{"id":33865,"date":"2023-11-02T21:24:30","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T04:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=33865"},"modified":"2023-11-02T21:24:30","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T04:24:30","slug":"getting-in-tune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/getting-in-tune\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting In Tune"},"content":{"rendered":"

Both my boys have been learning to play instruments. My oldest has been working with the trombone and my youngest is learning the guitar. As they were gaining their musical skills it was a bit comical and, at times, painful to hear, but that\u2019s part of learning! I\u2019m the one who usually takes my youngest to guitar lessons on Mondays. Without fail, the instructor starts each session tuning his little guitar due to it getting used and bumped throughout the week. The strings always seem to need some tuning, which is exactly what leadership and my spiritual journey always feels like.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Music, dancing, vibrations, and sound are the analogies Jules Glanzer uses to explore leadership in his book, The Sound of Leadership<\/em>. \u00a0He says, \u201cLeadership, like music, has no exact definition and varies from society to society. Each scholar, author, or popular speaker communicates a unique understanding and definition of leadership.\u201d[1]<\/a> I think it is important to note that he highlights and celebrates the fact that music has all kinds of genres, while he also identifies the common elements genres have that make it sound good.<\/p>\n

Glanzer argues that leaders, \u201cset the voice, tone, and mood of the organization. Like different genres of music, leaders have a personal soundtrack that permeates the entire organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

I think I am still discovering my personal soundtrack and genre which falls in line with Jules\u2019 discussion on \u201cknowing thyself\u201d. \u00a0Is my metaphorical \u201cgenre\u201d or leadership style Jazz, Rock, R & B, Electronic, or Hip Hop? I can confidently say, despite living in Nashville, it\u2019s not country and, sorry Jules, it\u2019s not Gaither Homecoming music. I think I\u2019m more jazz. Some structure, a vision, but room for spontaneity and creativity.<\/p>\n

If all goes according to plan, in a couple of years, I will be transitioning into the lead pastor role at the church where I currently serve. Although I am the associate pastor, I am aware that it does not carry the same weight and pressure that the lead role does. This upcoming responsibility keeps me highly motivated to learn, grow, observe, and listen as much as possible. I also know my \u201csoundtrack\u201d or \u201cgenre\u201d will be different from the current lead pastors, and according to Glanzer, that is perfectly fine and very natural, which is reassuring.<\/p>\n

As I figure out my rhythm, which I\u2019m realizing develops more over time, I do want to continue to prioritize the core components of leadership that Glanzer discusses which, not surprising, overlaps with many of the authors we\u2019ve read like Edwin Friedman, Julian Treasure, Simon Walker, and Eve Poole. Listening<\/em> has been a huge theme with our authors, but I like that Glanzer shares some important insights and cautions to help leaders think through which voices to align or<\/em> get in tune<\/em> with while listening.<\/p>\n

He says:<\/p>\n

-The majority voice is not always the right voice.<\/p>\n

-The loud voice is not always the right voice.<\/p>\n

-The passionate voice is not always the right voice.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, these warnings lead into his next section which gives filters to help sift all the voices we hear through our vision, mission, values, resources and most importantly God\u2019s voice. Over the last couple of years, I\u2019ve seen how fear and panic can cause loud and passionate voices to dominate the air tempting leaders, I\u2019m included in this, to fully buy in to those concerns and shift from the mission, vision, or values for the sake of appeasement or out of reaction. It\u2019s a very real temptation, so the filters listed above must stay in a leader\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

Speaking of filters, after being immersed over the last couple of weeks in topics like capitalism, the Protestant work ethic, and the free market\u2019s impact on community and faith, I could not help but wrestle a bit with Glanzer\u2019s lens concerning resources. [2]<\/a> He says, \u201cWhen multiple voices are telling you what to do, in the end, the one having the resources to implement, is the one you listen to.\u201d[3]<\/a> \u00a0Granted, this is said in the context of other filters and important questions he gives, but it could be interpreted as \u201cAlways, go with the voices that have the money and resources.\u201d I agree that God leads through provision, but as Edwin Friedman argues, the loudest voices can be the most anxious and unhealthy, and unfortunately, they can also have the deepest pockets which is important to discern as well. [4]<\/a><\/p>\n

Lastly, the most important voice to get in tune with, \u201cthe voice of the One\u201d.<\/p>\n

Glanzer gives a much-needed caveat to this one. How many Christian leaders and people have claimed, \u201cGod told me___\u201d?[5]<\/a> Jules mentions this potentially dangerous statement. After all, who can argue with respected leaders who claim personal divine messages? We can also pull out our Bible and use it as a source to support whatever position we want at the time. Throughout Christian history and in my own life I\u2019ve been guilty and observed arguments shift from \u201cThe Bible clearly says\u2026.\u201d to \u201cThe Bible says\u2026 but you have to understand the cultural context.\u201d \u00a0The biblical texts does not change, but our understanding of it does, especially the more we learn about its context, translations, nature, and composition history. This topic of biblical discernment touches on my NPO, so it\u2019s easy for me to camp here, but to circle back to God\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

When it comes to listening to the voice of the One, I will have to agree with the pattern set in Acts 15:28 that Jules quotes, \u201cIt seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us\u2026\u201d This approach does not convey pride or infallibility since they qualify their decision with \u201cIt seemed<\/em> good\u2026\u201d.[6]<\/a> For me this illustrates two important things 1) Christian communities must create space for God to speak to them on current situations. 2) While listening and discerning, it is vital for Christian communities to exercise humility in knowing we are not perfect in hearing, translating, interpreting, or perceiving. However, this acknowledgement should never stop us from seeking, knocking, and asking for guidance so that we can get more in tune with God\u2019s heart and voice while we express it in all kinds of genres!<\/p>\n

Along with any comments, I would love to hear what you think your leadership style \/ \u201cmusic genre\u201d is with an explanation!<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Jules Glanzer,\u00a0The Sound of Leadership,\u00a0<\/em>(Plano, TX: Invite Press, 2023),37.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Max Weber, \u201cThe Protestant Ethic and the \u2018Spirit\u2019 of Capitalism and Other Writings,\u201d Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics (New York: Penguin Books, 2002).<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Glanzer, The Sound of Leadership<\/em>, 24.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Friedman, Edwin H., Margaret M. Treadwell, and Edward W. Beal. A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix<\/em>. 10th anniversary revised edition. New York: Church Publishing, 2017.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Glanzer, The Sound of Leadership<\/em>, 33.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Ibid., 25.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Both my boys have been learning to play instruments. My oldest has been working with the trombone and my youngest is learning the guitar. As they were gaining their musical skills it was a bit comical and, at times, painful to hear, but that\u2019s part of learning! I\u2019m the one who usually takes my youngest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"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":[2310,1],"tags":[2489,2893,2895,2894],"class_list":["post-33865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","category-uncategorized","tag-dlgp02","tag-dlgp02-glanzer","tag-jules-glanzer","tag-the-sound-of-leadership","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33865","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\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33865"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33868,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33865\/revisions\/33868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}