5SQ109 - Iliff Leadership

"Republicans have hired an Atlanta law firm to defend the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, risking their budget-cutting message to support a law that denies same-sex couples benefits given to heterosexual married couples." Okay, let me get this straight (pun intended). The GOP is will to risk their "budget cutting message" to what, save marriage? To deny citizens of this country their rights? This is not a good example of leadership. Take a stand (budget cuts) but then ride high on the crest of emotion and spend money on a big law firm. Oh, yeah. Here we go again. How many ways can we say homophobia?

It's depressing, isn't it?!

On the other hand (to play Devil's Advocate - pun intended) this is how our country has an official discussion. The Justice Department, whose legal task it is to defend the laws passed by Congress (and that's what DOMA is, like it or not), has opted to not defend this one. There are good political reasons for this administration to take that stand, but it cuts off the conversation. I would rather continue the conversation than enforce my view. I will especially appreciate this when my view is the minority view, and I will have the power and right to continue the legal conversation.

Because not everyone will serve in urban/suburban settings.

These faithful people, who have given so much for so long, receive the highest percentage of student pastors, near-retirement (often exhausted) pastors and burned out (or nearly there) pastors.

"More than 25 percent of inmates in Maricopa County Jail admit to being diagnosed with mental illness, so Sheriff Joe Arpaio stood a good chance of offending mental-health advocates when the Sheriff's Office recently launched a new online contest asking website visitors to vote for their favorite inmate-booking photos." For those of you not familiar with Maricopa County's Sheriff Joe, well this article will give you just a hint of what we have been enduring for years now. However, I believe Joe has hit an all time low with this stunt. Photographs of inmates on the internet. Come one, come all. Vote for your favorite "mug shot". Let's not mention that we are making fun of people, some who have a major mental illness. In fact, 25% of inmates in the Maricopa County jail system have a mental illness. Some believe this is percentage is low because it is only by self-report. Some people don't want to mention they have mental illness, it's enough to be under arrest. This infuriates me. Even if I didn't work in the public mental health system, since when is it socially acceptable to make fun of those with a disability or who are different? Or, has it really just gone underground... Thanks Joe, for bringing discrimination into the sunshine and letting the whole world know it is alive and well in Maricopa County.

A helpful reminder about e-mail (and, perhaps, moodle posting) communication for leaders/administrators

I don't know, Debbie. I think addressing someone on email by their first name followed by a colon (or not) isn't stiff and cold. I think starting an email with no salutation is cold. (Different strokes for different folks, perhaps.)

I think I agree with you, Judy, or at least I appreciate your reflection of different strokes. My sense is that it differs depending on a whole lot of variables, including sender, reader, topic, and so much more. For example, when someone who doesn't know me is asking for something from me, I tend to respond better to an e-mail that begins with "Dear Dr. Creamer" and then is well written and somewhat formal (but not too long). On the other hand, if it's someone I know sending me something like a brief piece of information, simply including my name (at the beginning with, or without, a colon, or in the first line) is more than sufficient. And when it's the introduction to a forwarded message ("Saw this and thought you'd appreciate it") or a quick reminder ("Just to follow up on what I just told you in the hallway, our meeting will be Tuesday at 2"), I wouldn't need (or expect) my name to be there at all. Maybe what I most appreciate from this post, then, is the reminder to be thoughtful about not just what we say but how we say it, particularly in a space like e-mail that can so easily carry misunderstandings.

Ideas and concepts for those who want to help their congregations move beyond a focus on themselves.

Vivian, very interesting--the unchurched want more traditional worship! That's counter to what a lot of people are saying but I think it's true for lots of people, including young adults. Thanks for the referral.

This is an interesting article relating science to leadership. Scientists and researchers are examining how leaders make decisions, etc., by looking at their brain scans.

