Leadership in the 21st century is big business. You just need to glance at the shelves of any bookstore for the current spin on leadership culture.
The Army has had its own style of leadership and, as a young person in a corps and later as a younger officer, I was influenced by godly soldiers and officers that provided solid, inspirational direction. These leaders were larger than life. Their charismatic leadership was God-anointed and inspired loyalty and devotion.
Times have changed. In the 1970s, Robert Greenleaf anticipated a significant shift in how leadership would be defined. He wrote: “People will not accept the authority of existing institutions, rather they will freely respond only to individuals who are chosen as leaders because they are proven and trusted as servants … In the future, the only truly viable institutions will be those that are predominantly servant led.”
Today it seems that inspirational leadership is not enough. Leaders must be transparent and credible, otherwise they are questioned and their authority rejected.
Does The Salvation Army have a response to today's leadership expectations? Looking to the past can often help speak to the present. In Bramwell Booth's Echoes and Memories, chapter nine focuses on the leadership style and principles used by the Army's Founder, William Booth. Bramwell was convinced that “more outstanding and significant than his oratory or his business genius or his diplomatic skills was his excellence in the management of men [and women].”
In William Booth's mind, issues were methodically approached “step by step.” He wrote in his 76th year: “I am more than ever impressed by the idea that we must do more for the staff, and I can see at present no better way of helping them than to go amongst them and show them how to meet their difficulties 'one by one.' ”
Bramwell goes on to say: “Details which many men would call petty became to him of infinite importance because they concerned the well-being of one particular individual under his command, for whom he felt a responsibility. The care of military leaders has usually been for the regiment, rather than the individual, but The Salvation Army has not been built to that pattern.”
True Christlikeness is not just a model, it is “the model” given by a leader who had no boundaries to his love
Leadership in The Salvation Army has always placed a high emphasis on connectedness with people. Foundational to Salvation Army leadership is the spiritual dimension, and relationship to people is critical to ministry and mission.
More importantly, Salvation Army leadership is based on the “model of Jesus,” for whom relationships were the focus of ministry. In her book, Jesus, CEO, Laurie Beth Jones writes: “Most religions teach that we are put here to serve God, yet in Jesus, God is offering to serve us. Some people are shocked at the inference that God serves us. Yet this man who represents God, who was imbued with all the power of God—walked up to people and asked, 'How can I help you?' ”
The key to ministry lies in the quality of our relationships. Henri Nouwen, in his book In The Name Of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership, writes: “Ministers and priests are also called to be full members of their communities, are accountable to them and need their affection and support, and are called to ministry with their whole being, including their wounded selves.”
Leadership as Christ sees it is more about individual connectedness and one-on-one relationships than about how many people we have authority over. Again, to quote Nouwen: “The long painful history of the Church is the history of people ever and again tempted to choose power over love, control over the cross, being a leader over being led. Those who have resisted this temptation to the end and thereby give us hope are the true saints. One thing is clear to me: the temptation of power is greater when intimacy is a threat.”
Real leadership is about real relationship. This theme is central and crucial to Kingdom advancement. Leadership in the Christian context is about the investment of one's self in the lives of others. It is about empowerment and releasing creative initiative. It is about relationship that allows for ministry to flourish and grow.
When I look back at over 30 years of officership, I am convinced that today's Army will advance because relationships are established and people work together. The embodiment of true Christlikeness (see John 13:1-17) is not just a model, it is “the model” given by a leader who had no boundaries to his love. Jesus establishes his authority and his ability to lead, yet this was leadership that had not been seen before in manner, style or authority. In essence, Jesus says, “I will do it with you. We will do it together.”
Lt-Colonel Neil Watt is the Territorial Secretary for Business Administration
More importantly though, the opportunities to learn leadership in the field are endless. Rather than divide up officership between pastoring and administrating, saying that we're only gifted in one or the other, I'd hope instead that we pursue all our tasks with excellence.
Doing the best job we possibly can won't ensure perfect results, but It will put us much further ahead. Pursuing the tasks of the kingdom with excellence may mean pursuing higher education (even to the point of getting an MBA as Mr. Piatt said), but more often than not it will mean focusing on the day-to-day activities of Army work with greater clarity, passion, and attention-to-detail.
Personally, I think to achieve the level of officership/leadership that is required today requires officers to view their practice as an artform. And who would disagree that being able to navigate complex corps relationships, rally the public for fundraising efforts, provide helpful and meaningful social services, prepare weekly sermons that are based on intense biblical exegesis, and a dozen other tasks, is not indicitve of a highly specialized form of art? So let's help our officers and lay leaders to pursue their "art" with excellence and passion.