Wisdom for the practice of leadership

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Podcast, Season 2, Episode 40: The Character of Leadership: Moses

A “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story and is an example from whom we can learn, but it is also a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. When we study the character of that character – identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead – we learn things about the character of leadership that can be applied in our own lives. In this week’s episode, we are learning from Moses.

Here is the link to the podcast.

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The Character of Leadership: Moses

In this study of the character of leaders, I find myself thinking about “the character of characters.” A “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story and is an example from whom we can learn, but it is also a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. When we study the character of that character – identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead – we learn things about the character of leadership that can be applied in our own lives. In this week’s episode, we are learning from Moses.

When I introduced this idea of studying the character of characters last week, I shared a personal illustration of my dad doing a temperament analysis on me and finding that my temperament was comparable to Moses’. So it only seems fitting to me that Moses is the first character that I talk about, and we’ll start with a little bit of brief overview of that character – of who he was.

We know that Moses was the deliverer of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. Because of his role, he is an incredibly significant figure in the Bible story. He was rescued from potential death and destruction as an infant, to be raised in the household of royalty. He stepped in to defend his people, but tried to do it in his own terms and in his own way, which sent him off to a period of isolation for a long time. It was in that desert experience that God prepared him for the task that he would have, the one for which God had appointed him. In that task, he interacted with the pharaoh, speaking on behalf of God, to be the instrument that God used not only to free the people from slavery, but to also show how this deliverance would be a picture of the coming deliverance of sin through the Savior Jesus Christ. Moses then led his people out of Egypt, to the threshold of the promised land, where they refused to trust God, and then Moses was tasked with leading the people for another 40 years as they wandered around in the desert until God‘s chastisement and judgment was complete for the sin that they had committed. In the end, Moses was never privileged to see the place to which he was called to deliver the people.

I know that is a woefully inadequate summary of who Moses was, but even in that very brief overview, there are a number of character traits or attributes that we could pull from the life of Moses, from the character of this character, but let me point out one or two that I go together and apply to your leadership struggle. I think one of the more interesting ones that we probably don’t think about that much is that of a lack of confidence and feelings of inadequacy, which we tend to refer to as the imposter syndrome. I know that Scripture doesn’t say this directly, but based on his comments and his experience, I have to wonder if Moses often felt like he was not capable of doing the job. I think he knew that, even though he was raised in the royal household, he was not actually royalty, but he had to act like it. When that season was behind him, and God spoke to him at the burning bush, he tried to find every way possible to get out of the job because he didn’t think he could handle it and he didn’t think he had the skills to do it. When the people were wandering in the wilderness, and they were complaining, Moses would cry out to God and ask why he was given these people to have to take care of. All of those things in some way reflect the hidden personal fear of incompetence or inadequacy. It is the feeling that you are not cut out for this, or that you are in over your head, or that you’re just not capable and eventually everyone will figure out that you’re not and that you have been faking it all along – again, known as the imposter syndrome.

I think the reason why it’s good for us to see this perspective of Moses’ character is because leaders often struggle with feeling like they’re not really capable, but having to pretend like they are while not letting anyone know the struggle. They know how much they don’t know, they know where they are lacking (even if other people can’t see it) and that’s what makes them struggle. I know, because I have been there. However, the other side of this that we see in the character of Moses is a commitment to the call that God had given. When Moses said to God that he was not capable, God reminded Moses of the Lord‘s presence, and then equipped him with the tools that he needed, and sent him to do the task anyway. God wasn’t depending on Moses’ capability, but rather expecting Moses to depend on God’s. And because Moses knew that he was not adequate but believed that God was, Moses obeyed, committed to carrying out the task to which God had called him. When the people complained in the wilderness, Moses continued to be faithful and to serve God and the task to which he was called and even defended the people when God would get angry with them. He remain committed to obedient action, regardless of how he felt.

So when we look at the character of this character, Moses, I think those are tremendous lessons for us. You may be good at what you do, but you also know where your flaws and faults are, and you know where you struggle, even when others are not aware. Remember that when you are called to a task, God is not depending on you, rather, you are depending on God. He has equipped you, He has a plan and purpose, He knows what you can and cannot do and what He has equipped and prepared you to do, and He’s placed you in a position for a purpose. Commit to faithfully obeying and serving the Lord, regardless of how you feel, knowing that God is God and he has a plan, and you get to be part of it.

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Podcast, Season 2, Episode 39: The Character of Leadership: An Introduction

A “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story and is an example from whom we can learn, but it is also a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. When we study the character of that character – identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead – we learn things about the character of leadership that can be applied in our own lives.

Here is the link to the podcast.

