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Leadership is…

Below are 17 metaphors for leadership – what kind of leader are you?

  1. Leadership as a Captain: Guiding the ship through stormy seas, setting the course, and ensuring the safety and success of the crew.
  2. Leadership as a Gardener: Nurturing the growth and development of individuals and the organization, providing the right conditions for success.
  3. Leadership as a Coach: Inspiring and motivating individuals, helping them reach their full potential, and guiding them towards achieving their goals.
  4. Leadership as a Pilot: Taking charge of the journey, navigating through challenges, and safely reaching the desired destination.
  5. Leadership as a Shepherd: Caring for and guiding a flock, protecting them from harm, and leading them to greener pastures.
  6. Leadership as a Conductor: Orchestrating the diverse talents and abilities of individuals, harmonizing their efforts, and creating a unified and successful performance.
  7. Leadership as a Bridge: Connecting different people, departments, or organizations, fostering collaboration and synergy for collective achievement.
  8. Leadership as a Visionary: Painting a compelling vision of the future, inspiring others to join in its pursuit, and charting the path towards its realization.
  9. Leadership as a Torchbearer: Carrying the flame of inspiration, lighting the way for others, and igniting passion and enthusiasm within the team.
  10. Leadership as a Lighthouse: Providing guidance, stability, and a point of reference in times of uncertainty, helping others find their way.
  11. Leadership as a Catalyst: Sparking change, encouraging innovation, and creating an environment where new ideas and growth can flourish.
  12. Leadership as a Magician: Unleashing the hidden potential within individuals and the organization, turning challenges into opportunities, and achieving remarkable results.
  13. Leadership as a Storyteller: Communicating the organization’s values, purpose, and mission through engaging narratives that inspire and unite people.
  14. Leadership as a Warrior: Courageously facing obstacles and adversity, leading by example, and rallying the troops in times of difficulty.
  15. Leadership as a Sports Team Captain: Directing team strategies, motivating players, and fostering a sense of unity and camaraderie to achieve victory.
  16. Leadership as a Architect: Designing the blueprint for success, structuring systems and processes, and ensuring the organization’s foundation is strong and stable.
  17. Leadership as a Trailblazer: Venturing into uncharted territory, pushing boundaries, and paving the way for others to follow.
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Prayer for Church of Scotland General Assembly 2023

During GA2023 the New College Chapel will be available as a quiet space for prayer and reflection during lunchtimes, there will be online opportunity for prayer too – 1.15 to 1.45. In putting together some resource material to encourage prayer, it will be great if you can add either a brief prayer, or some topics for prayer. Copies of some will be available in the Chapel. I hope that this page may grow and help you in your prayers for the Church of Scotland in these times of change, as we meet in General Assembly 20-25th May 2023.

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Faith, Wisdom & Spirituality

I recently connected with Dr Manoj Krishna, founder of the Human Wisdom Project – and am delighted that he will be my first guest in a series of Tuesday afternoon conversations on Zoom around ‘Faith, Wisdom and Spirituality in the 21st Century’ – beginning Tuesday 1st March.

Olive Fleming Drane, theologian, author, clown and member of the IT’s For Ministry FaceBook Group is my guest – on 8th March.

Details of the other conversations and registration link is at: www.AKSM.org.uk/fws

Each conversation will stand on its own… and is for all who are curious and interested to awaken, and develop understanding and engagement in Faith, Wisdom and Spirituality. Come along to as many as you can… Recordings will be available to catch up later… but you don’t get to ask your questions and contribute to the conversation that way…

Thank you

Donald.

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Freudenfreude – pleasure in others’ success

Freudenfreude, German term used for taking pleasure in other people’s joy and successes.

Interesting blog post:

https://eleanorbaggaley.com/freudenfreude

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Better Meetings – on-line and on-site



A couple of paragraphs from an email sent earlier today to a colleague… that are probably worthy of ’putting out there’!

“I often wish that there could be more time in meetings to take time for ideation – generating the good and bad ideas, evaluating options and perhaps making new and creative discoveries along the way – rather than receiving a paper with a proposal from ‘an expert’.

There are many ways in which, particularly over the past two years, that online meetings have been made more engaging and imaginative than pre-conceived. One very simple idea that I have used much recently is to put out a question and ask for response in the CHAT – and ask everyone not to hit ENTER (or click the arrow) until everyone has had a moment to make their own response – then all together ENTER is clicked and there’s a flurry of ideas… everyone’s ‘voice’ is heard – rather than collusion with whoever speaks first…”1

  1. An idea from Chad Littlefield, www.we and.me
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Blessed are the Treelike

‘Blessed are the ones… like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do.’
From Psalm 1

Blessed are the treelike…
Blessed are the treelike…

Like trees we have roots, trunks, branches, leaves, flowers and fruit

Roots

Drawing on strength and inspiration from God, family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, we are nourished, sustained and blessed. Intentional time to care for ourselves and nurture these relationships, and be equipped, encouraged, strengthened and enthused1 by them, is key to succeeding in our plans and projects.

Trunks

The trunk represents personal development – taking time to develop skills and hone abilities. Taking time to ‘sharpen the saw’ as Steven Covey would say.

Branches

The branches are the ways we connect with the world and its people – sharing our gifts, our art, our practice. ‘We make a difference in the world when we seek to make a difference – not because it’s easy but because it matters. This is all part of the practice’2

Leaves, Flowers and Fruit

and the leaves, flowers and fruit are the outcomes… some which we didn’t anticipate at the beginning… some functional, some simply beautiful and some to nourish others…

‘Blessed are the ones… like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do.’

  1. Isn’t ‘Enthused’ a wonderful word – from the Greek ‘en Theos’ – literally ‘in God’
  2. The Practice, Seth Godin, Chapter 42
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Our deepest fear…

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”

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Harvest Music

Songs from Resound Music might be helpful this Harvest time…

We See the Fruitful Harvest
Praise Awaits You (Psalm 65)
Freely

From a recent collaboration with Christian Aid with its themes of justice for all:

God of All Comfort

And, really, any song from Resound Worship’s Doxecology collection – in particular:

God the Maker of the Heavens
If the Fields are Parched (Have Mercy)
As the Seeds Are Planted (Let the Earth Find Rest)

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Include a News Feed

You can easily include an RSS news feed in your Church website – here’s the current listing from the Church of Scotland News Page. In WordPress add an RSS block with the URL: https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/feeds/news

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Post Pandemic Pondering and Planning

A very helpful resource for individual or group reflection. Are you pondering and evaluating how your faith community will move into post-pandemic relationships and programs? This resource from the PC(USA) provides guided opportunities to brainstorm, reflect, act and pray about how to re-form into your community’s future using a creative format.

www.presbyterianmission.org/resource/post-pandemic-pondering-and-planning-a-guide-to-faith-re-formation/