{"id":35201,"date":"2024-01-25T01:33:23","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T09:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=35201"},"modified":"2024-01-25T01:33:23","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T09:33:23","slug":"embracing-shift-developing-leader-resilience-in-the-face-of-adjustment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/embracing-shift-developing-leader-resilience-in-the-face-of-adjustment\/","title":{"rendered":"Embracing Shift: Developing Leader Resilience in The Face of Adjustment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leaders make a difference. They move people to new places \u2013 physically, psychologically, <\/em><\/p>\n

emotionally, spiritually \u2013 that they could not have achieved alone. <\/em><\/p>\n

They provide inspiration, courage, conviction, hope, and comfort.<\/em><\/p>\n

-Annabel Beerel-<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About a week ago, I saw a news ticker on one of our national television networks. The news ticker contains news that the WHO has issued a warning concerning the emergence of “Disease X” in 2024. After I read it, I immediately Googled. I found some news containing a warning concerning “Disease X,” which appears to have been announced several months ago.[1]<\/a> This brought back memories of March 2020, the formal announcement made by our government that COVID-19 had been detected in Indonesia. Before the government made its statement, news broke that a few members of our denomination, who had just returned from their annual assembly, had become ill with an unknown flu-like ailment. Healthcare providers were unable to identify it as COVID-19 at that time. I had a fever and flu-like symptoms immediately after the annual assembly, so I guess I was hit too. Thankfully, I and a lot of other fellow made a full recovery. We sadly lamented the passing of several colleague ministers, including some of our seniors and leaders.<\/p>\n

The globe was taken aback by the COVID-19 pandemic’s start. Our government responded forcefully to curtail large-scale operations when it first debuted in Indonesia, which resulted in a spike in hospital admissions and astronomical costs for necessities. Traditional and social media outlets were inundated with a mix of true and incorrect information throughout this crisis. Social media platforms began to include a diverse array of content, ranging from depressing observations to defamatory critiques of the actions of the government. Tension increased upon hearing reports of rising crime rates. Leaders faced unprecedented accountability in an unexplored domain, necessitating extraordinary skills, knowledge, and moral rectitude to steer companies through a devastating storm. This turbulent time showed how challenging it is to be a leader amid tremendous uncertainty and change.<\/p>\n

Beerel, referring to modern physics, said that life is filled with more uncertainty than certainty. She writes, \u201cModern physics teaches us that little is certain or predictable. Instead, the world moves within ambiguity, uncertainty, and infinite possibility. New possibilities not previously imagined are continuously emerging.\u201d[2]<\/a> Beerel also emphasized that changes in life in the world are due to many factors that occur, such as: \u201cSerious geopolitical tensions, climate change, the implications of Brexit, the cooling of the global economy, growing income equality, digital disruption, massive mental health problems, racial tensions, and tension between generations provides a challenging leadership agenda.\u201d[3]<\/a> Beerel’s statement emphasizes how serious the problems he discusses are. Just think about what may happen if leaders of countries with nuclear weapons were to reach a breaking point in their geopolitical tensions to the point where they would consider detonating their dangerous arsenals. We certainly hope that the possibility of such a scenario occurring is kept firmly in the realm of conjecture.<\/p>\n

Beerel emphasizes the significance of reevaluating context-aware and visionary leadership. This is a result of how difficult leadership is. Beerel emphasizes \u201cthat the most important task of leadership is identifying, framing, and aligning people to new realities. The task of leadership is to be mindful, attentive, aware, curious, and always on the lookout for change signals. Leaders need to be like lighthouses, continually sweeping the horizon for new patterns.\u201d[4]<\/a> A successful leader recognizes that his primary responsibility is to guide his followers into and take ownership of the future. Beerel insists that we require that kind of leader.[5]<\/a> Leaders who have three sorts of skills. These three skills are more essential to a leader than any other. As per Beerel, these competencies consist of: \u201cSystemic thinking, an ability to create clarity amid a sea of confusion where clarity does not mean certainty, and a capacity for helping others find purpose and meaning during extreme times. Being ethical is also essential.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

