Category Archives: Leadership

21st Century Leadership, Part 2

August 19th, 2023 | Dr. Charlie Self

Years ago, John Blanchard said that much of global leadership is plagued by, “a dearth of depth and a surfeit of the superficial.” So much of what passes for life and leadership seems content with surfing on the surface of things. We can do better, first in ourselves, then in what we expect of others.

Leadership excellence begins with being a person of outstanding character. Goodness, integrity, and personal wholeness are essential qualities for women and men that aspire to lead others. With character as foundation, developing managing one’s charisms becomes important so that there is a good fit of person and the tasks at hand.

There are two more facets of leadership to explore here. The first is competencies. These are the necessary interpersonal and professional skills for the task. Please note the two categories here. Character is underneath the interpersonal competencies needed to lead others. This included emotional and relational maturity, along with intercultural competence. So many problems in leadership come from a breakdown in people understanding each other. Professional (including technical) skills seem obvious, but there are times when skills and tasks do not align well.

Leaders must have communication and managerial skills, with particular ability to lead their organizations and teams in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Chaotic, Ambiguous) world where much can change quickly. This is why the communication, interpersonal maturity, and adaptive skills matter so much.

The final facet is understanding capacity. This is not just the number of people or the size of the budget, but understanding the boundaries of one’s leadership and being a woman or man of faith, focus, and follow-through. As one sage said, “Under-promise and over-deliver.” We live in a world filled with exaggeration and over-hyped expectations, so good leaders must have the humility to see what is ahead, focus tasks well, and fulfill promises in a timely manner.

One of the most important ingredients in being an effective and praiseworthy leader is understanding that today’s discipline is tomorrow’s destiny. Doing today well is vital for tomorrow’s expansion of influence.

The “4C Leader” – a woman or man of deep character, clarity about their charisms, growing on competencies, and both staying in their lanes of capacity while expanding influence – is needed today more than ever before.

21st Century Leadership, Part 1

August 8th, 2023 | Dr. Charlie Self

One glance at the headlines and we see a global crisis of leadership. In addition to the (alas, the almost expected) personal and institutional corruption and oppression, we are experiencing the consequences of two generations of separating personal and professional ethics, and the displacement of personal agency with the Leviathan of control over so much of life. When one adds ideological polarization to the mix, we have an elixir of exhaustion and hopelessness.

There are hopeful signs amidst the anarchy and soft totalitarianism. At the local and regional level in the USA and Europe, thoughtful people are pushing back against the impositions of elites. In Africa and Asia, a new generation of leaders is emerging and they care more about the basic necessities (education, economic opportunity, and infrastructure) for their people than flying ideological flags and virtue-signaling.

In this essay and the next one, I want to share four enduring facets of good leadership. These apply to all domains, from households to nations, religious communities to corporations. As we examine these qualities, we must exercise humility and first examine our lives well before evaluating and judging others. Jesus’ words, “judge not, lest you be judged…” were not a call to never evaluate the moral decisions of others. Jesus was telling us not to “pass sentence” on people and think we can accurately assess all that is in their hearts. Too many people are afraid to speak their minds on ethics, while others too quickly condemn what does not feel good to them.

Character – goodness, integrity, and personal wholeness – is the first and most important attribute of excellent leadership. Ancient and modern sages, empirical research, and thoughtful observation yield the same insight: many if not most of the problems of leadership have significant character issues underneath the surface controversies.

Please notice the three markers about character given above. Sometimes good character is undermined by immoral and rebellious behavior, with narcissism and solipsism permeating the soul. Sometimes there is conscious and unconscious fragmentation inside, as people think one set of rules applies to work, another to family, and another to their religion. This is “dis-integration” and a real problem for leaders in public spaces. There can also be deep psychological issues rooted in abuse, rejection, and trauma that undermine character development. And all of these problems can be masked by personal charisma, political skills, and technical expertise.

Good character matters and leaders must keep working on virtue development, integrity, and healing in order to serve well. Progress, not perfection, humility and genuine effort should be the basic norms as we develop and evaluate leaders.

The second facet of good leadership is a thorough understanding of one’s charisms. Here we are speaking of natural and spiritual gifts (all divinely bestowed) that can be developed to serve others. In addition to particular abilities, a sense of calling and purpose (vocation) must inform leadership foci and activities. Sometimes leaders struggle when their particular gifts are not a match for what is needed in a particular setting. Other times, leaders rely on certain gifts to cover character flaws and incompetence. Charisms matter and learning and refining here includes ones’ personality, strengths, narratives of success, along with particular abilities.

Leaders get in trouble when they go outside the boundaries of their overall abilities and attempt to be someone else. Problems also ensue when gifts are undeveloped or certain expressions are never refined. For example, no matter how much I practice, I cannot and must not aspire to being a singer. But I can keep improving the teaching and writing charisms that are part of my calling.

Good character and wisdom concerning one’s charisms are two facets of good leadership. In the next essay, we will look at two more areas: competencies and capacity. Leadership involves both innate giftedness and developed skills. May we all find our places of influence and flourish as we acquire wisdom and practice love.

The Hinge of Humility: Opening Doors to Wisdom

January 13th, 2020 | Dr. Charlie Self

In our contentious world, persons and parties are competing for attention, which often leads to dueling over which individual or group can be the most outrageous in their assertions. Accusations are followed by belated retractions and oral and written communication is littered with terms like, “alleged” and “some people are saying” and “unnamed sources assert.” One post is picked up by many and soon millions are arguing over dubious data.

What is sorely lacking in most public discourse is the virtue of humility. Humility is not the absence of confidence or fear of others. Humility is a disposition of openness and a willingness to be corrected and refined in our thinking. Humility also looks for the good in others and waters the soil of principled peacemaking and proximate justice.

There are five dimensions of humility that will transform our personal lives and improve our public conversations. The first is humility before the Almighty. Even deeply religious people are prone to pride in their moral virtue or personal accomplishments, acting as if they are doing a favor for God, rather than realizing God’s unmerited favor in underneath any good brought to the world.

The second dimension is humility about ourselves. We are all beautiful and broken, bearing the divine image and ravaged by a fallen world, which includes both our own choices and unwanted traumas. Humility allows us to receive God’s embrace and accelerate our healing and maturity from the inside out. And this growth usually involves the care and love of others.

Third, we need humility for healthy relationships. We need to call for help when things are toxic. And we also need patience as others are learning life lessons. Married couples should aim for the good of their partners. Colleagues and friends can celebrate the success of others without envy. And humility is the foundation of forgiveness and reconciliation.

The fourth dimension is humility about our personal calling or purpose. We can walk with confidence and be well-focused without arrogance or pride. Our destiny in woven together with the good of others – we never succeed alone. Discovering and developing our gifts and skills serve God and others.

Finally, humility informs our daily life of work and engagement on the economy. Every day is an occasion to see our work – paid or unpaid, labor or leadership – as service to God and others. Humility will open doors for advancement as others see our disposition and discipline in deed and word.

Humility is cultivated over time and it leads to inner tranquility and healthier relationships. Above all, the Scriptures remind us that God honors the humble with his grace and presence (Isaiah 55, James 4 and I Peter 5). That is enough.