Neoteny and Transmogrify

Here are two interesting leadership words that are not usually on the tip of the tongue when discussing effectiveness among CEOs – neoteny and transmogrify. Although these terms might be off your chit-chat vocabulary list, they describe two important aspects of dynamic, fresh, and impactful leadership.

Bennis and Thomas (2002) refer to these words in the context of leadership. Let’s take a look at each one separately. First, neoteny. Bennis and Thomas conducted a comparison study between successful young leaders (age 35 or younger) and effective older leaders (70+ years old). One conclusion from the study: every one of the successful older leaders possessed one, common quality of overriding importance: neoteny. This is a zoological term indicating the retention of youthful qualities by adults. Neoteny, then, is the ability of an individual leader to maintain those wonderful qualities that we often associate with youth. Many leaders in the twilight of their careers still possess the curiosity of a child – they possess this strong desire to explore and see what lies around the corner. Many experienced bosses love to play and have fun. Laughter and a rich sense of humor fill the life of the leader demonstrating neoteny. The eagerness of a novice, the fearlessness of the inexperienced, and the warmth of a humble youth can also describe an older leader that remains young at heart and fresh in his/her thinking. The high energy produced by a new challenge will always flow through the veins of an effective leader no matter how many years he/she has walked the planet.

Neoteny often shows itself in an openness to change. The leader is willing to take a risk and possesses a sense of spontaneity. There is a hunger for knowledge and an enthusiastic zeal for new ideas and different perspectives on old procedures. A leader who is characterized by neoteny strives to maintain a teachable spirit and is determined to become a life-long learner. New experiences are sought and valued. The leader is often described by others as courageous, brave, and even daring. There is an eagerness to see what the sunrise brings. Every day is an exciting adventure ready to unfold like a new chapter in an exciting novel.

The second cool leadership word is transmogrify. This powerful verb means to change or transform. Bennis and Thomas (2002) place this term in the context of adversity - “One of the key differences between leaders and nonleaders, we found is the ability of leaders to transmogrify even the negatives in their lives into something that serves them” (p. 18). Transmogrify or the noun form, transmogrification is an impressive, multisyllabic term that basically reflects the common saying, “If life gives you lemon, make lemonade.”

So often life in the leadership lane provides curve balls, unexpected emergencies, wildfires, disappointments, discouragements, potholes, barriers, barricades, fences, walls, and squeaky wheels. Transmogrification is that incredible ability to turn the ugly into the beautiful, to paint the silver lining into the thundercloud, to fill the empty cup with the cool water of hope and excitement, to laugh at the grim, and smile in the face of adversity.

An effective leader has learned the lesson of staying young. Having the mindset of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys of Neverland can be such an asset. Striving for maturity and wisdom and at the same time refusing to grow-up can add adventure to stability, increase productivity through fun and camaraderie, and extend leadership longevity with a fresh outlook and creative ideation. Combine this neoteny with the mindset of transmogrification and the curve balls of life can be knocked out of the park; the emergencies that surprise us can be transformed into fantastic opportunities for service; and the wildfires of concern can be changed into flames of enthusiasm that will permeate the entire organization.

These two leadership vocabulary words are worth putting into my dictionary for everyday use.

Bennis, W.G. & Thomas, R.J. (2002) Geeks & geezers: How era, values, and defining moments shape leaders. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Leadership Class

I had the great opportunity to work with a group of homeschool students this year in the area of leadership. We got together a dozen times and discussed some of the principles and guidelines for effective leadership. It was a new experience for me because the students were middle schoolers (grades 5-8). I am more comfortable sharing about leadership with adults – I have even taught a class a couple of times involving high school students, but 11-14 year-olds was a stretch for me.

I was a little unsure of what to share and at what level the students might be able to comprehend the material. Obviously their experience is limited and most of them have not been CEOs of major organizations. Only the other hand all of them have responsibilities at home, relationships to build, opportunities for teamwork. One of the keys to effective leadership is displaying authenticity and making decisions with integrity - everyone (no matter what the age) can grow in character development.

I learned a lot during the 12 sessions. We met two times a month so the sessions extended over six months of the school year. Some of the ideas I tried went well – some bombed, but the students were always gracious and kind. I found them to be very intelligent and willing to learn. I was even amazed at times at how attentive they were. I found the students willing to enter discussions and share their perspectives. And their perspectives were filled with really good insights.

We played some games with leadership lessons at the core – teamwork, communication skills, creativity, and problem solving. I think they enjoyed the games most of all - they loved to be involved and active. We enjoyed an Amazing Race with newspapers, putting together a jigsaw puzzle with no picture as a guide, brainstorming a name for a new soft drink, and playing “follow the leader.” I found that prizes, particularly food, really helped motivate the class.

We tried to identify leaders just by pictures and realized that leadership is much more about character than it is about looks. We took an imaginary trip to the South Pole choosing to join either the Norwegian expedition or the British team based upon planning decisions made by the original groups that raced to the pole in 1913. One expedition won the race and retuned without a major injury; the other made it to the pole but all five explorers died on the return journey. We took another mental field trip to the Grand Canyon and considered the many decisions that needed to be made for a hike from rim to rim of God’s Canyon. Having made the trip last summer, I was also able to share some of the leadership lessons (and some photos) I learned from the adventure.

We talked a lot about positive and negative examples of leadership in the Bible: Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Saul, David, Zacchaeus, and Nehemiah. As a group, we discussed some models of effective leadership including John Wooden’s pyramid of effective leadership and Jim Laub’s model of servant leadership. Vision was a topic of discussion several times during our sessions. By examining the lives of some incredible people (Mozart, Wesley, Braille, and King Josiah) who developed vision early in life, the students hopefully gained an appreciation for what they are capable of doing at a young age. We also took some time to look at John Goddard’s list of 127 goals that he made at 15 years of age.

I ran out of time most weeks and I think I missed the target with some of my material, but I really enjoyed the experience.

The Leadership Prayer of Preparation Pt. 3

Nehemiah hears the news of Jerusalem’s difficulties. The broken walls turn his heart to sorrow and repentance. This godly leader mourns and fasts and prays to the powerful God of heaven. His prayer to the Sovereign One (Nehemiah 1:4-11) takes his mind to his sin, the sin of his father, and the sin of the nation. He confesses that sin and remembers the sobering promise of God, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples.” The Jewish people had experienced that scattering. Nehemiah finds himself in Persia because of the exile: the consequences of the unfaithfulness of Israel.

But Nehemiah focuses on the incredible patience and provision of God. Verse 9 of Chapter 1 begins with one of the most powerful and significant words in the English language – but. “I will scatter you, but…. The consequences are not irrevocable. The grace of God is boundless and His character yearns for reconciliation and restoration. “I will scatter you, but if you return to me…” If Israel turns away from their corruption, if the people return to God, if there is an about-face (a 180, a complete abandonment of disobedience), if they return, they will experience God’s hand upon their lives. To return obviously assumes that the relationship once existed; the covenant was established; the hand of blessing was extended. And now this promise of God holds the renewal of that communion.

“But, if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.” (Nehemiah 1:9 NIV)

Notice the two parts of the puzzle that define the turn of a man’s heart toward God. One, they must return; and two, they must keep the commandments. The first seems to be one of a heart response. The return to God is not restricted to a location. God is not asking for a pilgrimage to the temple or a journey into the desert in order to find Him – rather, he is asking for a heart change; a death, so to speak, to a selfish agenda and idols we set up in our lives. The second appears to focus on our attitudes and actions – obey the commands – from an attitude of rebellion to one of submission, from an attitude of independence to one of humble dependence on the great and awesome God. However, it is not enough to say the right words, feel the right emotions, and raise the hand of commitment. God is looking for action. The people must apply what they know. They must be willing to roll up the spiritual sleeves of life and repair the walls of the inner man. Man must take some steps of action in order to demonstrate (if just for himself) that his dedication, his heart, and his attitudes are genuine.

The promise of God is worth exploring – “I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen …” The fact that the Jews are back in Jerusalem is not an accident. God is gathering them back. God is pulling the remnant back to the capital city as a demonstration of His faithful love and restoration. Nehemiah is so confident that God is at work and that it is God’s desire that the walls of Jerusalem be repaired for His glory. It is the God of heaven that is gathering the people to Jerusalem, His place, the capital city of the chosen people of God. And notice as well that God is gathering them “to make my name dwell there.” The exile is over and the people are returning, not just to reestablish a government or to form a country, but to raise the name of God, and to declare His faithfulness, and to keep His commandments, and to glorify His awesome holiness.

Nehemiah closes his prayer with an acknowledgment and recognition of the Jews in Jerusalem – they are “your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.” These people belong to God – they are His people and his servants, ready to keep His commandments in heart, attitude, and action. They are people who have been redeemed. They are people who have experienced God’s great power and have seen His strong hand. They are a people ready to repent, repair, restore, and rebuild.

Nehemiah’s final words capture the petition of the prayer itself. He asks that God would be attentive to his prayer and the prayers of the people in Jerusalem, describing them in two significant ways. First, he calls them servants (both himself and the people). They are all ready to do His commandments; they are prepared for action; they are reporting for duty; and they are bowing their will to the will of the Redeemer. Second, he says that they are “servants who delight to fear your name.” They fear God because He is awesome, powerful, great, and transcendent. They find joy, contentment, strength, and peace in bowing before Him as the Master of all. The destiny of the nation, the future of the individual, and the glory of God’s name are all in the sovereign palm of His hand.

With all this in the front of his mind, Nehemiah makes his request of God. The second half of verse 11 reads, “give success to your servant today and grant him mercy in the sight of this man (the king).” Nehemiah wanted to be part of the rebuilding but he knew that without the blessing of the king, he would be powerless to the efforts occurring in the city. Nehemiah 2 finds the cupbearer (the servant of the earthly king) in the presence of the king but with the mission of God (his heavenly master) on the forefront of his thinking. The opportunity was right; God was about to grant him success and fill the meeting with incredible mercy and provision. Nehemiah’s prayer of preparation resulted in fantastic opportunities of leadership. The walls were still broken before him and the gates were still ablaze, but the awesome, great, and powerful God was about to gather him and bring him to the right place in order to proclaim His name above the nations.

How often my prayers lack the zeal and depth of Nehemiah. I hope that I can remember this passage and refer to it often as critical decision making comes across my desk. May my heart always be ready to keep His commandments and do them with integrity and with a servant’s attitude. The first step to effective leadership is prayer – the humble, submissive prayer of a servant in the presence of the Awesome God of heaven.

The Leadership Prayer of Preparation Pt 2

Nehemiah responds to the sad news about the disrepair of the walls of Jerusalem with tears and grief. His mourning for the city walls turns into a sincere prayer to God for His intervention into the nation’s turmoil.

“O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants…” (verses 5-6a).

Part 1 of this series focused on Nehemiah’s initial acknowledgement of the power and awesome character of the Lord, the God of heaven. Before I can move on to a second major aspect of the leadership prayer (confession), I need to mention a few more dynamic details of Nehemiah’s opening words. In addition to describing the Lord as the God of heaven, great and awesome, Nehemiah paints his picture of God with two other bright colors of significance – the color of covenant and the color of steadfast love.

God is a Being who keeps covenant. Covenant is a rich Old Testament word that brings with it the concepts of contract, promise, relationship, and trust. The rainbow is the sign of the covenant between God and Noah; circumcision – the sign of the Abrahamic covenant; the Ten Commandments – the sign of the Sinai covenant; the body and blood of Jesus – the sign of the New Covenant. When God makes a promise, He keeps the promise for all time and with complete faithfulness. Nehemiah will recount one of the promises of the Lord in verses 8-9.

God also keeps steadfast love with His people. I so appreciate and embrace the concept of steadfastness. Nothing can move something that is steadfast. It is a rock on which one can stand with utmost confidence; it is an anchor that cannot be dislodged; it is truth that cannot be rewritten; and it is the eternal flame that cannot be extinguished. God’s love for His people is inexhaustible, abundantly patient, unmovable and unchangeable.

However, notice the human element that impacts the divine covenants - the last part of verse 5: “God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.” God is faithful with those who love and obey Him. And as Shakespeare would say, “there’s the rub.” Nehemiah quickly confesses that he has sinned, his father’s house has sinned, and the people have sinned. Despite the reality of the failure of man, Nehemiah falls before the God of heaven, with a boldness of petition and yet a humility within his supplication. This godly man asks for the ear and eye of God to be attentive to his prayer – not because he is worthy, but because he is His servant.

Nehemiah is diligent, consistent, and perseverant in his time with God. He prays day and night for the people of Israel – this burden is not just an item on his prayer list – it is the prayer list. Israel has failed in its faithfulness to God. The nation has experienced a time of exile; a time away from the blessing of the God of heaven; a time of being scattered among the nations. They have experienced the consequences of their mistakes and have reaped the harvest of their disobedience. Nehemiah’s prayer is for a frail nation, a frail people, and a frail city and a frail leader.

This frailty of man brings us to the second aspect of this leader’s prayer – confession. In verse six, Nehemiah uses the term sin three times, emphasizing the failure of the nation and the sin of the individual. Verse 7 delineates the sin into specific areas: we (notice that Nehemiah, the leader, does not point fingers or cast blame onto the heads of others, but includes himself – we) have acted corruptly; we have not kept the commandments OR the statutes OR the rules that you have commanded Moses. The actions of the people were negative – they did what they were not to do – they acted corruptly. They also failed to do what they were supposed to do – the commands, statutes, and rules. They really blew it in both dimensions.

Nehemiah then asks God to remember a statement that He had made to Moses (like God is going to forget!) Verses 8-9 contain that statement. It is filled with bad news and good news. This post will stop with the bad news, but remember to finish the sentence into verse 9. (The next post will lift up this incredible, positive statement in hopes of encouraging every leader preparing to do great things for the Kingdom). But verse 8 contains the bad news:” If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the people.” Israel was unfaithful. Israel had sinned. Israel had been scattered. God was faithful to His word, His warning, His consequences. All that Nehemiah could do was to confess; all that every leader can do is to humbly confess his/her miscues, fall on his/her face admitting frailty and mistakes, and call sin, sin.

The first word of verse 9 is one of the most powerful three letter words in the English language, but. The bad news is bad, BUT…. Man is sinful, BUT…. You have been scattered, BUT…. The walls are broken, BUT… The enemy would have us stop at verse 8, BUT verse 9 must be read and applied and realized. The leadership prayer of preparation is not complete without it. Please come back and read the powerful conclusion of this wonderful prayer of a godly leader.

The Leadership Prayer of Preparation - Pt 1

Nehemiah receives the news of Jerusalem’s walls. They are broken down and the gates are aflame. This sobering report cascades down into the heart of the man and Nehemiah responds with tears, remorse, and deep emotion. He quickly moves to a place of solitude and pours his concerns before the God of solutions.

His initial prayer is recorded in Nehemiah chapter 1. Some of its power for me is found in the reality that this prayer of leadership is not uttered in the midst of construction, or in the middle of personnel conflicts, or in the heat of major decision making within the strategic plan. This prayer is earnestly offered before the opportunity of active leadership is on the horizon. This is a prayer of preparation – the agenda has not been crafted; the vision has not been created; the troops have not been formed; and the plan has not been drawn.

But this prayer (found in Nehemiah 1: 5-11) provides insights for leadership. There are some key concepts in Nehemiah’s prayer that I want to keep in mind as I enter every new day of ministry. In fact, there is so much in this prayer that I will have to use more than one submission to capture it all. But let’s listen in to Nehemiah’s personal and private conversation with God.

This godly leader begins, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants…” (verses 5-6a). Notice these initial words of Nehemiah echo with thoughts of adoration, worship, and acknowledgement.

This prayer begins by affirming the reality and nature of God Himself. I find myself praying more like this, “Lord, please listen to my prayer and help me in this situation.” But look at Nehemiah’s words: he begins by spending some time thinking about the character of God, reflecting on his incredible audience , and sharing the reason behind his confident petitions. He describes God as “Lord, God of heaven.” Two aspects of this salutation jump out to me. First is the idea of authority. Every leader needs to recognize that he/she is not in control; the leader does not own the power; the leader is not the ultimate authority. Every leader needs to bow their knee, will, mind, and position to the Sovereign One. The servant leader really serves God first, then the people…the transformational leader is only an instrument in the hand of the Great Transformer… the spiritual leader must be obedient to the Holy Spirit… and the steward leader is responsible to the Master for his/her use of resources.

Second, Nehemiah describes the Lord as the God of heaven (not earth). Even though the walls and gates of Jerusalem are on earth, the solution to their ruin lies in heaven. The problems and challenges of this temporal existence need to be addressed from a heavenly perspective. God’s ways are above man’s ways (Isaiah 55:8) and in order to reconcile some of man’s natural complexities, it takes supernatural insight and intervention. God is not restricted to earth; He is not bound by time; He is not restricted by earthly kings and human leadership; He is transcendent; He is Almighty; He is God of heaven.

Nehemiah continues his description of God with two adjectives – “the great and awesome God.” To say that God is great is like saying that the universe is big. It is such an understatement that the depth of its reality is lost in translation. Consider just a few aspects of God’s greatness (ways in which he completely transcends humanity; ways that reflect His divinity, aspects that are incommunicable, characteristics that are non-transferable): God is self-existent (Ps 36:9); God is eternal (Isa 57:15); God is unchangeable (James 1:17); God is omnipresent (Jer 23:24), omniscient (1 John 3:20), and omnipotent (Rev 19:6); God is perfect (Ps 18:30); God is infinite (Ps 40:5) and God is incomprehensible (Ps 145:3). God is truly amazing and personifies greatness.

I find that American have so cheapened the word “awesome” that this term can be used to modify just about anything…my awesome iPad… this ice cream is awesome …that movie was simply awesome. But reflecting on God greatness, I think His being defines the concept of awesome. To be in the presence of God would strike awe in the heart of any man; to hear the voice of the God of heaven would cause me to fall on my face in a spirit of awe; Nehemiah understands and acknowledges the awesome character of the One he follows.

Effective leadership finds stability and purpose when it begins with an acknowledgement of God’s presence in the situation, when it pauses to commit its impact to the Awesome God of heaven, and when it prepares itself for opportunity by seeking the ear and eye of the Holder of human history. May all who choose to lead, learn from Nehemiah’s approach to leadership preparation.

I have just dented the surface of Nehemiah’s thoughts, but this blog must be continued at a later time. The prayer of Nehemiah holds much more for those desiring to understand the example of this godly leader. More to come….

The People Puzzle

I had the opportunity to attend a workshop today for Christian school administrators. It was sponsored by the Ohio River Valley district of the Association of Christian Schools International. The keynote speaker for the conference was Phil Tuttle, President and CEO of Walk Thru the Bible Ministries. He shared four, one-hour sessions on the topic, “Solving the People Puzzle,” which focused on building stronger relationships.

The material was good; Phil's delivery was humorous and yet effective; and the personal insights gained were numerous. The content of this blog will not be an attempt to convey a summary of the workshops, but rather to share a few quotable quotes and nuggets of truth that I took away from the conference.

For example, as Phil was sharing about the importance of using our strengths within ministry, he referred to the satisfaction that we often experience when we are exercising our God-given gifts. Sometimes the expectations of a position or the requirements of certain responsibilities demand large amounts of time and energy. But, when we are doing what God has wired us to do, the fatigue that often accompanies the sacrifice is balanced by the impact of our effectiveness. Phil said, “There is a big difference between being tired in the work as opposed to being tired of the work.” I thought this insight was worth writing down – being tired in the work is an indicator that I am exactly where I should be....using the gifts I have been given in an optimal setting. Being tired of the work indicates just the opposite – being employed outside of my strengths... missing the sweet-spot where passion, gifts and opportunity come together.

