Alban Weekly - Monday, 6 January 2014 - Number 493 “Joseph and
the Development of the Visionary Leader” by Linda Rich
At prayer services each week synagogues around the world chant
the same selection from scripture. Starting right after the Jewish New Year, we
work our way through the Torah scroll to complete the five books of Moses in
time for the next Rosh Hashanah. For many, the Torah ceremony is the highlight
of the service. The text is traditionally divided into 54 portions, which are sometimes
doubled up to coordinate with the vagaries of the calendar. Right now we’re
reading from the latter part of the book of Genesis, which details the story of
Joseph in all its complexity.
Sitting in services this past Shabbat, I listened to the bar
mitzvah boy speak eloquently about the work of the Innocence Project, creating
a compelling connection with Joseph’s imprisonment after being falsely accused
of consorting with Potiphar’s wife. Meanwhile I was thinking about the Joseph
narrative in a different way, seeing it as an example of how visionary leaders
develop.
The young Joseph speaks of his dreams, and while his father
seems to sense that they contain truths, his brothers cannot accept what they
hear. Perhaps this is due to Joseph’s youthful arrogance or his lack of
expertise in expressing himself and influencing others. Maybe it stems from the
limits of the brothers’ comprehension, or perhaps the timing is just not right.
The story suggests to me that something more is needed in terms of the messenger
and his message. I began to think about the parallels between the Joseph story
and my encounters with coaching clients who face difficult choices as
congregational leaders.
It is through his subsequent trials that Joseph grows as a
leader, honing his abilities to communicate what he sees and to connect with
his audience. Finally his talent matures to the point where it is recognized by
others, the truth of his vision is accepted, and he is elevated through the
ranks. Joseph goes on to demonstrate that he has grown into a capable and
compassionate leader.
The text reminds us that hardships are one way that we learn the
lessons needed to become the leaders we were meant to be. It encourages us to
be like Joseph, growing through our trials and continuing to forge ahead rather
than retreating when scarred, so that we too may become capable, compassionate
and visionary leaders.
We all come up against difficult circumstances, move through
them, and eventually emerge out the other end. Through our successes and
failures in dealing with tough situations we begin to learn how to handle them,
and we develop confidence in our growing abilities. We build empathy for those
in similar straits, and we discover more about ourselves, cultivating the
self-awareness that serves as the foundation for all leadership development.
One thing we learn is to address difficult issues while we still
can, rather than avoiding the signs of conflict and allowing situations to
fester, become more emotionally fraught, and escalate beyond our control. We
develop the leadership muscle called “managerial courage”—the ability and
willingness to say what needs to be said and to do what needs to be done.
Challenges build character and develop leadership. We learn that
to effectively serve our mission and our people we must respond appropriately
to the circumstances facing us, even when we’d rather not have to deal with
them. We learn to adopt the approach best suited to the situation, even when
it’s not our preferred or most comfortable way. Sometimes this means addressing
the situation promptly and directly, and sometimes it means holding back until
the timing is right.
I recently coached a congregational leader facing the need to
fire a younger staff member. It was a supremely difficult task for her, but she
did not shirk from the responsibility. We discussed how rough early-career
setbacks can be, and also how they can end up leading to greater career success
in the longer term. Setbacks and failures are wake-up calls that enable us to
receive the messages we need hear, make changes, and get back on the right
track. Employees have a right to know where they stand, and to receive timely
information that affords them the opportunity to improve and to grow their
contribution to the congregation and to their own careers. The courageous and
compassionate leader shares performance information with staff members and
takes action when necessary, before behavior becomes so ingrained that change
is difficult or even impossible. Sometimes our duty to the mission and to
others requires painful action.
In our coaching conversation, the leader confided that she
herself had been fired from a position earlier in her career. She related how
this setback had required her to rethink her approach, eventually enabling her
to move forward in a more fruitful way. I shared my experience of losing a job
during a bout of corporate downsizing, and how the result had led to a
broadening of my own experience and eventually to a new and more satisfying
career.
Facing difficulties is an important part of growth and
development, our life’s work that is never completed. Like Joseph, we carry
with us the scars of our trials. The story of Joseph reminds us that setbacks
are not irreversible endings, and that by integrating the learnings of
experience we can become the leaders the world needs us to be.
Linda Rich, an organizational consultant and executive coach
with the Alban Institute, specializes in leadership development and
congregational revitalization.
-------
The Alban Institute
131 Elden Street, Suite 202
Herndon, VA 20170 United States
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment