Deep Change

Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within, by Robert E. Quinn, Jossey-Bass, 1996

Overview

All of us look inside ourselves (and our organizations) and find ourselves deeply unsatisfied.  At these times, we commonly try to use a “quick fix” when a deeper change is required.  Without such a risky and deep change, we will die slowly.  These changes, however, are very near to our identity, and so they are scary.  Fear of the unknown commonly locks us into the status quo.  Many people deny the need for change when confronted with the deep issues that plague their institution (or them, personally).  Most organizations have a variety of self-reinforcing structures to keep change superficial.  Deep changes require actions so risky that the death of the organization is at stake.  Many organizations resist such risk.  Excellence, though, can never come without risk.  One way an organization may begin to attack deep issues is to “discuss the undiscussable.”  Visionary leaders (who have moved away from mere management) will gain insights from their employees, but will lead the change themselves.

Critique

Quinn’s many stories make this book inspirational as well as informational.  He writes primarily about corporate business.  And though the preface states that he intends the book to be valuable to anyone in any organization, he assumes a knowledge and experience with the business world often.  His principles are generic, which allows a reader to think about their specific situation as they are reading.  However, at times, the generic language may lead some non-business-oriented readers to be confused.  Nonetheless, there are many good insights and helpful principles overall.  The book excels and good stories and the overall point of the necessity of risking deep change for the health of organizations.

“The fact that we have enough trust and belief in ourselves to pursue our vision is what signals to others that the vision is worth investing in.  Our message is filled with integrity ad good intentions.  However, it is usually our actions, not our words, that send the message.”  p.85.

The Critical Journey

The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith, by Janet O. Hagberg and Robert A Gelich

 

Overview

The spiritual life of faith is a journey which can be seen in 6 (or 7) stages.  Each comes after the other, and it may take many years to move through one particular stage.  Typically, a person has a “home” stage at any given time in his life.  However, he may revert back to previous stages for a short time depending on circumstances.  In the first stage, “The Recognition of God,” new Christians must deal with a sense of God’s enormity and their own frailty and finitude.  When a person then becomes part of a community, he enters “The Life of Discipleship” where he is open to learning about God, doctrine, faith and the church.  When a person learns, then, about himself and his gifts, he is ready to enter stage three, “The Productive Life.”  Here, a person is quite involved in serving the community through is unique gifting.  This, however, tends to lead to burnout and a crisis of faith.  Then, the person enters “The Journey Inward” where one seeks authentic relationship of intimacy with God.  “The Wall” describes the increased intensity of this struggle.  For those who find such intimacy, “The Journey Outward” allows a person to serve others vocationally with a more relaxed posture, confident in God’s grace.  Finally, “The Life of Love” is an adventurous time of surrender to God’s grace, and a willingness to serve him with very little self-awareness.

 

Critique

What a terrific paradigm!  I found myself seeing all kinds of patterns in the journeys I have witnessed in others.  This book will allow the reader to understand how people who are in different places in the journey value different things in their spiritual life.  Some strongly desire small community groups, while others see little need for them.  Some strongly desire deep theologically-driven sermons while others prefer soothing, comforting sermons.  They are in different places on the journey.  This little paradigm is helpfully explained, and the stages are compared and contrasted in helpful ways to make it easy to learn and digest.

 

“Because [ordained clergy] are deemed close to God, we feel God should respond to our requests.  Substituting our own will for God’s has become our weakness.  How painful for us to realize that we, the leaders of the flock, also have to go through the Wall.”  p.118.

 

Transitions

Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, by William Bridges

Overview

Life’s transitions are difficult to navigate.  While everyone’s transitions look different, there are some tell-tale patterns that indicate a transition, and there are guidelines to help make a transition smoother.  In a transition, a person will feel restless, anxious, and will lose interest in regular activities.  Each transition begins with a death of some sort, which must be mourned.  In this time, one must separate himself from something, which can be quite disorienting.  Only then, can one enter into a fallow time of reflection and malleability.  This is where the real work of the transition takes place.  Finally, a new birth brings freshness and a kind of new identity.  All people experience transitions throughout various stages in their lives, even though it is impossible to make any certain set of stages normal.  How we deal with transitions in early life will usually dictate how we deal with other transitions later.  Transitions of all kinds deeply affect interpersonal relationships and can even jeopardize those relationships.  Many people experience transitions in their work life from a kind of apprenticeship to “householding” to some kind of “final chapter.”

 

Critique

The author spends a great deal of time in the myths of the ancient Greek world.  Unless the reader has significant knowledge or great interest in these myths, it will be difficult to understand the (very) extended illustration.  Further, the author weaves a variety of stories from his personal experience with students throughout the book.  These stories are all similar (since they all deal with transitions), and so only a very careful reader will not be confused.  Nonetheless, it is easy to see why this book has sold so many copies.  The information is quite valuable, and his exposition of transitions is easy to understand.  The practical advice is the most valuable part of the book.

