{"id":36036,"date":"2024-02-21T17:38:51","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T01:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=36036"},"modified":"2024-02-22T08:23:07","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T16:23:07","slug":"set-apart-for-such-a-time-as-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/set-apart-for-such-a-time-as-this\/","title":{"rendered":"Set Apart for Such a Time As This"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Artist Unknown<\/p><\/div>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Courageous leadership requires grit, humility, and perseverance. It isn\u2019t for the faint of heart and is one of my favorite leadership qualities to study, perhaps because my own courage ebbs and flows sometimes. In his book, Failure of Nerve, author Edwin Friedman utilizes the tried-and-true Bowen Family Systems Model and applies it to organizations. Doing so revealed many similarities between family and organizational structures and systems.<\/p>\n

To borrow a term from my former career in public health, Friedman is analyzing the ecological framework of how people function in a professional environment. He takes into account their job titles and relationships with one another, business rules and processes, dynamics such as imaginative gridlock that stifles progress, personal identity, and more. This framework also considers the external or hostile forces that shape the process flows and can be applied to any major institution that fosters change.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

Set Apart for Such a Time as This<\/strong><\/p>\n

A few years ago, during my tenure as the development director at a local food bank, I was tasked with having a very difficult conversation with a headstrong donor who gave a very large sum of money every year. In exchange for their contribution, the food bank agreed to host a special evening food distribution in a rural town where the donor\u2019s employees could volunteer to help distribute the food. It was a quid pro quo situation that didn\u2019t sit right in my gut. I was nervous about the discussion; certain the results would reveal their motives. I also understood the risk of losing them altogether could jeopardize my job.<\/p>\n

With plenty of data in hand, I diplomatically conveyed that while we were thankful for the partnership, the money they gave us did not cover the expenses of the event, which also created numerous unintended consequences. People receiving food through this distribution were not required to be in a vulnerable predicament, as the usual system stated. What this meant was the food was given away to anyone and everyone, and unfortunately, \u00a0provisions ran out quickly leaving those who needed it most with no benefit.<\/p>\n

Upon sharing the facts of the situation with the donor, I was shocked that she handed me a very emotional unregulated, and threatening response. She wanted her company\u2019s brand out in the community through this food distribution even if the food did not go to people who are food insecure. Her motives were completely unreasonable and selfish. Following that exchange, I tried for weeks to negotiate different solutions, but ultimately, the donor refused. This was not about feeding hungry people; this was about entitlement, manipulation, and power.<\/p>\n

Friedman\u2019s description of self-differentiation means, at the heart, having the courage to be different with a risk of sabotage from others.[2]<\/a> In the story above, this donor had bullied the food bank for eight years to host something that ultimately cost the non-profit $11,000 annually because the donor\u2019s contribution didn\u2019t fully cover the expenses. But none of the relationship managers before me dared to address the disparity. For me, I never thought about courage. It was simply about doing the right thing for the food bank and stewarding the limited resources appropriately.<\/p>\n

Another aspect of self-differentiation is having the ability to regulate emotions and to be decisive, but not arrogant. Scripture tells us \u201cYou have been set apart as holy to the LORD your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure\u201d.[3]<\/a> Imagine that. We are handpicked by the Almighty God to serve in such a time as this. Given the societal regression and behaviors mimicking tribalism happening in the world around us, I do not doubt that the students in this program are called to bring peace, connection, and healing through the Gospels.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Friedman encourages readers to focus less on followers, and more on themselves to find God\u2019s purpose for their lives. Doing so will reveal their identity. It is much like carving a sculpture. One may start with a large marble slab and slowly chisel away tiny fragments piece by piece, ultimately revealing the spirit of God\u2019s creation through the artist. As leaders, we are to chisel away pride, ego, fear, and other unfavorable character traits to be revealed as the individuals God intended us to be. Having the courage to maintain a strong presence during critical incidents strengthens our resolve and refines us for greater adventures ahead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a>,[2] 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

[3]<\/a> Bible Study Tools. \u201cDeuteronomy 14:2 – NLT – You Have Been Set Apart as Holy to the LORD Your G…\u201d Accessed February 21, 2024. https:\/\/www.biblestudytools.com\/nlt\/deuteronomy\/14-2.html<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction Courageous leadership requires grit, humility, and perseverance. It isn\u2019t for the faint of heart and is one of my favorite leadership qualities to study, perhaps because my own courage ebbs and flows sometimes. In his book, Failure of Nerve, author Edwin Friedman utilizes the tried-and-true Bowen Family Systems Model and applies it to organizations. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":193,"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":[2979,236],"class_list":["post-36036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dlpg03","tag-friedman","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36036","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\/193"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36036"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36057,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36036\/revisions\/36057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}