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The Character of Leadership: Introduction

When I was in high school, my dad, who was a pastor, was implementing a temperament profile as a teaching and counseling tool for himself and for a class he was teaching. It was a profile that identified certain temperaments and traits and then compared them to different persons in the Bible. He had me take this profile, and my matching biblical counterpart was Moses (who was described as a melancholy temperament, which seemed to match my temperament). This was a great learning experience for me, and probably my first introduction to personality profiles, and how they could help you understand yourself.

Recently, something reminded me of that experience, of learning about myself by looking at a biblical character (and in my case, Moses). But thinking about that character led me down a different path of thinking about two different uses of the word, character, and about how they can work together to help us learn more about leadership.

In the first use, a “character” is a person, often someone who plays a part in a story. It’s typically not a perfect person (in fact only Jesus was perfect), and often it is someone who is far from perfection. However, it is frequently an influential person, and in some form, an example from whom we can learn. Therefore, to understand a character is to know a little bit about who he/she was, and the context in which they lived or operated.

In the second use, as a separate definition, “character” is a trait or attribute that can be applied to that person and to his/her leadership. It is the identification of a particular behavior, attitude, or characteristic that defines the type of person they are, and is reflected in their conduct.

That word “character,” then, applies to both a person and an attribute. With that in mind, I think that there is lot that we can learn from the character of characters in the Bible. Therefore, there is great value for us in identifying biblical characters, and then identifying something that stands out in their character that can teach us something about who we are and how we lead. So for the next few weeks, and probably periodically after that, I want to select various people in the Bible and ask questions like, “Who is this character?” “What is their character?”, and “What do we learn from the character of this character?”.

I have often told my own children, “You learn most things from experience, but it’s usually less painful if it is someone else’s experience.” In this case, we are learning from someone else’s experience by looking at their character and the lessons of their successes and failures because of that character, and then seeing how to put the character of that character into practice in our own lives. We are learning about the character of leadership.

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Podcast, Season 2, Episode 38: Be a Better Leader: The Be-Attitudes of Better Leadership (Part 22, Conclusion)

In this “Be A Better Leader” series of website articles and podcasts, I am talking about a variety of attributes, characteristics, and skills that are essential to effective leadership, and discussing how they are reflected in practice. I have grouped these things into five categories of what a leader ought to be, which is why I am labeling them as the “Be-attitudes of Better Leadership.” These five categories are: “Be Genuine,” “Be Relational,” “Be Trustworthy,” Be Knowledgeable,” and “Be Excellent.” We have spent a fair amount of time discussing all five of these, and today in part 22, I am concluding our discussion of the series.

Here is the link to the podcast.

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Be A Better Leader (part 22): Conclusion

In this “Be A Better Leader” series of website articles and podcasts, I am talking about a variety of attributes, characteristics, and skills that are essential to effective leadership, and discussing how they are reflected in practice. I have grouped these things into five categories of what a leader ought to be, which is why I am labeling them as the “Be-attitudes of Better Leadership.” These five categories are: “Be Genuine,” “Be Relational,” “Be Trustworthy,” Be Knowledgeable,” and “Be Excellent.” We have spent a fair amount of time discussing all five of these, and today in part 22, I am concluding our discussion of the series.

I began the series by describing how this grouping of characteristics originated when, years ago, I taught a series of workshops at an educator’s convention, called “Be A Better Teacher.” The idea for these workshops had started with a single workshop called “The Be-Attitudes of Better Teaching,” in which I identified and explained some of the most important attributes and characteristics that should be reflected in who and what a teacher should be (at the time I was a teacher and school administrator). Because it was a Christian School convention, it was a little bit of a play on words from the Beatitudes that Jesus shared in the Sermon on the Mount. This one workshop ended up growing into six workshops – Be Prepared, Be Good, Be Funny, Be Yourself, Be a Teacher, and Be an Influence – that focused on effective teaching techniques, methods and characteristics of good teachers.

At some point much further down the road in my leadership experience, something triggered my memory of these workshops, it dawned on me that the same kind of idea – a list of “Be” statements – was true in leadership as well. Certain attitudes, skills, and characteristics are important in a leader for that leader to be effective, so I started thinking about what those things might be (pun intended). While not an all-inclusive list, I identified what I believe are a few of those “Be-Attitudes” in the context of leadership that are essential to leading well. And that became this series of articles and podcasts that I have discussed over the last few months.