A second nugget of gold was found during a discussion of leadership. Leaders that are determined to succeed and driven toward their vision listen with a unique set of ears. Phil shared that this type of leader hears the word no differently than others. When the determined leader hear that word, he/she has the following ear-set: “No doesn't mean no; it means keep talking.” I appreciate the resolve to which Phil was referring – that refusal to give up because someone has rejected your idea... the determination to continue striving even when the path takes a unexpected turn...the strengthening of the pace when the race gets difficult. Most leaders (if not every leader) have been rejected and told no. The key to success is often what the leader does with that discouragement.

Third, a rather humorous quote that I recorded today came in the midst of a discussion around the topic of complainers (parents or faculty or even students) who want the school to completely change a policy or procedure to meet his/her personal preference. Sometimes the comment is made like, “lots of us have been talking and we feel that ….” or “I think if you would survey the student body you would discover that ….” Phil shared that there were many times that he felt like saying to such people, “This school is not a democracy – it is an autocracy and I am Otto.” This is not the statement of a servant leader but I sure identify with the frustration that often accompanies trying to explain school culture to some stakeholders.

The fourth nugget was another quote. Phil was sharing about organizational skills and the value of attending to details; he also warned about the dangers of perfectionism. Wanting to be right and to do right and to provide quality within our schools is a strength for many leaders. But he challenged us to beware of overdoing the detail to the place of paralysis. He said, “Perfectionism is the thief of joy!” With this characteristic (perfectionism) flowing through my veins from time to time, this statement rang in my ears with the song of sobriety.

My final take-away from today's conference came from Phil's talk on confrontation. Confrontation is difficult for most people, but some leaders have more of an aversion to it than others. One leader that attempted to avoid tension and sidestep confrontation came to the conclusion that ignoring confrontation only lead to train wreaks and major explosions. So, this leader made it a habit to enter his office first thing in the morning and review the most difficult thing facing him that day... then he did that first, in order not to avoid the difficult tasks via the pitfall of procrastination.

All in all....a pretty productive day. Several concepts to contemplate....a few gems to treasure...a tool or two for the administrative kit...now all I have to do is remember them and apply then at the right time.

The Wall Builder's Burden

I am beginning a personal study into the life and leadership of the biblical character, Nehemiah. The account of Nehemiah's leadership takes place somewhere around 445-425 B.C. Nehemiah is a Jewish man who finds himself in the citadel of Susa in the empire of the Persians. He lives in Persia as a result of the exile of the Israelites into Babylon. Susa is the grand imperial residence of the Persian king and Nehemiah is the cupbearer to the king. The cupbearer, according to jewishvirtuallibrary.org, was “a high ranking royal official primarily in charge of serving wine to the king. Since he was close to the person of the king, who feared intrigue and the possibility of poisoned food, the cupbearer was required to be a man of irreproachable loyalty capable of winning the king's complete confidence.”

One day, news came concerning Jerusalem from a group of men who had recently visited the city. The news was sad:The wall of Jerusalem was broken and the gates had been burned with fire. This news greatly impacted Nehemiah. Verse 4 of chapter 1 of Nehemiah reads: “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days, I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

This short verse speaks volumes about the leadership qualities within this godly man. When Nehemiah heard the news, he had no position of authority; no power to change the situation in Israel; no resources or money to send that could rebuild the walls; and no immediate solution to repair the gates. But he did the six things that he was capable of doing.

First, he listened. He inquired of the men regarding the state of Jerusalem. And then he listened carefully to the report. He understood the great trouble that faced the Jewish remnant. He empathized with the disgrace that permeated the survivors. He was stunned by the brokenness of the city and the gates that blazed in destruction. Nehemiah listened with ears of deep understanding and a heart that reflected the brokenness of the walls. His listening went beyond the words of the report to the pain of its reality. The report crashed through his mind and lodged deep within his soul.

Second, Nehemiah nurtured his burden. He could not run from nor flee the heaviness of the news. He sat down and wept. Tears of sorrow and grief filled his life. The sadness became personal, the news hit home, and the reality of the burden became inescapable. Rather, the walls of Jerusalem dominated his thinking and the urgency of the situation burned in his inner being.

Third, Nehemiah engaged his emotions. He wept for the city. He response went beyond sorrow. The mental assent to the difficulties facing the city reached a transformational point as the emotions of the leader engaged the reality of the disgrace. Nehemiah could not let it go...he could not forget the news and go about life as usual...he could not just ignore the broken walls.

Fourth, this godly leader experienced personal loss. He owned the tragedy. Not only did he weep but he mourned for the city. In his mind's eye he could see Jerusalem dying and he experienced the dark grief of failure. Along with the mourning came a fifth element: he fasted. He was so distraught that he separated himself from food in order to concentrate on the power of God. He was deeply committed to knowing God's will and design for the situation.

The sixth action of Nehemiah is the climax of his response: he prayed before the God of heaven. This activity demonstrates Nehemiah's complete dependence on his God. Nehemiah did not have the solution; he did not have the means to bring about change; but he did know the One who could transform the situation into victory. His prayer is powerful and to the point. His prayer is filled with humility and confession. It is so significant – I encourage you to read it in Nehemiah 1:5-11. I hope to write more about the prayer in a future blog.

As most of you may know, Nehemiah is able to address King Artaxerxes and is given the opportunity to travel to Jerusalem to provide leadership in rebuilding the walls. But before we travel with him to Israel, let me make one other quick note. In Nehemiah 2:1 we see this godly man before the king. It is in the month of Nisan. This is four months after the initial news of Jerusalem had reached his ears. Note two things: 1) Nehemiah's burden was real, and deep, and long-lasting. This was not a temporary sadness or a short-term concern. This was a strong burden that would not be satisfied or appeased. This was a burden that he carried for many days. 2) Nehemiah did not receive quick relief from the heaviness. Instead of finding the answer quickly, he had to wait on the perfect timing of the Sovereign One. Leaders do not always have quick answers to the burdens of life. Deep concerns often involve closed doors and seemingly impossible solutions.

Just some leadership questions.... How well do I listen? Is my soul burdened with the urgency of walls that need to be rebuilt? Is it only my head, or is my heart engaged in the mission of my calling? When was the last time I wept for the burning gates around me? Is the deep commitment characterized by fasting part of my burden? Am I patiently praying; confidently trusting; and passionately awaiting God's open door of opportunity? Such is the mindset of Nehemiah's leadership.