 

“First, the process of transformation is essentially a death and rebirth process rather than one of mechanical modification.  Although our own culture knows all about mechanics, it has a great deal to learn from the past about death and rebirth.”  p.140.

 

Alan! Alan! Alan!

 

TrueFaced

TrueFaced: Trust God and Others With Who You Really Are, by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol and John Lynch.

Overview

Christians regularly feel the need to wear a mask that hides their true identity.  They think that they must project an image of holiness and perfection in order to be accepted and loved by God and others.  Underneath the mask all people are guilty for sin committed by them and hurt for sin committed against them.  Unless Christians deal with these sins, they cannot mature and achieve the dreams God has for them.  The Room of Good Intentions is the place where people pose with masks for each other and people are trying hard to please God and others, first.  The Room of Grace is opened by the knob of humility.  Here, everyone trusts God before they try to please him.  They are not afraid of their guilt and hurt because they are confident in the grace of God.  This confidence allows them to receive and then give love.  It allows them to repent (not just confess), and to forgive others truly and deeply.

Critique

This book was written for church leaders and mature Christians, or, at least, those who have been in church communities for a long time.  A new believer will struggle to understand what the authors are saying.  Nonetheless, this is a fantastic book to help understand what Tim Keller calls, “the sin beneath the sin.”  The summary at the end of each chapter is a helpful way of using the book in a small group discussion.  I must agree with Dallas Willard, it is “one of the best books o practical theology I have seen.”

“Sin will not be managed.  Behavior change and sin management are deceptively tricky boxing opponents.  We win some earl rounds.  This increases our confidence and by the firth or sixth round, we break into a rendition of the Ali Shuffle.  Hey, this isn’t so hard.  Soon, we’re mugging for the cameras . . . and the next thing we know, we’re on teh canvas, knocked into another world by a devastating left hook.”  p. 66.

The Call

The Call, by Os Guinness.

Overview

One of the chief problems with contemporary Western Christianity is a misunderstanding of their calling.  God calls each of us in two distinct ways.  We are called by, to and for God, following him.  And second, we are called to live in a way that conforms with his sovereignty.  Our calling is as complex as our identity, and can be found only be looking at the various facets of how God exerts his loving influence over the world, and over us.  We should live our lives so that he is pleased with us, even if that means that no one else is.  To do so means we take responsibility for our thoughts, words, feelings and actions.  A proper sense of calling will combat the seven deadly sins and provide the motivation and vision for leaders to emerge to lead the church (and the world) in God’s mission of grace, truth and love.

Critique

Guinness has a natural way of expressing complex ideas in simple terms through the use of story and illustration.  He inspires even as he teaches.  Guinness states in the book that his call includes translating the gospel for the culture and translating culture for the church.  He has certainly done that here.  His chapters on the seven deadly sins are masterful, though, at times, it seems he is stretching a bit to connect the discussion to a sense of “calling” particularly.  At some point, one wonders if Guinness’s idea of “calling” is just a guise for “everything about life.”  While each chapter is helpful, they don’t flow well together, and it is hard to identify a cohesive structure to the book.  Nonetheless, this is a great book, worth keeping on the low shelf for future reference.

“The problem with Western Christians is not that they aren’t where they should be but that they aren’t what they should be where they are.”  p.166

Stuck!

Stuck! Navigating the Transitions of Life & Leadership, by Terry Walling.

Overview

Christian leaders experience several major and many minor transitions throughout their lives.  Each transition is an opportunity to grow and a potential for stagnation.  Transitions move through four stages, Entry, Evaluation, Alignment and Direction.  In Entry, a person is uncomfortable and restless in his situation, indicating that a change needs to take place.  In Evaluation, a person looks back to see what God has done, what God has said and the re-assesses his own passions, values and experiences.  In Alignment, a person surrenders to God’s will, changing his life to match the results of the Evaluation phase. and in Direction, a person experiences a breakthrough of faith and begins a new phase of their life.  These stages can be easily seen in the three major transitions of life, Awakening in early adulthood,

Deciding in middle age, and Finishing in the later years.  Each of these transitions can be difficult but also provide an opportunity to discover and re-discover God’s purpose and grace in a person’s life.

 

Critique

Walling provides and excellent resource for those who are going through a transition, or for someone who is coaching a friend who is doing so.  The paradigm and accompanying practical and specific advice will serve especially pastors and Christian leaders who encounter such people in counseling settings.  Walling writes in a conversational tone, easy to understand with helpful illustrations and examples throughout the book.  At times, it seems the material is too brief, and one wonders if the book is an expansion of class notes or an extended seminar handout.

“There is a temptation in life to often just let things slide.  Important questions remain important, but hide in the “not urgent” basket.  In a transition God raises the questions, and then allows them to go unanswered to test how much we want to know the answers.”  p. 76

 

Spiritual Leadership

Spiritual Leadership, by Henry & Richard Blackaby.