I grouped these characteristics and attributes into 5 broad “Be” attitudes, and in each one I discussed four different ways they are each reflected:

  • Be Genuine, by being: authentic, an example, humble, and yourself.
  • Be Relational, by being: a listener, a talker, a teacher, and a relationship-builder.
  • Be Trustworthy, by being: honest, consistent, safe, and transparent.
  • Be Knowledgeable, by being: aware, teachable, a learner, and a reader.
  • Be Excellent, by being: intentional, flexible, and reflective, and doing what works.

I would encourage you to go back and look through these “Be-Attitudes,” now that you see the whole forest so that you can learn even more from the individual trees. I hope that in this journey, you have gained a grasp of some of the most important characteristics and practices that need to be embedded into yourself and your leadership, for you to be the most effective leader you can be. My prayer is that you have learned things that are helping you to “Be a Better Leader.”

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Podcast, Season 2, Episode 37: Be a Better Leader: The Be-Attitudes of Better Leadership (Part 21, Be Self-reflective)

In this “Be A Better Leader” series of website articles and podcasts, I am talking about a variety of attributes, characteristics, and skills that are essential to effective leadership, and discussing how they are reflected in practice. I have grouped these things into five categories of what a leader ought to be, which is why I am labeling them as the “Be-attitudes of Better Leadership.” These five categories are: “Be Genuine,” “Be Relational,” “Be Trustworthy,” Be Knowledgeable,” and “Be Excellent.” We have already looked at being genuine, being relational, being trustworthy, and being knowledgeable, and today in part 21, I am concluding our discussion of the fifth category, “Be Excellent.” More specifically, I am talking about the importance of being self-reflective.

Here is the link to the podcast.

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Be A Better Leader (part 21): Be Excellent (By Being Self-reflective)

In this “Be A Better Leader” series of website articles and podcasts, I am talking about a variety of attributes, characteristics, and skills that are essential to effective leadership, and discussing how they are reflected in practice. I have grouped these things into five categories of what a leader ought to be, which is why I am labeling them as the “Be-attitudes of Better Leadership.” These five categories are: “Be Genuine,” “Be Relational,” “Be Trustworthy,” Be Knowledgeable,” and “Be Excellent.” We have already looked at being genuine, being relational, being trustworthy, and being knowledgeable, and today in part 21, I am concluding our discussion of the fifth category, “Be Excellent.” More specifically, I am talking about the importance of being self-reflective.

I had been hired as a new administrator in a school, and after our first big event I gathered my leadership team together and said, “Ok team, let’s debrief.” There was a moment of complete silence, and then I could see strong emotion emerging on the faces of my team. I paused and asked what I was missing, and they began to explain how the previous administrator had used “debriefings” as a tool to rip apart the team members to such an extent that it left behind trauma. So the mention of the word “debrief” had become a trigger for them and prompted a strong response. So do you think I stopped taking time to debrief after events? No, I did not. I just changed the terminology to remove the connection to traumatic experiences. Why? Because it is an important practice to reflect on what has happened in the past in order to grow and improve in the future.

In his book, “Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher,” Stephen Brookfield points out the research-based premise that self-reflection is one of the primary tools for facilitating growth in a teacher. He identified several practices, but this was one of the key ones, explaining how self-reflection is one of the best means of growth. That premise is true for all of us (not just teachers), that self-reflection helps us get better, which therefore makes it an important practice in becoming excellent.

How does this apply to your personal process of being excellent? Very simply, if you are going to be good at what you do and get better at it, self-reflection needs to be a regular practice. At both specific junctures (like after an event or activity or circumstance) and at regular intervals, you need to be in the habit of pausing, reflecting on what has happened and what you have been doing, and intentionally seeking to learn from it so that you can be better. You won’t ever be perfect all the time (at least, not until we, as believers in Jesus, are fully sanctified and perfected in heaven), but we can and should be in the practice of perpetual improvement.

Did you ever get in trouble with your parents and hear them say, “You need to go to your room and think about what you did!”? That’s exactly what you need to be doing in your path to excellence: go to your room and think about what you did. Reflect on what worked well and should be kept the way it is, what was necessary and must be done each time, what was unnecessary and could be removed, what was missed that should have been included, what was good but should be changed to be better, and what was not good and should be eliminated. All of those things come out when you take time to self-reflect.

The bottom line is that self-reflection is an important piece in the process of becoming excellent. For that reason, make it a part of your practice. You probably already do this every year right around January 1, but make it a regular habit at other times as well. Schedule regular times throughout the year, and after major events, that are set aside for the purpose of reflecting in order to grow and improve. Said simply, to be excellent, practice self-reflection.