Leadership from Reality TV – The Amazing Race

The Biggest Loser is in week 10 of the new season; Survivor has aired four episodes; The Amazing Race has completed week three. Being the reality TV nut that I am, I have watched with eyes toward leadership. Let me share a few insights so far. This post – The Amazing Race

The Biggest Loser keys in on the diligence and self-control of the contestants; the core of Survivor is team dynamics; and the central theme of The Amazing Race is decision making under pressure. The RACE is a wonderful reality show that reveals so many lessons in leadership as immense tension and anxiety are placed upon the teams in their efforts to finish the race in first place. The first three episodes of this season have eliminated three teams – all of which made critical errors in navigating the adventure.

Even in the initial leg of this race around the world, teams were faced with huge decisions that determined their effectiveness. Three keys, that seem to surface in just about every episode, reigned supreme in this premiere installment: 1) the awareness of one's surroundings, 2) specific attention to details, and 3) the correct interpretation of clues. All three of these elements are integral to good decision making within an organization.

The team that lost this first leg of the race and found themselves eliminated so quickly, had the finish line within their line of sight, but failed to look in the right direction. Instead, they turned their backs on the goal line and walked away from victory. The host of the show, Phil Keoghan, could see the contestants as they made the wrong decision and left the area only a stone's throw away from the pit stop.

Attention to detail cost several teams valuable time in the race. At one juncture in the game, each team had to make 120 empanada. However, several teams missed the detail that there were two distinct kinds of empanada to be made (60 of each) and each required a specific dough crimping pattern. After making 120 of the same kind, some couples realized that half of their effort was in vain. This same principle raised its ugly head during episode two when a very confused team failed to look at a picture on the side of the box while attempting to construct a solar dish – the picture was the only instructions provided in putting this project together.

Accurate interpretation of the directions of the game is critical for success. One team failed to bring their bags to a task - they left them at the taxi location. After completing the final challenge and getting the instruction to find the pit stop on foot, this team had to retrace their steps back to the taxi and gather their bags, losing valuable time.

In addition to these three keys to success in The Amazing Race, one underlying principle enables some teams to rise to the surface of victory: the ability to maintain a sense of calm in the midst of great pressure and deep frustration. Keeping your cool under unforeseeable circumstances can be the difference between victory and defeat. Episode two involved a bus breakdown moving several teams from the middle of the pack to the last group of players. It was interesting to see the reaction of the different teams (from panic to patience) as each dealt uniquely with a curve ball from left field.

Maintaining control under the pressure of the race is by far the most interesting part of this show for me. Pressure does not build character – it reveals character. The pressures of the game often cause team members to yell at each other, cry in frustration, enter into times of panic as they lose perspective, and become overwhelmed with despair and discouragement. The self-imposed pressure to complete the road block, to solve the clues, to get ahead, and to finish first sometimes derails a team to the point of tears, or anger or even giving up.

Episode three presented teams with two very difficult challenges to choose from – stringing a harp or stacking 100 watermelons. Many of the teams struggled at accomplishing the task they had chosen and had to decide if they wanted to switch tasks and try the alternative challenge. Emotions ran high as teams struggled to know when to persevere and when to change activities.

So many of these concepts have lessons for today's leaders. First, being keenly aware of the environment, paying close attention to the details of the organization, and interpreting the clues to success that are all around us are certainly important aspects to providing effective leadership. Second, maintaining control and keeping a cool head in the midst of pressure often defines a leader's impact – avoiding panic, frustration, and anger enables a leader to sustain proper balance and a positive perspective on the priorities of the mission. Third, the ability to rest and relax in the middle of a situation that is out of one's control, provides a leader with an advantage over those who fret or worry or try to fix someone else's problem with an irrelevant solution.

Leadership from Reality TV - Survivor

The Biggest Loser is in week 10 of the new season; Survivor has aired four episodes; The Amazing Race has completed week three. Being the reality TV nut that I am, I have watched with eyes toward leadership. Let me share a few insights so far. This post – Survivor

Survivor – One World (Season 24). This season's game is starting out as a competition of men against women. I wasn't sure that I was even going to tune in this season – I did a quick preview before the February start. The characters did not seem very interesting and most of the contestants appeared to be jaded and morally neutral or negative. I decided to watch a few episodes before deciding my viewing commitment. After four installments, my concerns have been realized, but the dynamics of the personal relationships has piqued my interest once again.

Several leadership lessons have surfaced quickly and I am confident that the show will continue to provide negative examples of poor leadership.

Episode one captured the women's tribe (Salani) filled with animosity and chaos. A “cat fighting” attitude permeated the tribe and rendered them powerless and confused. During their first immunity challenge, Courtney injured her wrist (a severe break) and had to leave the game. No other team member had to eliminated from the tribe, but tension and harsh words were exchanged among the women. Week two was not any better for the Salani tribe. They lost the second immunity challenge demonstrating a lack of organization, coordination, teamwork and leadership. Alliances within the tribe clearly defined themselves and the majority of the women voted out one of the older members of the team.

Leadership Lesson: Teams often go through a standard sequence of emotions. This reminds me of an older article by Bruce Tuckman (1965) who first came up with the memorable description of team dynamics: "forming, storming, norming and performing" as he explained the path to high-performance teamwork. Teams initially go through a "forming" stage in which members are positive and polite. In this episode of Survivor this stage was incredibly quick. While the women were walking to their campsite they were already forming alliances and separating themselves into groups. As Tuckman (1965) would suggest, some members of the team are anxious, as they hadn't yet worked out exactly what the game was all about. While others were simply excited about the task ahead. As the tribes arrived on the island and I listened to the initial conversations, these are exactly the ideas being expressed.

Soon, reality set in and the tribe moved into a "storming" phase. Members of Salani began to jockey for position and authority. They desperately tried to clarify their roles and find out how to relate to one another. Some of the ladies began to feel overwhelmed while others became uncomfortable with the approach being used within the group. This is the stage, according to Tuckman (1965) when many teams fail, and even those that stick with the task may feel that they are on an emotional roller coaster. Many in the tribe became very frustrated as they tried to focus on the challenges at hand. There was no support of established processes and their relationships with their tribe members became fractured and fragile.

Episode three brought major change to the game. The women won both an awards challenge and immunity sending the men to tribal council. Stability began to materialize. The tribe selected a leader and team confidence began to build. They entered into the next stage: "norming," as a hierarchy was established; team members began to respect one another; and goals were accomplished.

Tuckman (1965) notes that there is often a prolonged overlap between storming and norming behavior: as new tasks come up, the team may lapse back into the typical storming-stage behavior, will need to work through periods of disagreement, and will often experience times of unproductive behavior. This explains Week 4, as again, the women began to self-destruct and point fingers at each other for the failure to win immunity. Fortunately for Salani, the men's tribe (Manono) imploded. After a strong start, the men began to plot and plan and form strong alliances. One the members (Leif) betrayed his alliance and caused the tribe to make Survivor history – they gave their team immunity to the women and chose to go to tribal council and vote out one of their tribe members. The crazy part was that they did not vote out Leif but blindsided another player, Bill. This crazy twist is too involved for this blog posting. Maybe another day....

