Four Essential Spiritual Tasks for All Leaders
Can we approach our work with clarity and humility, a willingness to listen and learn from those who disagree, while remaining true to the vision entrusted to us?
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On April 25, lay leaders from congregations across the diocese gathered for a learning day focused on their spiritual well-being. What follows is an edited version of a plenary session I offered.
The spirituality of leadership is not confined to those who work in the church or other religious institutions. It’s a quality found in all who step forward to lead by accepting responsibility so that something larger than themselves can flourish.
Leadership is a vocation. We are called to it, summoned by an inner prompting or an external need. Often, the call becomes clearer over time: why we, with our particular temperament, relationships, and gifts, are needed now. We are where we are, as Scripture says, “for a time such as this.”
Leadership carries four essential, non-transferable tasks, which is why abdication or self-aggrandizement is so damaging. Faith communities, organizations, and countries need leaders who will lead. Because no one can do everything well, leadership is best exercised in teams.
1. Care for the whole, not just for some.
However strong our personal interests, leaders are responsible for the entire community. At times, this requires focused attention in one area, especially when resources are limited. It also includes the often unseen work of building capacity for the good of all.
2. Steward vision.
Leadership is always oriented toward a preferred future and, spiritually, toward discerning God’s guidance. We may not be the first to see or articulate the vision, but we are responsible for moving the community toward it. It is challenging work.
3. Raise up new leaders.
This is often neglected, particularly when the work feels all-consuming. Yet leadership is not about doing everything; it is about creating conditions for others to offer their gifts and recognize their own leadership potential. When we assume no one can succeed us, it is often because we haven’t invested in other people. When our identity becomes too bound to our role, letting go becomes difficult. And if, in fact, no one is ready to lead next, hard questions about long-term viability must be faced.
4. Tend to our own relationship with God.
Often the hardest person to lead is ourselves. We may focus on others to avoid our own struggles, or feel our identity and worth is defined by our leadership. If we overwork, fatigue can harden into cynicism, which harms everyone. Spiritual renewal is essential for leading well.
One of the most challenging aspects of leadership is navigating conflict and resistance to change, especially for those of us who don’t like to disappoint others. We may be tempted to abandon the vision to preserve peace, to the detriment of the whole.
Early in my leadership, I encountered the concept of the “diffusion of innovation.” It helped me understand why change is always resisted, and how communities can be led toward a new vision.
The basic premise is that new ideas are typically introduced by a small group of visionaries energized by possibility. They are always in the minority and may lack strong relational ties in the very community they seek to change.
For any change to gain traction, trusted leaders must recognize its value. These are people with deep relationships and credibility. When they lend their support to a new idea, another group, the “early majority,” typically follows. Now momentum begins to shift in favor of the change.
The “late majority” joins more slowly, often reluctantly. Yet once the change is widely accepted, many come to support and even defend it, as if it had been their idea all along. When they are on board, the change is firmly established. Still, some in the community will resist, even to the point of leaving. At times they organize opposition; if they are successful, polarization can result.
This framework is morally neutral. It doesn’t judge whether an idea is good but simply describes how change happens. That’s why the spiritual dimension of leadership matters, so that we remain grounded in something larger than personal preference, politics, or ambition. In the end, leadership is a form of submission to the greater good.
The diffusion of innovation reminds us that leadership depends on both vision and relationships.
The most effective response to resistance is not talking louder, but the patient work of building trust across differences.
Not every good idea will come to fruition. Timing may be wrong, support insufficient, or key elements missing. Most importantly, as leaders, we learn there will always be people who don’t like the direction we’re taking.
How we lead in the face of resistance is key. Can we approach our work with clarity and humility, a willingness to listen and learn from those who disagree, while remaining true to the vision entrusted to us?
Leadership is rooted in discipleship and our promise to strive for justice while honoring the dignity of every human being.
We aren’t meant to lead alone, nor can any of us lead perfectly. We place our trust in the Holy Spirit whose power working among us will accomplish far more than we could ask or imagine. The One who calls us is faithful.
Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4
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