As I read Walker\u2019s book two verses kept burning in my heart. With every page chills went up and down my spine. The verses below screamed off nearly every page. <\/p>\n
\u201cLet everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.\u201d1<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the Lord\u2019s hand the king\u2019s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.\u201d2<\/p>\n
Even though I was reading a book on leadership, I felt the Spirit of God whispering in my heart, \u201cThese leaders were appointed by me at the proper time.\u201d This is why they were so great. Each had a set of skills that were meant only to be used for an appointed time. The servant Jimmy Carter would have failed as President during the American Civil War. Winston Churchill\u2019s pacesetting strategy would have failed miserably during The American Great Depression. As great a leader Martin Luther King was, he would have failed as President of the United States at any time. His visionary leadership was needed to bring out an oppressed people. <\/p>\n
Judge Deborah was a fierce leader but may have failed in Queen Esther\u2019s place. Moses who led millions out of Egypt may have failed to preach a dynamic sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Noah who obeyed God and built a big boat may have struggled in Solomon\u2019s place to build The Temple. The point is it appears all leaders have their calling and place in God\u2019s Kingdom. Maybe it is easier to lead with nothing to lose when we know where the Lord has called us and how he has gifted us to change this world. <\/p>\n
With this in mind, this book kept me thinking about my NPO and my leadership. It\u2019s not about being famous or well-known but how do I know God has actually called me to do what I am doing? And if I am in God\u2019s will how does he want to change the people and culture around me as he delicately transforms me. How does he want to use my NPO above and beyond what I could ever imagine or think. As a leader I am an authority figure that he has established, and my heart is in his hand to channel it toward his will to change my community and beyond. <\/p>\n
Walker illustrates from history the strengths and weaknesses of eight different styles of exercising power. \u201cLeadership involves power and influence over others, and it is incumbent upon a leader to use that power and influence benignly.\u201d3 Walker goes on to talk about how issues from our childhood can still negatively impact our leadership and cause us to defend ourselves. Overall, Walker does an excellent job at explaining why it is important to be able to use all 8 leadership styles in order to be an effective leader. I definitely agree but I also realize we will gravitate toward one or maybe two styles most of the time. To become better at being a fluid leader, Walker touched on a former aide to Henry Kissinger that asked three questions during Richard Nixon\u2019s administration at its daily conferences. They were these:<\/p>\n
1.\tWhat is actually happening right now?
\n2.\tWhat is likely to happen next?
\n3.\tWhat will A do if B does X?4<\/p>\n
Those three simple questions highlight what good strategy is all about: knowing what is actually going on (rather than guessing or being content to be ignorant), being able to predict where things are likely to go and being able to forecast what kind of reaction any action will provoke. <\/p>\n
So, now I am wrestling with the thought, \u201cWhat does it mean to lead with nothing to lose?\u201d How can I actually have the boldness to lead with all 8 styles when the opportunity arises. This is something I am going to take to my Life-Coach so he can help me wrestle with this. For now, I will work on practicing the strategies I shy away from in order to become better at them. I had no idea this book would do such a number on me and challenge me so deeply! It hurts but the pain is necessary to grow. Like Esther, I truly believe I was made for such a time as this and everything in my past has prepared me for this moment. <\/p>\n
1.\tRomans 13:1, New International Version (NIV)
\n2.\tProverbs 21:1, NIV
\n3.\tSimon P. Walker, Leading with Nothing to Lose: Training in the Exercise of Power (Carlisle, UK: Piquant Editions Ltd., n.d.), ix.
\n4.\tIbid. 140.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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