The final stage of teamwork is called "performing." The group begins to work hard toward shared goals that are supported by the structures and processes that have been set up. In the game of Survivor, this stage is rarely reached and if it is, it is most difficult to maintain for any extended period of time. Tribe members are having to vote colleagues off the island causing extreme angst and frustration.

This is a great reality show to study the dynamic of teamwork.

Another great insight from Survivor involves the application of the Leader-Member Exchange, but that is the subject for another blog....

Tuckman, Bruce W. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399.

Leadership from Reality TV - TBL

The Biggest Loser is in week 10 of the new season; Survivor has aired four episodes; The Amazing Race has completed week three. Being the reality TV nut that I am, I have watched with eyes toward leadership. Let me share a few insights so far. This post – The Biggest Loser.

I have already posted a few times on this year's season of The Biggest Loser (season 13). But one of the Biggest Insights (or should I say Blunders) in the last few weeks falls on the head of one of the trainers, Bob. In week 7, one player from the black team (Daphne) became quite upset when her brother was voted off the ranch by his team (the red team). The next week, she found herself in a one-on-one competition with Conda, a vocal member of the red team and the major voice in eliminating her brother.

Bob, the coach of the black team, used these bad feelings to motivate his player (Daphne) to beat her counterpart (Conda). He not only acknowledged and encouraged her attitudes of revenge, he also fed the flames of her vendetta in every training session. Daphne's constant thought was to lose more weight than Conda so that she could rub it in her face when they both stood upon the scale. At the weigh-in, she accomplished her goal - she defeated Conda, forcing the black team to vote out one of their team members (they chose to send Roy home).

The next week - each member of both teams is faced with a temptation to eat sweets. The player who decides to eat the most calories, wins the opportunity to mix up the teams any way he/she chooses. Daphne see this as a way to control the game so she eats a large number of calories and manages to win the challenge. The realignment of the teams was supposed to be anonymous, but it did not take long for the players to figure out who made the changes.

Daphne chose to change only Conda and her brother. Conda moved from the red team to the black team and her brother, Jeremy, flipped from the black to the red team. I cannot understand Daphne's strategy other than an attempt to frustrate Conda and throw her exercise program off kilter with another trainer. Every member of both teams resented the changes and failed to see the rationale for the switch. In my opinion, it was just a continuation of Daphne's negative attitudes of revenge.

Then, Daphne is confronted and asked if she was the person to mixed up the teams. She denies her involvement and ends up adding lies to her misjudgment, resulting in her alienation even from her own team. At the end of the week, black lost the weigh-in and Daphne was unanimously voted off the ranch. Emotions were high and bad feelings prevailed. And, in my opinion, it all transpired because Bob did not address the destructive attitude of revenge in Daphne's thinking. Bob had lost the opportunity to bring healing into Daphne's experience two weeks earlier; and then had the lack of insight by blaming Daphne for “losing control of the situation” and “making poor choices.” Bob's lack of leadership as the trainer really backfired in the life of one of his followers.

Revenge is never appropriate for a leader. “Pay back” always results in self-destruction. Anger, that buries itself in a vendetta or grows deep with the roots of bitterness, will one day bring forth a harvest of words that will bleed with poison, wounds that will destroy the character of the embittered, emotional hardness that will calcify the heart, and spiritual drought that will not be satisfied. “Getting even” is never pleasing. “Striking back” ends up causing self-inflicted injuries that can be devastating to one's physical, emotional, social, and spiritual health.

Revenge is natural; forgiveness is supernatural......Getting even is man's way; blessing is God's way....Pay back is so much easier than restoration. Christ followers are called to supernatural responses as we die to our human nature and become alive to the power of God in our lives.

I Peter 3:9 “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you are called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

The List of a Visionary

I have written often of the importance of vision in the life of leadership. The Bucket List is a movie about two terminally ill men who escape from a cancer ward a vision of completing a wish list of to-dos before they die. But, John Goddard (pictured to the left), a real-live individual who stands at the top of my list of forward thinking visionaries. He composed his bucket-list at age 15. One rainy afternoon in 1940, he sat down at his kitchen table with a yellow legal pad. He decided to make a list of life goals – he ended up listing 127 specific goals to accomplish in life. Many of the targets were not simple or easy goals. They included climbing the world's major mountains, exploring the longest rivers of the world, flying the world's fastest aircraft, and reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. Now, over seven decades later, he has fulfilled 109 of these quests.

According to his personal website,(http://www.johngoddard.info/), Goddard was “the first man in history to explore the entire length of the world's longest river, the Nile, in a 4,160 mile expedition which the L. A. Times called 'the most amazing adventure of this generation.'" He also became the first man to explore the entire length of the Congo. John climbed the Matterhorn in a raging blizzard; established numerous records as a civilian jet pilot; visited 120 countries, and studied 260 primitive tribes; Goddard has been bitten by a rattlesnake, almost drowned twice in running rapids, charged by an elephant, experienced several earthquakes and was trapped in quicksand.

John graduated from the University of Southern California with a majors in anthropology and psychology. He has researched obscure cultures and learned many global languages. He currently lives in California with his wife and two of his five children. Goddard used his list not as motivation to seek frivolous thrills, but rather to pursue experiences that would achieve a worthwhile end.

Just to give you a quick look at some of the items, I will provide an abbreviated list. For a complete list of his goals check out his website.

On the following list, a check mark indicate a successful completion and an “x” marks a failure to finish the task (so far!) John wanted to explore, so his list is filled with places to explore:

EXPLORE:

Nile River(√) Amazon River (√) Congo River (√)


Colorado River (√) Yangtze River, China (x) Niger River (x)


Orinoco River, Venezuela (x) Rio Coco, Nicaragua (√)

STUDY PRIMITIVE CULTURES IN:

The Congo (√) New Guinea (√) Brazil (√) Borneo (x)

The Sudan (√) Australia (√) Kenya (√) The Philippines (√)


Tanganyika (√) Ethiopia (√) Nigeria (√) Alaska (√)

CLIMB:

Mt. Everest (x) Mt. Aconcagua, Argentina (x) Mt. McKinley (x)

Mt. Hauscaran, Peru (√) Mt. Kilimanjaro (√) Mt. Ararat, Turkey (√)

Mt. Kenya (√) Mt. Cook, New Zealand (x) Mt. Popocatepetl, Mexico (√)

The Matterhorn (√) Mt. Rainier (√) Mt. Fuji (√)

Mt. Vesuvius (√) Mt. Bromo, Java (√) Grand Tetons (√)

