|
Tuesday Morning Epistles
Welcome to "Tuesday Mornings," a weekly
source of encouragement for Christians everywhere.
Question: What do the following three men
have in common?
If you answered, "They all are athletes
with celebrity status," give yourself a grade of "A." But
they also share another thing in common. They all have
appeared in the television hit series, "Dancing with the
Stars." You are familiar with the "Star" series,
right? It pairs eleven celebrities with eleven professional
dancers who are extraordinarily gifted in Ballroom or Latin
American dance routines. The celebrities may be
extraordinarily gifted in their professional fields, but
none of them are famous for their skills at dancing. The
fascinating thing is that the brilliance of the female
dancers, coupled with the athleticism of the male partners,
results in highly engaging, energy-filled,
professional-looking dance routines.
Does celebrity dancing have anything at
all to do with the principles of Christian leadership? Some
people say, "yes." Before you rule it out as a
hoax, continue reading and follow the discussion as the
topic moves from dancing to management. You may be
surprised.
And for the remainder of the week, have
an outstanding, upbeat week. I can almost hear the music
playing.
Tom Barnard
A Senior Encourager
________________________________________________________________ I Wish I had Learned to Dance Tom Barnard
ave you ever created a list of things you wish you could have done when you were young? Has anyone ever asked, “What are some of the things you wished you had learned growing up, but didn’t?” If someone were to ask me that question, I have an answer. At the top of my list would be this one: I wish I had learned to dance.
I can almost hear my children say, “Oh, Dad! Get serious.” I am. I wish I had been encouraged to dance. I mean, other than that after-school thing at Roosevelt Junior High School that was “optional,” where kids who attended could learn to do the two-step or some other poorly-named exercise that was designed to be carried out with a person of the opposite sex. They called it “extra-curricular” We learned nothing extra, and it was far from curricular. But I still wish I had taken it more seriously.
I am one of those innocents from the 1950s-and-beyond-college-generations who finished a baccalaureate degree, got married, attended graduate school, and went into the world without having danced with any female. I’m not talking about square dancing, but face-to-face, in your partner’s arms, up close and personal dancing. Do you know what I am saying? I’m talking about a man and a woman, standing close to one another, body parts touching, and moving in sync to music. I missed out on a lot of pleasure back then.
Why didn’t I dance? Did my parents prohibit it? Was I physically handicapped? Did I not enjoy big band music? Was I not rhythmic? Did I attend an all-male high school? Did I never think about females? No. The church I attended took a position against dancing. I was led to believe that Christians never did such things. Plus a few other very interesting prohibitions as well—things that made absolutely no sense to me then.
What does learning to dance have to do with Christian leadership styles today? Glad you asked. In his book, Summoned to LEAD, Leonard Sweet spells it out clearly and boldly. He begins by asserting that “leadership is a dance.” He affirms that to have an authentic encounter with another person, regardless of gender, leaders must dance. By “dancing,” Sweet means that “learning the different steps and rhythms of people” is essential be an effective leader. Here is a quote I like:
“When two people feel each other’s beat, they learn when to lead, when to follow, and when to stand there and enjoy the music.”
Here are some of the things I have observed about effective leaders that apply to dancing as well. First, leadership implies participation. In the Winter Olympics the ice dancers that win medals are often better skating in pairs than they are when skating alone. It was Solomon who addressed that issue in Ecclesiastes 4:11—“Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one.” Second, leadership involves listening. Effective leaders understand that communication is a two-way thing. Talking is important, but so is listening. Third, effective leaders are vulnerable—willing to take risks. Being defensive may work in football, but not in life. Fourth, effective leaders are sensitive to the needs of others in the organization as well as problems and mission. Why is mission important? Sweet says, “Everyone wants to be part of a mission that they care about, a mission that will change the world. Mission is what gets people motivated.” Do you have a mission? Of course you do. To be born means that you are born for a purpose—to fulfill a mission. A divine mission!
Finally, leadership is a shared experience, not a dictated experience, where one leader dictates and everyone else follows the leader’s directions. In her book, Leadership and the New Science, Margaret Wheatly says, “In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions.”
These observations about effective leadership apply to dancing as well—at least that is what I am told. I wish I had learned all of this when I was young. But I believe this: It is never too late to learn. Let the music begin! |