Following Katrina, FEMA has made major changes to their response and action teams. This is a quick reminder of their new effectiveness and a bit of positive speak about leadership in times of crisis. Additionally, team management is necessary to coordinate the programs of the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other agencies responding, including local churches.

A very interesting compairison of what presidents make and how their contributions and stack up. Who do you think gave more? You might be surprised

In light of the readings we have completed, This fits well with Northouse. I thought the way they ranked the listings was interesting. Just one more perspective on how you lead and your leadership abilities

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110418/wl_uk_afp/britainreligionchristianseaster
What would change if Easter had a set date? This scientist says he has calculated when Easter should be and has "proof" to confirm it. I am skeptical about the "proof" but if it did play out, would it be better to have Easter on the same date every year? How would this change your service? How would you approach this with your church?

Sunday, April 17, 2011
See this guy? He can't stand moths let alone spiders and yet, this is what he did for his grand kids! Glenn Kardinal is my father-in-law and one of my best friends. I love this guy. Since he was in his early 40's he has had congestive heart failure. Today, some 26 years later he is entering his last days here on earth. So what do you say to someone for the very last time? Glenn has always been determined to live and even in these last days, he continues to rally and surprise everyone. And yet, the moments we have on the phone are short and bitter sweet. So what do you tell someone you will never see again? First, that it is alright to go. He doesn't need permission, but needs to know that we will be OK. Next, I told him how much he means to me... every day, he means more and more. Third, I told him that I love him, over and over. And last, rather than say goodbye, I chose to say see you later, because I believe we will. As I post this I can't help but think how important these things are every day, even if you will see the other person again. Peace

In his continuing blog for the Huffington Post, Bill Gates talks about his ongoing commitment to changing the world. I wonder what his motivations are. Is he a true humanitarian, or is this some scheme to move the global economies in a direction that brings more profitability for the Gates family? Is this altruistic and authentic leadership, or corruption on a level we have never seen before?

Jon,
What an interesting commentary on leadership. I too am impressed by the negative referencesna d the corruption of leadership. What a powerful image!
BTW, what the heck are you listening to these days? Interesting choice of music my friend :-)

http://www.denverpost.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRelationshipId=3691804

This picture ran in the Rocky Mountain News on Sunday. I thought of the power it suggested and being a seminarian, thought of the significance of the Jesus image in the front with the trinity represented in behind him with the guns and wondered if this was an intentional message intended to coerce the recipient into thinking that this person was one they should follow or fear? I believe the Ivory Coast factions would use this image to reach out to the superstitious and Christian alike to send a mental message of the coming of power. This is a form of management formed around greed and is in my estimation wrong on so many levels of inhumanity.

Amazon.com: Living Above the Level of Mediocrity (9780849931772): Charles R. Swindoll: Books
This is one of the most awesome books I have ever encountered. Swindoll, an internationally known motivator brings questions to light that effect each of our lives. Then through experience and scripture, he gathers together threads of a tapestry that can carpet the way to a new life. If you are in a place of change, this book is for you. If you are in a place of leadership, this book is for you. If you are alive and seking to be more in touch, this book is for you. I believe you will find the messages in this book beneficial no matter where you are in life. Swindoll masterfully invites you to take a look at your life and choose to rise and soar like the eagles we are meant to be. (Isa. 40:31)

http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Jazz-Revised-Essential-Elements/dp/038552630X

Max De Pree writes one of the best management and leadership tools I have ever used. This book helped me define the steps necessary to help someone take accountability and to follow through on their promises. Wether you are in a church or in a non-profit setting, this book can assist you in helping build up your workforce and elevate them to success with any project or in life. It is a great book and I recommend it to everyone. ~Patrick
Product Details
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Crown Business; Reprint edition (November 4, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780385526302
ISBN-13: 978-0385526302
ASIN: 038552630X

Northhouse would see this as management by exception, I call it bullying. A charismatic leader out of control and on the wrong side of transition.

Ivory Coast President Says He Won't Step Down
Published April 05, 2011| Associated Press Print Email Share Comments (177)
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Reuters
Dec. 4, 2010: Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo sits after his inauguration at the presidential palace in Abidjan.ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Ivory Coast's strongman leader Laurent Gbagbo holed up in a bunker inside the presidential residence Tuesday, defiantly maintaining he won the election four months ago even as troops backing the internationally recognized winner encircled the home.
Gbagbo's comments by telephone to France's LCI television came as French officials and a diplomat said he was negotiating his departure terms after French and U.N. forces launched a military offensive Monday. Democratically elected leader Alassane Ouattara has urged his supporters to take Gbagbo alive.
Talks about Gbagbo's departure terms were ongoing Tuesday evening directly between Gbagbo and Ouattara, according to a diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
Choi Young-jin, the U.N.'s top envoy in Ivory Coast, said Tuesday that Gbagbo was in discussions about where he would go, possibly suggesting the strongman may be willing to consider stepping down after more than a decade in power.
When asked by The Associated Press Television News if he was confident that Gbagbo has decided to leave, Choi said:

