“LEADERSHIP: CREATION THROUGH CHAOS ”

Most of the time people seek simple solutions. In sports, the head coach or manager is fired for a losing season. It is as if to say the leader of the organization failed because the team failed. In government, we have a tendency to see progress emerging through change at the top. Certainly, in delivering medical relief, such as the coronavirus vaccine, we blame the people in leadership for lack of prompt and complete delivery.

During these days we are beginning to see that the fault of lack of success lies in more places than the leader; it resides in the system itself. The failure of security at the national capitol building has been placed solely at the hands of President Trump and his surrounding leadership contesting the election results. But really there were multiple system problems that led to the debacle. There was a movement of the extremely disenchanted that moved from the rally to the Capitol. A breakdown in security among the usually reliable Capitol force, along with a lack of preparation reflects a system breakdown. The disenchantment of a minority in both Senate and House of Representatives was allowed to negatively affect the whole Congress.

System problems require system solutions. Many are hopeful right now because the new leadership will be more open to new and creative ideas. Leaders who look for the input of voices from every corner do offer the best opportunity for growth. When any organization begins to be open and not closed, when that organization asks and does not simply tell, there seems to be hope for mature thinking toward rebuilding systems.

The best leaders are those who can take a chaotic situation and create something that works better. Reading two clergy/congregation books lately (Susan Beaumont’s How To Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going and Ted Bolsinger’s Canoeing The Mountains) I have been impressed that the good leader during these liminal times is willing to embrace the chaos. She/he does not accept traditional or simple solutions for problems of the pandemic-ridden, deeply divided problems of today. Yet that leader needs to lend stability to the journey that she/he will lead, knowing that today’s challenges that appear more difficult than before are just evidences of systemic change which is always happening.

Ultimately, I think the best position for us right now is to be realistic about today. We might expect the new head coach will turn a 3-13 season to 13-3 overnight, but that is doubtful. That coach (leader) may have to introduce new elements into the system which will in turn be successful two or three years down the road. As a follower, you and I will need to say we will invest ourselves in the process and do all we can to help to create better results. The change will come gradually like making bread out of mixed and leavened ingredients. The leader is not the complete answer; the ingredients and system will add to the creation.