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The articles of this issue are available to subscribers of the print edition. Where links are provided below readers can check the online version of the article. The full table of contents of the current issue is available here.
Table of contents
Reconceptualizing Leadership Education
Editorial: Erich Baumgartner
I still remember the phone call in 1992 that became the catalyst for my work in leadership development. The caller was Bruce Johnston, the executive leader of a multi-state conference of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) denomination in the Northwest of the United States. He had just returned from Russia, where he had led a team in support of local churches reaching out to their communities. Russia and other formerly communist countries in Europe had become an unprecedented opportunity for the Gospel in the wake of the fall of communism. This openness to the Gospel had some unintended consequences. There were simply not enough pastors and church leaders to take over all the newly planted churches.
Johnston, a missiologist trained by Donald McGavran and Ralph Winter at Fuller Seminary, knew that the lack of dependable leaders in the new churches would make their efforts unsustainable if not addressed quickly. His plea was clear: Let’s recruit faithful members and train them to serve as leaders of small groups. Then let’s equip them to grow into leaders of ministries and churches. In other words, let’s equip new members to become pastors while leading. It was an exciting proposal for a field-based program of leadership development. But could it be done effectively? Full article
Learning While Leading:
The Andrews University Leadership Program
Article: Freed, S., Covrig, D., & Baumgartner, E.
Abstract (Full Article )
Our fast-changing global society is in need of a new type of leadership. This leadership must foster know-how and know-why, abilities to perform and conceptual ways to create meaning. How can such leadership be developed? Three faculty members from a graduate leadership program share their discoveries about leadership development from working with hundreds of leaders. They share the history and characteristics of the program and the emerging theoretical understandings on leadership development guiding the program. They explore the confusion over what can or cannot be taught in leadership, the tension between scholarship and practice, and the role and place of individual and community development. They use these issues to support their fundamental observation that learning theories and processes must be central in growing leadership capacity in individuals and institutions.
Leaders as Decision Architects
Research for Action (Short Research Summary)
Have you ever met a math genius who has won advanced math competitions, but has difficulty keeping his checking account going without bouncing checks? If you feel like asking: How can people “be so ingenious at some tasks and so clueless at others?” you would not be alone. Read more.
Designing Leadership Training Programs
Research for Action (Short Research Summary)
Many Christian training programs for leaders are just simplified versions of academic programs. But are these programs effectively helping leaders to develop the skills and knowledge they need to be effective? Read full article.
Multipliers or Diminishers
Research for Action (Short Research Summary)
Bringing out the best in people is something effective leaders aspire to achieve. Yet some leaders seem to consistently hold teams back by draining their intelligence and underutilizing their collective capacity. Other leaders seem to be able to unleash the ideas, skills, and interests of their people leading to superior performance and long-term success. The difference may be a surprise to you because it may be found in what researchers have traced to the unintended consequences of your actions as a leader. Find out more about this potential blindspot in some leaders. Read more.
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From Previous Issues
Why Do Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions?
Research for Action (Short Research Summary)
Why do good leaders make bad decisions? Brain researchers exploring the errors of judgment which lead to bad decisions point to two unconscious processes the brain relies on to help leaders make decisions efficiently: (1) pattern recognition and (2) emotional tagging. The first process allows the brain to quickly assess what is going on and compare a new situation with patterns we have seen before. For example, drawing on patterns he or she has seen before it takes a chess master as little as a few seconds to assess a game and choose a good move.
Full article
Playing Second Trombone
Kevin Wiley
If you are a second-row leader this article is for you.
Full article
Mobbing in the Christian Workplace
Research Article: Miguel Angel Nunez and Sylvia Gonzalez
(full article)
The stories of men and women who experienced this form of abuse and why Christian organizations must be vigilant to prevent it.
Surprised by Joy
Research Article: Rhonda Whitney
What can senior citizens teach us about leadership? Can you be a leader at any age? The director of a community service agency in Portland, OR, shares her conclusions about what retired volunteers are finding out about meaningful service in the golden years of life.
Ralph D. Winter (1924-2009)
Biographical Article: Russell Staples
A tribute to one of the most influential missiologists and Christian leaders of the 20th century. If you have heard of the 10/40 Window you have met the genius of Ralph Winter.
Full article
The Success Delusion
Marshall Goldsmith
Why does success make it harder for us to change? The dean of executive coaching asks some hard questions leaders need to hear if they don’t want to succumb to a fatal trap few successful leaders escape.
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