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Leading from Vision Rather Than Reaction

Leadership by Reaction
And now, Geometry. That was the new subject in my friend’s sixth grade class. His teacher, Mrs. Smith, walked slowly through the class. She stopped behind my friend and asked a geometry question, “What do you call two points on a line?”

Like myself and many of you, he responded, “I don’t know.”

Whack!!! Mrs. Smith took the paddle that she carried around with her and whacked him in the head with it.

Now did he know? Of course not. All he knew at that point was that he did not like Geometry or Mrs. Smith.

Mrs. Smith’s method of leadership is ludicrous, but that’s often how we try to lead. People aren’t doing what we want them to and then, whack! We respond in a way that demands people change immediately. We react by by attacking, withdrawing, or complaining. It is leadership by reaction.

When we lead by reaction, our leadership helps people move forward with about as much efficacy as Mrs. Smith’s whack on the back of the head moved my friend to new knowledge. It’s good to want people to be in a better place, but leadership by reaction is often not based on thought or reality.

Everybody has people or communities that they want to see in a better place. The trouble is that so often we pursue it by simply reacting.

Is there a better way? Absolutely there is.

The Alternative: Leadership from Vision
It’s called leadership from vision. It begins with a vision of where people could and should be. This type of leader then chooses the path that will be the best route to help people get where they need to be. Then, the leader helps people walk that path through teaching, examples, steps, and encouragement.

Take the story of Mike Lanza. Lanza remembered kids playing outside together when he was young, and he thought this was a better place for kids to be than what he saw around him. Like many of us, he was concerned about the amount of time kids spent in front of screens. Continue reading “Leading from Vision Rather Than Reaction”

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5 Reasons Churches Should Talk a Lot More About Leadership

Leadership is extremely important. Few things happen in this world without it. We all recognize this. For example, when our favorite sports team is not doing well, who do we blame? The coach. Then, the team ends up hiring a new coach. People are excited . . . or worried. Why? Because leadership matters.

So, if the church is concerned about making people better and making this world a better place to the glory of God, then it should teach on leadership. However, I’ve seen mixed reactions to instruction on leadership. Here are a few of the objections/comments I have received to teaching on leadership. I put my answer next to it and then the positive reason for teaching on leadership in the church.

Reason # 1: Leadership is an inescapable part of the human way of life created by God.

1. Objection: Leadership is a secular topic. Answer: I do not call secular that which belongs to normal human life. It is part of God’s created order. Just as work, marriage, and education are part of life, so leadership is part of life. All of these are part of God’s creation. Faith in God and His Word reorients our way of thinking about all of life, including leadership. If God exists and created this world in which leadership matters so much, then we would expect that He would have something to say about it.

Reason # 2: We all do have and should have people we want to lead to a better place.

2. Objection: I’m not a leader. Answer: people often think of leadership in terms of a leadership position such as a boss, teacher, or pastor. However, leadership is a broader concept than that. We are leading someone whenever we want to influence people to move to a place where they could and should be. Anytime we are concerned about people’s behavior or character and want to see it changed, this involves leadership. Anytime we are concerned about a community, group, or individual, this is an opportunity for leadership. In addition, we not only are already seeking to lead, but we ought to have concern about the people around us and want to see them in a better place. This is our just duty. Continue reading “5 Reasons Churches Should Talk a Lot More About Leadership”

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5 Articles on the State of the World This Week (1/1-1/7)

The battle over the Speaker of the House may cause us consternation, but it is not necessarily a bad thing. Democracy is tumultuous, and that is often its strength. Through hashing out ideas comes clarity. As Dominic Pino argues, “In the House, those arguments are supposed to be raucous.”

Where do you find the biggest pyramids in the world? In Central America, actually, including the largest, “La Danta”. Now, archeologists are using new technology to uncover our “American Egypt” that has lain buried under the jungle for centuries. Read about it here.

61% of Americans don’t get enough calcium. Part of that is it takes a lot of food rich in calcium to get what they need. Read here about some surprising ways to get and not get calcium, including coffee and alcohol!

Want to be encouraged? Read this list of 10 beautiful acts of kindness from 2022, including when famed chef Gordan Ramsey was substitute chef for a day at an English middle school.

Looking for some good movies that may be a bit different than what you are used to? Try this list of the top 5 movies from the writers of Mexico News Daily. Plus, in the same article, you can see five more places to visit in Mexico, one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world, with seemingly endless opportunities for culture, natural beauty, and food.

Photo by ElevenPhotographs on Unsplash

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5 News Articles on the State of the World (Dec. 25–31)

Beginning this week, I want to share five news articles that I found interesting. These are articles from all over the world that are generally not the main things covered in the U.S. news. Here’s the articles with a few comments.

1. 8 Reasons for Optimism in Ukraine – There are some reasons for pessimism and a lot of challenges ahead, but there’s also a lot of reasons for optimism. Brian Mefford from the Atlantic Council explains. He says that Ukraine should not be underestimated: “A country that came through the horrors of the 1930s Holodomor terror famine and the brunt of the fighting on the apocalyptic Eastern Front during World War II should never be underestimated. And yet that is exactly what Russia did.”

2. The amount of uninsured in America has dropped from 16% in 2010 to 8% today. – Obamacare is an ongoing experiment, but it seems to be succeeding in reducing the number of uninsured. Continue reading “5 News Articles on the State of the World (Dec. 25–31)”

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No More Wasted Years: In Defense of New Year’s Resolutions

Thanksgiving gives us an opportunity to see the good of the past year. Christmas enables us to see a source of joy that transcends our circumstances. New Year’s offers a fresh start. We’ve got a whole year ahead of us!

Two years ago, I made it my goal to sleep outside in a tent two nights out of the entire year. I didn’t do it. Two nights! That’s all I needed to fulfill that goal. Last year, I reviewed that goal, and I thought about how to make it happen. I decided to practice “camping” in my backyard. I would see what things I would need, how I could cook outside, and how to set up and take down the tent. Then, I’d be ready to do it out there. So, I made my goal of sleeping in a tent for two nights again.

This year, I slept in a tent nine nights. I practiced twice at home. I camped at a campground in the mountains by myself for two nights. I stayed at a KOA while travelling. I led a men’s camping trip for our church. I camped with my wife for the fist time on our 20th anniversary trip in Florida. That’s what resolutions can do. They challenge us to move forward and do things that we haven’t done before.

Have you ever experienced something like that in your life? How could you experience more of it? I’ve talked to a lot of people about New Year’s resolutions, and here’s some of the questions I’ve had and the answers I’ve given. These are my ideas on how to approach New Year’s goals or resolutions. I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below. Continue reading “No More Wasted Years: In Defense of New Year’s Resolutions”

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