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

"NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball is taking the extraordinary and historic step of assuming control of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team increasingly paralyzed by its owners' bitter divorce." Okay, it's my favorite, "get out the binoculars", thing again. Sports, wild rumor laced with fact and a demonstration of emotion gaining the upper hand over good leadership. This story has all the makings of a "made for t.v. movie". You would think that people running a multi-million dollar corporation like the Los Angeles Dodgers would have demonstrated more intelligence than this. Then again, why should they be any different from any other super-wealthy family, like say, the Royal Family or the Ford Family dynasty. Talk about grist for the mill...

In this Harvard Business Review Case Study Brad Powell, the newly hired senior minister of a Temple Baptist Church, must lead the organization to reverse a three-decade decline and return to fulfilling its mission. Brad spent the first six months assessing the situation, building relationships, and reiterating the longstanding mission of the organization. Now, with an understanding of its history, an intimate knowledge of the immediate challenges, and a clear vision of what the organization should become, Brad is considering his strategy and next steps. As the leader of a nonprofit organization resourced by members and volunteers, Brad must lead change that produces results without compromising the mission. The B case summarizes Brad's actions and the results.

Article highlights some of the neuroscience behind leadership. Essentially, the way a leader delivers a message is more important than the message itself, and science proves it. The effects of activating neural circuitry in followers' brains can be very powerful. In a recent study, researchers observed two groups: One received negative performance feedback accompanied by positive emotional signals-namely, nods and smiles; the other was given positive feedback that was delivered critically, with frowns and narrowed eyes. In subsequent interviews conducted to compare the emotional states of the two groups, the people who had received positive feedback accompanied by negative emotional signals reported feeling worse about their performance than did the participants who had received good-natured negative feedback. In effect, the delivery was more important than the message itself. And everybody knows that when people feel better, they perform better. So, if leaders hope to get the best out of their people, they should continue to be demanding but in ways that foster a positive mood in their teams. The old carrot-and-stick approach alone doesn't make neural sense; traditional incentive systems are simply not enough to get the best performance from followers. Here's an example of what does work. It turns out that there's a subset of mirror neurons whose only job is to detect other people's smiles and laughter, prompting smiles and laughter in return. A boss who is self-controlled and humorless will rarely engage those neurons in his team members, but a boss who laughs and sets an easygoing tone puts those neurons to work, triggering spontaneous laughter and knitting his team together in the process. A bonded group is one that performs well.

What if leaders were judged based on "evidence of demand," the term coined by author Tammy Erickson? What if the organizations we serve developed internal collaboration hubs specifically designed to capture peer feedback and serve as a reputation-development tool. Would we be proud of our reputations? Would our website demonstrate evidence of demand: upcoming team commitments based on others' desire to work for us and with us?

This is an interesting (and free) magazine that shares stories and ideas about church leadership.

This is the other book my DS gave me when I began serving a small church. It helped me understand the dynamics and how to help them leverage who they are to achieve more effective (and therefore) satisfying administration of their church.

This little book was given to me by my District Superintendent (manager) to help me transition into my first pastorate. I found its practical wisdom illustrated by anecdotes to be very helpful.

Adam Hamilton was the keynote speaker at the 2010 Annual Conference for the United Methodist Rocky Mountain Conference. The most successful pastors I know participate in this summit and read his books. I find his materials interesting and useful.

"March 7, 2011 (Notre Dame, Ind.)-Saint Mary's College is proud to announce that its first scholarly journal, published by the Center for Women's Intercultural Leadership (CWIL), went live online today. The Journal of Women's Intercultural Leadership (JWIL), which can be found at www.saintmarys.edu/cwil/jwil, is an extension of CWIL's mission to empower women to realize their call to leadership and to develop the intercultural knowledge and competence critical in today's increasingly interdependent world." - Sounds good to me! I wish I could say it better, but they've already summed it up well.

This is an article from my last hometown newspaper about a group who tried to get a charter school up and running but were bascally turned down for their lack of organization which led to a lack of support. The group ould have appealed the decision but gave up.