Robert Watson, former Commissioner and National Commander of The Salvation Army says “Organizations that are run strictly according to a command-control model including the majority that disguise real chains of command with touchy-feely retreats or shows of consensus-gathering train indecisiveness and irresponsibility into their systems. In these kinds of organizations, no matter what the employee handbook says, everyone really knows how decisions get made. The boss and his or her surrogates have to okay everything. That makes everyone below the CEO more accountable for obedience than results."

Statistics tell us that much of the United Methodist Church in the United Methodist is downward and inward bound. Oh, there are pockets of resistance here and there but the statistics still slant downward and inward.

When we begin to circle the wagons and go into a survivalist mode we do some very stupid things and expect a different outcome.

As General Watson suggested we go into a command and control response hoping that complete alignment to whatever the boss wants - - the boss gets. A line is drawn in the board room and those who dare step across it are considered disloyal and not team players. Alignment is everything. To borrow from my military background there is a “clip-board and kick-butt” mentality on the part of leadership. If we can just get these guys whipped into shape and aligned to our handbook everything will be “just fine” and we will meet the “mission objective”.

However, I think that Robert Watson is suggesting a different model for those in the Kingdom business –

Loose the chains of permission granting and binding up in bureaucratic loop jumping and create an environment of trust and support for those who are in the business of Kingdom building.

It has been quoted that a good definition of stupidity “is to keep doing the same things the same way and expecting different results.”

Circling the wagons just won’t get at the results we yearn and pray for. When we circle the wagons - - we grow inward and become just survivalist. We cannot “reach out” because we are to busy “checking names and kicking butt”.

Real servant leaders, lead from the heart.

Jesus, our model of the ultimate servant leader, gave us our “employee handbook”.

It reads like this - -

Do you love me?

Feed my sheep!



A Jim Lane Commentary
May 26, 2004