leadership imperatives (part two)

… continued …

In sorting through some boxes from my previous life (finally!) I came across some scruffy notes containing some reflections on leadership. With it coming up to the one year anniversary of moving on from a senior leadership role as Principal of Carey Baptist College, I thought to myself … why not?

Drawing on all that I have learned and loved and lost and laboured with in the leadership life – and in no particular order – here would be the rest of the imperatives that come to mind:

11. GRATITUDE: say it
It is the first principle of leadership to say ‘thank-you’ – as often, as authentically, and as creatively as possible.

12. TEAM: build it
Acknowledging God as the Project Manager and everyone else as sub-contractors is where it starts – and thinking deeply about the Trinity is where it continues.

13. VALUES: live them
They are called ‘core’ for a reason…

14. CALLING: do it
It is an act of obedience before it is a recognition of gifting – in fact, the gifting, or grace-ing, enables the obedience.

15. PEOPLE: believe in them
It is about seeing all that a person could become at 50, at 60, at 80 – and then starting to make plans with them now as if all of it will come to pass.

16. AMBITION: delegate it
Give this one to God to handle on your behalf.

17. CHARACTER: deepen it
Make space for the Spirit to let this happen without watching it happen.

18. MARKETING: grapevine it
Choose to get all the basic elements of a functioning community as right as possible – and then entrust yourself to the grapevine under God’s good hand.

19. METAPHORS: model them
Sure, other imagery may be added, but we will never move beyond biblical imagery like servant, shepherd, sage, seer, steward – and parent.

20. OBSTACLES: climb them
The best way to climb a mountain is to keep walking towards it one step at a time – don’t stop, don’t run … and don’t panic.

The imperatives I found most satisfying (under God’s gracious hand)? #2, #12 and #15

I loved creating processes which drew vision out of others and then giving my best energies into help making it happen. I cannot think of any one of the great ideas that surfaced in those years which originated with me. Such was the quality of the team that the college functioned so well during any of my extended absences. I will always love watching people grow, unfurling like a koru to an extent that they never knew was possible.

The imperatives I found most challenging (still under God’s gracious hand)? #3, #11 and #7

Dealing with peoples’ out-of-date perceptions of Carey was the most persistently challenging issue. And even among those whom I led the gap between what I intended and what they perceived could be alarming – and sometimes it wasn’t my fault. While I loved being oriented towards others and saying ‘thank-you’ often and well, like many senior leaders, I was surprised at how much thanklessness and isolation surrounded the role of a leader. In those middle years this broke me as I discovered I was not emotionally suited for this level of leadership. But by God’s grace he enabled me to fulfill that calling until he lifted it from me…

Maybe this will help give you some perception into your leadership!

nice chatting

Paul

Archive

Receive new posts to your inbox

I’d love to keep you updated with my latest news and posts.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

About Me

paul06.16

the art of unpacking

After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.

Posted in

Leave a Comment





This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts

true, but not true enough

February 5, 2025

“What is a Christian?” A ‘follower of Jesus’ is the standard response. And it is true, but it is not true enough. Let’s think about this for a minute. So I have this encounter with Jesus. Maybe at a camp of some kind. In the singing and the speaking he becomes so real. It is…

yay! it’s you

January 27, 2025

We had been on holiday in Queenstown. Barby had to come back early to go to work. I stayed on for a couple more days with our daughter, Alyssa, and her family. When I did fly back, Barby had the car and so the easiest thing for me was to get an Uber home—and so…

expect an exception

January 24, 2025

I know I’ve mentioned this one before, but I am not really a flag-in-church kinda guy. All those years ago, as a student in the USA, it was a shock to see the flag up there in the same neighbourhood as the pulpit, the Lord’s Table and the baptistry. “What is going on?” “Have I…

transforming friendship

January 15, 2025

Just when I thought that it could not be possible to have another first-hand account of the impact of John Stott’s life (d. 2011), along comes this book by his close friend, John Wyatt. I am always ready to learn more about John Stott, but also about friendship. It fascinates me. It keeps coming up…

handa leads the way

December 29, 2024

Reading stories to grandchildren over Christmas reminded me again of how powerful they can be. They are so compact and simple in presentation, and yet so clever in construction. There are just so many features at work in an effective story. It is some years since I taught narrative preaching, but when I did I’d…

elchristo, elmina—and beyond

December 19, 2024

Today is Day 56—and on Day 57 we board a flight for home. There has been so much to absorb as Barby and I have encountered the people of God in different places. el-christo, in bolivia A few days before we left NZ, I discovered that I had five sessions to give in Pakistan. Yikes.…

cadeca art

November 20, 2024

The little chapel at Cadeca Casa del Catequista, a retreat centre on the fringes of Cochabamba (Bolivia), caught my eye on an earlier visit in 2017. Lots of photos… I was thrilled to learn that there would be a return visit, this time with Barby—and with lots of video. Enjoy. A 360 view Some Old…

the emus

October 19, 2024

Apart from the eight years in which we were based overseas, Barby has been working at the Refugee Resettlement Center in Auckland since 2002. This year she is a ‘release teacher’, spending one day each week in three different classrooms, with three different age groups. Impressive—and demanding. One day is spent with 11-13 year olds—from…