to follow them as they follow Christ.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice<\/em>, 3rd ed (Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage, 2004).<\/p>\n

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

[3]<\/a> Ibid. 301-316.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> I originally heard this from a sermon by Mike Pilavachi. This sermon has been a great source of encouragement in the disappointing seasons of life where character formation was forged and intimacy with Jesus deepened. C: The Desert Place (Mike Pilavachi at the SoM) Mike Pilavachi<\/em>, 2012, https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ag4Q99uWOAc.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/sup><\/a> Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, eds., \u201cConstitutions of the Holy Apostles,\u201d in Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, Homily, and Liturgies<\/em>, trans. James Donaldson, vol. 7, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1886), 396.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Familiar Leadership Maxim It has been said that if you are a leader, but no one is following you, then you\u2019re not a leader. You\u2019re just going for a walk.   This leadership maxim would align with the definition of leadership according to Peter G. Northouse in his book Leadership: Theory and Practice.[1] \u201cLeadership […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"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":[2028,2697,101,35,2258],"class_list":["post-31841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-character","tag-greenday","tag-jesus","tag-leadership","tag-northouse","cohort-dlgp01"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31841","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\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31841"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31842,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31841\/revisions\/31842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}