April 3: A U.N. peacekeeper from Jordan patrols the streets of Abidjan, Ivory Coast."Yes, because as far as I know the key elements they are negotiating is where Mr. Gbagbo would go."
"Mr. Gbagbo has signaled for the first time since the crisis, he will accept the will of the people, the results of the election," Choi said.
France's foreign minister said Gbagbo would be required to relinquish power in writing after a decade as president, and must formally recognize Ouattara, the internationally backed winner of the November election that plunged the West African nation into chaos.
But Gbagbo showed no intention of leaving, declaring in his interview with French television, that Ouattara "did not win the elections" even though he was declared the victor by the U.N., African Union, United States, former colonial power France and other world leaders.
"I won the election and I am not negotiating my departure," Gbagbo said by telephone. The French channel said the interview was conducted by phone from his residence at 1730 GMT, and lasted about 20 minutes.
United Nations and French forces opened fire with attack helicopters on Gbagbo's arms stockpiles and bases on Monday after four months of political deadlock in the former French colony in West Africa. Columns of foot soldiers allied with Ouattara also finally pierced the city limits of Abidjan.
"One might think that we are getting to the end of the crisis," Hamadoun Toure, spokesman for the U.N. mission to Ivory Coast said by phone. "We spoke to his close aides, some had already defected, some are ready to stop fighting. He is alone now, he is in his bunker with a handful of supporters and family members. So is he going to last or not? I don't know."
Toure said that the U.N. had received phone calls Tuesday from the three main Gbagbo-allied generals, saying they were planning to order their troops to stop fighting.
"They asked us to accept arms and ammunition from the troops and to provide them protection," he said.
The offensive that began Monday included air attacks on the presidential residence and three strategic military garrisons, marking an unprecedented escalation in the international community's efforts to oust Gbagbo, as pro-Ouattara fighters pushed their way to the heart of the city to reach Gbagbo's home.
President Barack Obama said Tuesday he welcomed the role of the U.N. and French forces in Ivory Coast, also known by its French name Cote d'Ivoire.
"To end this violence and prevent more bloodshed, former President Gbagbo must stand down immediately, and direct those who are fighting on his behalf to lay down their arms," Obama said in a statement. "Every day that the fighting persists will bring more suffering, and further delay the future of peace and prosperity that the people of Cote d'Ivoire deserve."
Gbagbo refused to cede power to Ouattara even as the world's largest cocoa producer teetered on the brink of all-out civil war as the political crisis drew out, with both men claiming the presidency. Ouattara has tried to rule from a lagoonside hotel, while Gbagbo has stubbornly refused every olive branch extended to him.
On Tuesday, the African Union's Peace and Security Council again urged Gbagbo to cede power immediately to Ouattara "in order to curtail the suffering of the Ivorian people."
The French foreign minister said negotiations with Gbagbo and his family were ongoing.
"His adviser, Alcide Djedje, who is presented as his foreign minister, has arrived at the French Embassy and he's in the process of discussions on conditions of Gbagbo's departure," Juppe said from France.
Even before the offensive, postelection violence had left hundreds dead -- most of them Ouattara supporters -- and forced up to 1 million people to flee their homes.
Ivory Coast gained independence from France in 1960, and some 20,000 French citizens still lived there when a brief civil war broke out in 2002. French troops were then tasked by the U.N. with monitoring a cease-fire and protecting foreign nationals in Ivory Coast, which was once an economic star and is still one of the only countries in the region with four-lane highways, skyscrapers, escalators and wine bars.
Following four months of attempts to negotiate Gbagbo's departure, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed an especially strong resolution giving the 12,000-strong peacekeeping operation the right "to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence ... including to prevent the use of heavy weapons against the civilian population."

The Core Meaning of Leadership
Providing direction has always been central to the meaning of leadership and how it contributes to group success. Hence the importance of vision. Whether we view leadership as emanating from a single person at the top of a hierarchy or as emerging on a one-off basis from elsewhere, providing direction is what leadership has always done.

However, the very idea of being a leader is in crisis. Complexity and rapid change are making it harder and harder for those at the top to provide direction. But rather than deny that executives are leaders, we moved the goal posts by inventing post-heroic leadership. Executives are now facilitators who draw ideas for new directions out of their teams. Such leadership has been rightly called "paradoxical" because it suggests "leading by not leading."1

We are thus faced with two choices: either we change the definition of leadership to preserve the status quo that the person in charge of the group is the leader or we retain the idea that leadership provides direction but accept that those at the top can only show leadership occasionally. The second option entails sharing the leadership stage with every group member or outsider who promotes a new direction on any issue.

Unfortunately, switching from being a leader to showing leadership faces a huge obstacle: we are deeply committed to the idea that leaders occupy key roles in groups.

http://www.lead2xl.com/is-leadership-a-role