PHOTOGRAPH

Iguacu Falls, Brazil (√) Victoria Falls, Rhodesia (√) Sutherland Falls, New Zealand (√)


Yosemite Falls (√) Niagara Falls (√)


Retrace travels of Marco Polo and Alexander the Great (√)

EXPLORE UNDERWATER:

Coral reefs of Florida (√) Great Barrier Reef, Australia (√) Red Sea (√)

Fiji Islands (√) The Bahamas (√)

VISIT:

North and South Poles (x) Great Wall of China (√) Panama and Suez Canals (√)

Easter Island (√) The Galapagos Islands (√) Vatican City (saw the Pope) (√)

The Taj Mahal (√) The Eiffel Tower (√) The Blue Grotto (√)

The Tower of London (√) The Leaning Tower of Pisa (√)

Climb Ayers Rock in Australia (√) Follow River Jordan from Sea of Galilee to Dead Sea (x)

SWIM IN:

Lake Victoria (√) Lake Superior (√) Lake Tanganyika (√)

Lake Titicaca, S. America (√) Lake Nicaragua (√)

ACCOMPLISH:

Become an Eagle Scout (√) Dive in a submarine (√)

Land on and take of from an aircraft carrier (√) Fly in a blimp, balloon and glider(√)

Ride an elephant, camel, ostrich and bronco (√) Skin dive to 40 feet (√)

Catch a ten-pound lobster (√) Play flute and violin (√)

Type 50 words a minute (√) Make a parachute jump (√)

Learn water and snow skiing (√) Go on a church mission (√)

Become a ham radio operator (x) Build own telescope (√)

Write a book (On Nile trip) (√) High jump five feet (√)

Broad jump 15 feet (√) Run mile in five minutes (√)

Perform 200 sit-ups and 20 pull-ups (√) Learn to fence (√)

Teach a college course (√) Watch a cremation ceremony in Bali (√)

Read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica (x) Read the Bible from cover to cover (√)

Explore depths of the sea (√) Appear in a Tarzan movie (x)

Own a horse, chimpanzee, cheetah, ocelot, and coyote (yet to own a chimp or cheetah) (x)

Bag camera trophies of elephant, lion, rhino, cheetah, buffalo and whale (√)

Visit birthplace of Grandfather Sorenson in Denmark (√)

Visit birthplace of Grandfather Goddard in England (√)

Study dragon lizards on Komodo Island (Boat broke down within 20 miles of island) (x)

Compose music (√) Play Clair de Lune on the piano (√)

Light a match with .22 rifle (√) Visit a movie studio (√)

Climb Cheops’ pyramid (√) Learn to play polo (√)

Circumnavigate the globe (four times) (√) Visit the moon (“Someday, if God wills”) (x)

Marry and have children (√) Live to see the 21st century (√)

Travel through the Grand Canyon on foot and by boat (√)

Milk a poisonous snake (bitten by diamondback during photo session) (√)

What an amazing list and what an incredible number of accomplishments in this man's life!

John has written a couple of books. One is Kayaks down the Nile. I have reserved it at the library and will give you a review when I finish reading of his adventures.

Photo of John found on his website www.johngoddard.info/

Seven Principals of Success

Let me take an opportunity in this blog to quickly share seven reasons why my job is so exiting and rewarding. These seven reasons vary greatly and can only be explained by sharing some of the differences between them. These sources of excitement are people – they are the seven principals that I work with every day. I work with three separate schools, each of which has a set of principals that provide outstanding leadership to their faculty and staff.

Because of a major shift in the structure of our organization during this past school year, four of the seven principals find themselves in brand new positions. These fours are now completing their first full school year as principals, although all of them have been part of the system in some other role. It has been special to see these leaders come to the plate and suit up into the uniform of the principalship. The new clothes fit them well and they have filled big shoes without missing a step.

Both of the high school principals are new, as is the only assistant high school principal in the system. One of these new principals is Brent - a teacher in the system and an assistant high school principal for several years. His transition to the principalship was seamless as he worked closely with the retiring principal the last half of the 2010-2011 school year. He has brought with him innovated ideas and a zeal for excellence. His love for technology has brought many new ways of assessment, curriculum presentation, creative parent communication, and faculty motivation. He is a blue chipper and a top shelf administrator.

Not only having a new principal in Brent, the school was faced with a transition for his old position – assistant principal. After much prayer and consideration, the perfect replacement was found. Jenny brings a sense of freshness and yet experience to the office; she was a former faculty member that had the respect and admiration of her colleagues; she possesses a common zeal with Brent for technology and a thirst for excellence both academically and spiritually. How important it is for the principal and the assistant to be on the same page. These two seem to write every other word on each line of the page. There is a balanced, sharing of responsibility - Brent and Jenny provide a united front that creates a stability and confidence needed at the high school level.

The other high school in the system also has a new principal, Joe. Joe took over the reigns of the school in January of 2011. Joe is very effective as a leader although he provides oversight in a much different approach than Brent. Joe's sensitivity for people and his desire for a family-oriented culture allows him to use his giftedness in unique ways. His easy going personality and calming effect in the midst of tension has enabled him to bring a sense of peace to the faculty, students and parents. He is able to delegate responsibility to others and provide them with proper empowerment to get the job done. Joe grants trust and builds trust in others.

The fourth new principal is the head of our homeschool program. Tara is the least experienced of the new principals but she has such a teachable spirit and wonderfully contagious enthusiasm for what she is doing. I have been amazed to see her growth as a professional. Her confidence has risen...her direction has sharpened...her vision has focused... and her passion for homeschooling has increased. Her drive toward excellence is exciting to watch and her humility makes her such a joy to be around. The homeschool parents appreciate her, the homeschool students love her, and the homeschool coordinators respect her. I am expecting her program to explode with additional enrollment in the coming year.

Three veteran principals serve in the system. They provide a great sense of history and a platform of stability on which we continue to build toward the fulfillment of our mission. Rita, who is retiring after this school year, has been an elementary principal for many years at one of the campuses. Her expertise in early childhood education has laid a foundation of leadership that will last for years to come. Her understanding of preschool requirements and regulations has resulted in a strong feeder program for the K-12 system. Her wealth of experience and professional background brings a richness to the administrative table.

Natalie also serves as an elementary principal in the system. Having formerly served as an elementary teacher in her building, she brings such a tender heart for the classroom. She understands and empathizes with the day-to-day challenges that face her faculty members. Her heart beats for the students that enter the doors of the school every day. Natalie possesses such a keen sense of fairness and her demeanor always reflects her balance between discipline and mercy... between rules and grace...between structure and exception. Her boat is always ship-shape, but her sails are continually filled with the fresh air of enthusiasm and cooperation.