Aside from these skills, Beerel discovered that effective leaders are adaptive leaders. According to Beerel, adaptive leaders help people with this process so that they can psychologically and emotionally align themselves to changing realities or circumstances. Adaptation to changing realities requires a fundamental shift in mindset, values, beliefs, and behaviors.[7]<\/a> Furtherly, she describes that adaptive leaders’ ability to overcome resistance is crucial, by ensuring that they do not become the source of problems or the messenger of unwanted messages and that they are not seen as dictating solutions. Adaptive leadership has these skills because their approach departs from various theories, including transformational, situational, contingency, and complexity.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n

A leader, who is typically an ordinary individual with several needs and goals, may experience a shift in effectiveness and optimization if their leadership is predominantly influenced by personal interests, such as the desire for recognition. Leaders who can guide individuals or communities through tough times, navigate the future, and achieve common goals typically demonstrate some level of self-transcendence. Beerel refers to such leaders as having reached the ‘transpersonal’ stage, which signifies the state of transcending the ego. This revolutionary stage represents a departure from self-centered goals in favor of a more expansive and collaborative leadership approach. Transpersonal means beyond the ego.<\/p>\n

According to Beerel, letting go of the ego is not the same as transcending it. Rather, it entails rising above and embracing the ego in a more profound and elevated way. Seeing past the ego’s chaotic, self-seeking, anxious, and frequently compulsive tendencies entails opening out to the transpersonal Self, that intrinsic center of pure awareness. One can overcome the ego’s demands and avoid becoming linked to or identified with its neediness or cravings by engaging in this witnessing practice.[9]<\/a> Beerel then emphasizes, \u201cDuring these transpersonal moments, we experience an expanded identity; we transcend \u2018what is in it for me\u2019 motivations, and our consciousness extends beyond the boundaries of space and time. The wonderful truth is that we can train ourselves to have more of these transpersonal experiences in our lives.\u201d[10]<\/a><\/p>\n

Beerel’s thought prompted me not just to reconsider leadership, but also to criticize my own as a pastor\/church leader. Beerel assisted me in revealing what items were still left behind and related to me. Starting with the tendency to enjoy comfort zones and the status quo, there is a lot of reactive or compulsive thinking and acting rather than systematic thinking, it is difficult to adapt to rapidly changing environments, there is a reluctance to engage in transdisciplinary collaboration, and, finally, there is a tendency to prioritize ego. As Bereel notes repeatedly in his book, the world’s position can alter at any time and in unimaginable ways, so I must adapt. Beerel insists, \u201cLeaders make a difference. They move people to new places \u2013 physically, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually \u2013 that they could not have achieved alone. They provide inspiration, courage, conviction, hope, and comfort.\u201d[11]<\/a> Being prepared and vigilant, equipping yourself, boosting capacity, and establishing networks might be critical. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 4:5, \u201cBut watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.\u201d[12]<\/a><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> World Health Organization, WHO to Identify Pathogens that Could Cause Future Outbreaks and Pandemics.<\/em> https:\/\/www.who.int\/news\/item\/21-11-2022-who-to-identify-pathogens-that-could-cause-future-outbreaks-and-pandemics<\/a>. Accessed January 23, 2024.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Annabel Beerel,\u00a0Rethinking Leadership: A Critique of Contemporary Theories<\/em>, 1st edition (London; New York: Routledge, 2021), 14.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Beerel,\u00a0Rethinking Leadership<\/em>, 16-17.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid, 166.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid, 24.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Ibid, 24-25.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid, 219.<\/p>\n

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

[9]<\/a> Ibid, 237.<\/p>\n

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

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

[12]<\/a> Bible, KJV<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leaders make a difference. They move people to new places \u2013 physically, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually \u2013 that they could not have achieved alone. They provide inspiration, courage, conviction, hope, and comfort. -Annabel Beerel-   About a week ago, I saw a news ticker on one of our national television networks. The news ticker contains news […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":173,"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],"tags":[3016],"class_list":["post-35201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-beerel-dlgp02","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35201","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\/173"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35201"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35202,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35201\/revisions\/35202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}