Overview

Christian leadership is related to secular leadership, but transcends it by pointing people to God’s agenda for their life.  As our model of leadership, Jesus exhibits some unique leadership qualities such as humility and dependance.  Christian leaders are typically ordinary people whom God uses.  A good leaders communicates his vision effectively and often.  His legitimate God-given character allows him to focus his attention on a particular vision which should bring others to Jesus and give glory to God.  Leaders can hone their skills.  A teachable attitude, openness to the Holy Spirit and an understanding of history can help a leader make better decisions.  By taking regular time to think, pray and dream, a leader can better plan his schedule to make his time more effective.  Leaders will benefit form contemplating both the common pitfalls and rewards of leadership.

 

Critique

The Blackabys give a good general introduction to Christian leadership.  There is nothing groundbreaking or new, but this book is a solid text from which to begin thinking about the subject.  In the first chapter, they bring up the question of what difference God makes in the effectiveness of leaders.  Their conclusion (p. 14) is that uniquely Christian leadership is “phenomenally more effective that even the most skilled and qualified leaders.”  However, they fail to demonstrate this.  In fact, it seems that the Blackabys have taken “secular” leadership principles and “baptized” them with Bible verses and stories to demonstrate that they are actually Christian leadership principles.  If the reader acknowledges the authors’ need to spiritualize leadership principles, young leaders can greatly benefit from this terrific introduction.

 

“Managers often become embroiled in the daily grind of keeping the organizational  machinery functioning properly.  Leaders realize they must occasionally step back from the day-to-day operations in order to gain perceptive on the broader issues such as the nature and future of their organizations.”  p. 210

 

 

Renovation of the Heart

Renovation of the Heart, by Dallas Willard.

Overview

Spiritual formation is a process of becoming more like Christ.  This is done in concert with the Holy Spirit.  There are six human dimensions that each need to be moved toward Christ in order for spiritual formation to happen: Thoughts, feelings, will, body, social context and the soul.  An understanding of the radical brokenness and sinfulness of the human condition is required, and it will lead to a great trust and obedience to the commands of God.  Images and ideas are the currency of our thoughts.  We should discipline our thoughts to align them with Christ’s message of grace.  Our feelings give us liveliness, and can be corrected by better thoughts.  Our wills are fractured and need to be focused with spiritual disciplines.  We should not see our bodies as belonging to us, but rather to God, their creator.  Broken societies are fixed first by fixing marriages.  We must acquire vision of what living in God’s kingdom can be like if we are to pursue sanctification by his grace.

 

Critique

This book is not easy to read.  Few illustrations, long sentences and dense ideas are typical of Willard’s writing style.  Nonetheless, for those willing to put in the effort, much gold lies in those mines.  Willard offers a terrific look at the various elements necessary in sanctification.  It is not a mystery, as he says, and he pulls back the curtain on what has seemed, at times, to be confusing.  He is pithy, helpful and insightful.  He is strong on theory, and does attempt to address practicality (save for a few paragraphs here and there).  This can be frustrating for a Christian leader asking the question, “What does this look like in a local church, or in the life of an individual?”

“To serve God well we must think straight; and crooked thinking, unintentional or not, always favors evil. And when the crooked thinking gets elevated into group orthodoxy, whether religious or secular, there is always, quite literally, “hell to pay.” That is, hell will take its portion, as it has repeatedly done in the horrors of world history.” p.106.

 

Now, Discover Your Strengths

Now, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton.

Overview

Based on over 2,000,000 interviews, research suggests that a person’s strengths are the key to unlocking their potential impact in the world and on an organization, particularly.  Many examples illustrate that a strength is “consistent near perfect performance in any activity.”  Talents are natural ways of thinking, feeling and behaving.  These cannot be learned, but they are essential parts of a person’s strengths.  People can learn specific knowledge and improve particular skills that will enhance their talents to become strengths.  A person ought to work in and on their strengths rather than on their weakness, contrary to popular practice, because this is how we can best make an effective contribution to the world.  Thirty four themes rise from the research in which people may have strengths, and each is described in detail.  Organizations which want to improve performance should allow each employee to discover, improve and work according to the theme(s) that characterize their strengths.  Management of people which each of the themes is unique and is discussed.  Organizations may be able to drop the “Peter Principle” by hiring people with the right strengths, keeping people in a role that fits their strength, and giving incentives for people to get better at their strengths.

 

Critique

This book is easy to read, and is best used as a resource or reference book.  The research is thorough and well presented.  This book is a good introduction to a system which seems much larger than what this book handles.  I would like to see how this system would match against the Meyers-Briggs personality assessment or the DISC personality system, both of which are quite intriguing to me.  Managers and other leaders will be able to effectively use the resources in this book to hire the right people and put those people in the right positions on the team.

“When we studied them, excellent performers were rarely well rounded.  On the contrary, they were sharp.”  p. 26.