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Podcast, Season 2, Episode 36: Be a Better Leader: The Be-Attitudes of Better Leadership (Part 20, Do What Works)

In this “Be A Better Leader” series of website articles and podcasts, I am talking about a variety of attributes, characteristics, and skills that are essential to effective leadership, and discussing how they are reflected in practice. I have grouped these things into five categories of what a leader ought to be, which is why I am labeling them as the “Be-attitudes of Better Leadership.” These five categories are: “Be Genuine,” “Be Relational,” “Be Trustworthy,” Be Knowledgeable,” and “Be Excellent.” We have already looked at being genuine, being relational, being trustworthy, and being knowledgeable, and today in part 20, I am continuing our discussion of the fifth category, “Be Excellent.” More specifically, I am talking about the importance of doing what works.

Here is the link to the podcast.

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Be A Better Leader (part 20): Be Excellent (By Doing What Works)

In this “Be A Better Leader” series of website articles and podcasts, I am talking about a variety of attributes, characteristics, and skills that are essential to effective leadership, and discussing how they are reflected in practice. I have grouped these things into five categories of what a leader ought to be, which is why I am labeling them as the “Be-attitudes of Better Leadership.” These five categories are: “Be Genuine,” “Be Relational,” “Be Trustworthy,” Be Knowledgeable,” and “Be Excellent.” We have already looked at being genuine, being relational, being trustworthy, and being knowledgeable, and today in part 20, I am continuing our discussion of the fifth category, “Be Excellent.” More specifically, I am talking about the importance of doing what works.

It’s been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly but expecting different results. Sometimes it seems this definition characterizes companies and organizations, because they will continue to do something even though it doesn’t work. Perhaps it is because it is tradition, or because it takes too much work to change, or even because the leadership doesn’t recognize that it doesn’t work, but they keep doing it.

Motorola is great example of this. In the late 80’s and early 90’s they were a leader in the analog phone business.   They were doing what worked at the time, but then something happened: digital technology was developed for cell phones, which completely changed the cell phone service industry. Analog phone technology would no longer be the technology that would drive cell phone production and use, but Motorola continued to invest in its analog technology, and as a result, ceased to be relevant in the cell phone business. They were no longer doing what worked, but continued to do it anyway.

Effectiveness depends on discovering what works and doing it. Often, it is at a micro-level within an organization that people figure this out. Edgar Schein describes it like this: “The general phenomenon of adapting the formal work process to the local situation and then normalizing the new process by teaching it to newcomers has been called ‘practical drift’ and is an important characteristic of all operator subcultures. It is the basic reason why sociologists who study how work is actually done in organizations always find sufficient variations from the formally designated procedures to talk of the ‘informal organization’ and to point out that without such innovative behavior on the part of the employees, the organization might not be as effective” (2010). In simple words, the people who are on the ground floor tend to figure out how to adjust formal processes and procedures in a way that works best, and they then teach it to new employees, which helps the organization to function better. In spite of what may be the written procedures, they do what works. An effective leader pays attention to this and maintains awareness and understanding of what is working and what is not, and will then use that understanding to help shape decisions.

Then, if it is working, keep doing it (as the old saying states, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”). This truth was evident in the research conducted by Collins & Hansen and published in Great by Choice (2011). They defined a SMaC (Specific, Methodical, and Consistent) recipe as “a set of durable operating practices that create a replicable and consistent success formula,” and then noted that highly successful companies “adhered to their recipes with fanatic discipline to a far greater degree than the comparisons, and . . . they carefully amended their recipes with empirical creativity and productive paranoia.” However, they also found that these companies “changed their recipes less than their comparisons.” Their research revealed that companies that were doing things well and were thriving tended to continue doing what was working without great change. They were not subject to changing with the wind, or panic, or the latest fad, but held to the practices that they knew worked.

This has been one of my personal frustrations in the world of education. In my years as a teacher and school administrator, it seems like I have seen countless new programs and initiatives established, often to have another new one rolled out the following year. They have always been communicated as necessary for effective education, but many times it has reminded me of “stage one economics” – there appears to be an immediate short-term gain or value, but in the long term it is more detrimental than it is beneficial. But before that becomes apparent, the world of education has moved on to a new program.

As leaders, we need to be intentional about doing what works (which is generally evident in the results). And we need to not be afraid of allowing the people who would know best to have input, so we need to give people a voice in the process. This does not mean we don’t periodically assess and analyze, because we do need to make sure it still works, and we can often make minor tweaks that bring improvement. It also doesn’t mean we need to be inflexible (in the last article and episode, I talked about the importance of flexibility, the complement to this week’s discussion of doing what works). Don’t change for the sake of change when what you have is working (but if what you have is not working, don’t keep doing it). Do what works. And keep doing it.

Collins, J., & Hansen, M. T. (2011). Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck – Why Some Thrive Despite Them All. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership (4th Edition ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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