Chris Brooks Responds to Session 7
At Willow, we are honored to know and occasionally get to collaborate with guest blogger Chris Brooks. He is a redemptive force in a world where bridges fail. He is passionate about connecting, training, and developing emerging Christian leaders. He is the national coordinator of UrbNet for the National Network of Youth Ministries and has worked with youth and families in an inner-city context for more than 10 years. He is also an active blogger and contributed to Shift Now!, the online experience of Willow's 2007 Shift Conference. Chicago recently lost a great leader in Chris when he moved back to Minneapolis after serving as the pastor of family life at River City Community Church, a multi-cultural community of hope, where Daniel Hill, former Axis staff member at Willow, is the senior pastor. Chris does a fantastic job capturing the essence of John Ortberg's session and asking questions each of us needs to wrestle with:
In his opening comments, John Ortberg made the following statement: “Leaders aren't supposed to be victims of fear; they are supposed to be objects of fear.” Truly, we live in a day and in a culture where leadership is seen primarily as being hard-nosed and driving results. In the vast sea of expectations and metrics, leaders dare not show any hints of weakness nor signs of a failure to produce. Often, a poker face is deemed a competitive advantage as a leader. As John went down the list of fears that many leaders face: fear of failure, fear of mutiny, fear of criticism, fear of disappointing people, etc., I felt myself identifying with each of these fears at a very deep and personal level. Some of them I have been acutely aware of. One of them I had to own up to today during this session. Ouch. Leadership development can be painful.
Yet the BIG ONE -- a leader's GREATEST fear -- was something foreign to me. It sounded strange, until I began to reflect on my own "shadow side" and to wonder what that "dark and self-centered" part of me has been up to. As John so eloquently suggested, it is not the external fears (how others perceive or treat us) that are the roots. Dangerous, yes. But these are merely unhealthy outgrowths. The root is what happens INSIDE: our "shadow mission." Once this concept began to sink in, I retraced my steps through the past several years of organizational leadership and saw the fingerprints of my "Mr. Shadow" all over my life. I saw his work in my vocational pursuits. I saw his work in my relationships. I saw him causing problems in my marriage. He even had influence (I am sad to admit) in my parenting. Yes, we all have a shadow side. I am not exempt. Be honest: neither are you.
What encouraged me was when John gave wise counsel on how to identify and fight against this unhealthy part of ourselves. Like Esther, we all need wise advisors. Who is my Mordecai? A powerful question, yet not an easy one for me to answer. It is not that I lack wise people who will shoot straight with me. On the contrary, I have a healthy cadre of men and women who take great liberty to share their thoughts and criticisms with me. My problem? I often lack courage. OK ... I said it. I lack courage. I have too often allowed myself to talk quickly and listen quickly. Courage, I learned today, means to talk when necessary and listen vigorously -- especially to my designated "wise ones." It is my hope that utilizing these human resources that have been placed in my life will allow me, like Esther, to act with courage and integrity. "And if I perish, I perish."
What about you? Did you meet your Mr. or Ms. Shadow in reflection after this session? Were you able to objectively assess your business/organization/church/ministry/division/team for its shadow mission? How will you address what you uncovered?
