Leadership gets defined when you are thrown into the back of an airplane wondering if all the team members are on board. Or when, a supposedly agreed upon, 5 minute per person shower, turns into a self proclaimed 10 minute spa treatment with 6 other people waiting for their turn with a "what are you going to do about this" expressions on their faces. Or even that moment when someone tries to convince the guys that lentils have the same amount of protein as a steak. And all this before breakfast.
Our team is neatly divided into 5 smaller teams. Food, communication, travel, finance and then finally the white team. And it is in this last mentioned team that I find myself interconnected to the rest. There are numerous books, quotes, banners, pamphlets, sermons, teachings, seminars, workshops, opinions, blogs, and YouTube videos on leadership. All very helpful...if you knew what it actually meant the moment the information hit your brain. It is only when you travel the world with a team that you wish you had taken notes in that AHA moment of intellectual comprehension. And you quickly realize how much you actually comprehended the AHA moment when faced with the real deal.
I never saw it coming. The challenge part of global challenge. It crept up on me one night and was sitting there at breakfast the next morning all smiles and giggles. It sort of caught me off guard, threw me off my chair, and I have been adapting ever since. Nowadays I just shake my head and laugh while I sit on the floor and expect the unexpected..."It will be fun" they said. In retrospect, it has been fun, somewhat. We have suffered a whole lot together, experienced weird things like garlic milk tart, had discussions about theology and always try to figure out where our cutlery is at. It's a strange thing this cutlery phenomenon. It's like socks getting lost in the washing machine. But that's a different blog. When I embarked on this journey God told me that it was going to be a very practical year. And it has been. Theory meets application. Nothing can really prepare you for leadership. Only the Holy Spirit can guide you in the reality you find yourself in. The intellectual stuff helps because the spirit can use it to remind you, but we are human and we tend to ignore the prompting. And then we suffer in silence until our level of fear drops because of discomfort and we actually start responding to the prompting.
My definition of leadership has changed a lot. Leaders are people who build the kingdom according to God's plan and not their own, step out first into the unknown, see opportunities and utilize it, help other people live in their calling, direct people to the right platforms, create platforms, cheer from the back, don't have all the answers but will look into it, facilitate, clarify, keep the team focussed, communicate God's vision, prays, values people and their opinions, listens to understand, responds to people and the environment, submits, and directs ideas into action. This is by no means an exhaustive list. I have come to realize that a sword can also be used as a plough when leading a team. It's about serving the team and making them look good while breaking the top soil for nourishment of the kingdom to seep into the roots of people. It's about building the kingdom of God and it's a privilege. Leaders serve by seeing opportunities and giving those opportunities to others to show God's glory. I leader needs to know the team and who is good with what so that the right people can be in the right place at the right time.
It's really a beautiful thing. Seeing what God is doing and then becoming a part of the story by facilitating God's vision through action. As an example, let's say you sense God wants to minister to kids in a part of town most people neglect. What you need is the vision to see God wants to impart encouragement and then you need games, songs, relevant testimonies, and a lot of enthusiasm. So match the criteria with the people on team, guide specific people into roles, stand back, and watch the magic happen. Often times we tend to think that leaders need to do all the work or get the glory. Leaders only need to lead the team towards an end goal that the leader can sense God wants. Leaders are facilitators in the kingdom...servants. But servants are warriors as well.
Leadership is not glamorous. Deciphering misunderstandings amongst team mates can be a messy story. Not even to mention between team mates and the self. Leaders are as part of a team as any other member. Especially in conflict management. What I've come to realize is that conflict arises out of differing values. If these values are well grounded is a whole other topic all together. People just value different things at different times and especially at different phases in life. It is here where there is a tension in the balance. The concept of unconditional acceptance and love becomes a beckoning reality when faced with a team filled with different people at different life phases. And it takes faith to open up and get real. Rejection is a very real emotion and can come about very easily when unconditional love is not present. So it's in this that the tension lies. It's about having faith that when you open up the other person will understand and accept that your side of the story is real to you and that it matters.
White team has been interesting, adventurous, life changing, frustrating, loving, healing, liberating, and humbling. It has shaped my worldview in so many ways that it is sometimes overwhelming when I think about it. Being on white team has taught me to respond to the environment I find myself in. To respond to the vision of the kingdom, to respond to the needs of people, to respond to the call of God. It has not been easy but I am grateful. My heart feels more alive than ever before. Jesus really does set the captives free...
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