Rich, the middle school principal, has been part of the school system for over 30 years. He has a deep love for his teachers and tries to bring their perspective into every discussion we hold at an administrative level. He possesses those special qualities that one must have in order to work with middle school students: a strange sense of humor, a genuine love for the pre-adolescent mind, patience that is measured in gallons, and a consistency of law-enforcement mixed with large doses of encouragement.

These seven reasons (Brent, Jenny, Tara, Joe, Rita, Natalie and Rich) are part of why my job is so exiting and rewarding. They are my friends, my co-workers, my colleagues and my kindred spirits. I am so happy to run the race with these great people. So many of the qualities of excellent leadership are found in these seven principals.

Santorum's Visit

I had an interesting experience today. One of the Republican presidential hopefuls, Senator Rick Santorum, came to my school as part of his campaign in Ohio. He spoke in our cafeteria and many of our students were able to hear his message of hope and encouragement. I was invited to sit on the platform and hear his speech. I enjoyed his presentation and found his positions quite interesting. But, I enjoyed even more the activity surrounding the visit.

I was entertained by the various dignitaries trying to impress those around them with their importance. I had been given a seat on the platform… in the front row… right behind the podium (a chair that I would have happily given to someone with more interest than I). As I sat there waiting for the event to begin, I thought to myself how thankful I am not to be politics.

The cameras were all in place, the lights were focused on the stage, the crowd was enthusiastic, the secret service men/women were straight-faced and alert, and mood was electric. I was, however, rather irritated with the media – about half way through the Senator’s message, they crawled on hands and knees in front of the first row in order to get close up photos (the lenses on those cameras could capture the nose hairs of a fly from 50 yards away). I felt they were distracting and rude.

I was fascinated by the secret service personnel. There are somewhat like the guard at Buckingham Palace that are not allowed to smile or interact with people. Their faces mirrored a total concentration on the crowd and the eyes of the agents constantly moved, piercing the multitude for strange movement or unusual gestures.

Prior to Senator Santorum’s address, several individuals provided some words of endorsement. One of the speakers was a sheriff of a neighboring country. The major point in his passionate exhortation was that Rick was committed to protecting our borders… how this sheriff had visited the borders several times and how many of the US residence at the borders are afraid to leave their homes… how we need a candidate who will keep our borders strong. As a sheriff in Ohio, I wasn’t sure if he meant the border between Ohio and West Virginia or between Ohio and Kentucky. I am not trying to minimize the difficulties we have with national border security, I just thought it was strange that a local police official was making such a heartfelt appeal on this topic.

Senator Santorum had many good things to say about the values I hold as important. He shared about family and the need for solid homes in America. He did not give explanation for his family’s absence at the event, although there were four chairs reserved for them on the platform just down the row from where I was seated. His words seemed genuine and his position well founded…I would have just liked to have seen his family at his side.

I was impressed with his words of leadership as he addressed some of the critical issues facing our great land: the Economy and Taxation, Healthcare, and International Relationships. He expounded upon the importance of vision and the leader’s ability to see the realities of the present. He made some promises and announced some plans that sound encouraging and positive.

No campaign speech is complete these days without slamming the opponent. The current President was the topic of negative comments and Mitt was mentioned in the context of his weaknesses. I have heard so much worse in political speeches and the amount of mud and dirt that was slung was less than I anticipated. I appreciate, however, a candidate who shares his/her beliefs, positions, plans and dreams without having to slam the ideas of others.

This is not meant to be a political blog nor am I trying to raise the banner of any candidate in this writing. But, the experience of being part of the event was quite interesting. The school had a difficult decision to make in housing the event. It was not designed to be a political endorsement but rather an exposure of the democratic process to our students. Allowing them to be “up-close-and-personal” with a national figure and to experience a “live” political speech, gave them a memory not soon to be forgotten that made the whole political process personal and relevant. For this, I applaud the school’s initiative.

Margin

Building margin into one’s life is critical as a leader; but I have found myself struggling with this imperative. During this past week, the tyranny of the urgent has dominated my schedule. All of the activities that have filled my calendar have been good, beneficial, positive events, but the accumulation of all the tasks, appointments, commitments, responsibilities, and demands has eliminated any real time to relax, to think, to enjoy my home, to communicate with my wife, or even to reflect on the significance of the busyness. So many hats were required this week – the fireman’s helmet was needed to address several burning emergences; the counselor’s fedora was required in dealing with several sensitive issues; the speaker’s beret was worn when leading staff devotions; the hat of the musician was donned for evening rehearsals; and the cap of discussion was firmly in place for a series of meetings that seemed like a revolving door from whistle to whistle. Meals were rushed, sleep was less than normal, and fatigue was a close friend.

I wish I could say that this kind of week was a rarity due to my careful discipline not to overextend my commitments. However, like a boy looking at a box of doughnuts, my involvement eyes are so much bigger than my calendar stomach. My inability to say “no” is only eclipsed by my lack of common sense. George the Pig (one of my favorite books from childhood) ate so many doughnut that he exploded (rather violent – but I laughed and laughed at that book as a little boy). Sadly, I have grown up to be that pig, sometimes. My commitments can tend to crush me – no matter how good the doughnuts might taste.

One of the important roles in my professional position is to fly above the trees in an attempt to view the mission from the 30,000 foot level. Thinking ahead and spending time in long-range planning is critical for the health of the organization. This week, I failed to get much above the bottom branches. Sometimes I was crashing into the tree trunks and doing hand-to-hand combat with the squirrels. I felt a little like Charlie Brown in the musical, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” who tried but couldn’t get his kite in the air. During a recent jog around the neighborhood, I saw three little siblings trying to get their kite to catch the breeze. In my short run past their house, they had managed to get the kite up about ten feet only to have it crash into the tree in the front yard. As I continued to jog, I contemplated my failed attempts to rise above branches.

Margin…. Breathing room…. Space to stretch…. Time to think…. A moment for meditation…. Intentional gaps built into the day that allow for reflection, reading, and refueling; imagination, ideation, and “iPad”ing; projecting, planning, and playing… without these respites the calendar becomes a curse, the schedule becomes the slave-master, and the details of life destroy the dreams of the leader.

I really enjoy my study Bible that has wide margins. As I read the Scripture and a good insight floods my mind, I jot down that thought in the margin. Being able to write down my idea right beside the passage helps me to remember that insight the next time I visit that page of truth. This needs to be the picture of my day-to-day experience - having enough margin to write down insights instead of zooming from one meeting to the next without enough time to process the first one. By the end of a series of appointments, the day seems more like a blur than several significant points of accomplishment.

The week is over. May I take some time to learn. May I take some time to guard against kind of crush in the future. May I take some time to ensure margin. Oooop’s…. I forgot…. got to go, catch you soon!