CITATION OF REFERENCE

Heifetz, Ronald A., and Martin Linsky. 2002. Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press. 

In this book, Heifetz and Linsky seek to show us how leadership is dangerous because leadership is more than bringing good news to your organization.  Leadership is also about challenging assumptions, questioning values and digging for the roots of problems that threaten.  This type of confrontation demanded by leadership is dangerous because it confronts people with change and possible loss. 

Part one of this book gives details on how leadership is so dangerous and why engaging as a leader can lead to a forced vocational or leadership end.  Part 2 offers advice on how to avoid the “toss-out” as a leader and exercise effective leadership that leads to adaptive change.  Finally, part three offers advice on maintaining your self, managing vulnerability, and tells how we often have a say in our own downfall.  

Why is leading dangerous?

The simple answer in this book is that leadership is dangerous because true leadership occurs when you have face challenges that are hard and the majority does not want to face.  Heifetz and Linsky distinguish between technical problems and adaptive problems. 

Technical problems are those problems we address by a program or “tool-box” solution.  An expert or technician usually manages these problems.  They are technical because they are manageable.  Adaptive problems are problems that require more than standard operating procedure.  These problems demand deeper inspection, and cultural evaluation.  These problems challenge values, threaten identify, and demand adaptation or changes. 

This is precisely why leadership is dangerous.  We usually resist change.  We do not willfully question their values and assumptions.  Most leaders are not hired or followed so that they can lead followers through difficult self-modification that involves loss and learning to discern what they need to hold on to and compromise.  The bigger the change that a solution to an adaptive problem requires, the more dangerous the leadership process is to the leader.       

How does one face the dangers of leading and not get tossed?

Realizing that leadership is dangerous is essentially the beginning point for even having the capacity to succeed as a leader.  This goes hand-in-hand with the most important skill needed-perspective.  A leader must be able to maintain perspective in the midst of chaos.  This means that one must be able to engage with the issue while at the same time observe the way people are responding and the dynamics of the group or community.  This involves distinguishing between technical and adaptive problems, determining where others are regarding the issue, sensing their real advice on the issue by listening to what is not said, and observing authority figures for leanings on the issue.

Learning to manage conflict in a way that creates engagement with an issue, then allows cooling off when the heat of stress becomes overpowering is a critical part of successful leadership.  Too much heat, or not enough heat and your position as a leader is in jeopardy.

Taking the work off your shoulders as a leader and knowing where to place it so that the people do the work that need to internalize the changes is essential.  Holding steady so that issues have a chance to come into their own time enables a leader to determine where people are at on an issue and refocus attention on important issues central to the adaptive problem.

If leadership is dangerous then why lead?

Here Heifetz and Linsky give their most inspiring words.  “People find meaning by connecting with others in a way that makes life better” (:208).  They refer to this connection as love.  To not risk the danger of leading and contributing yourself to the lives of other is to essentially lose who you are-your purpose, your life-in a numbness of half life and meaningless routine.      

Leadership is dangerous precisely because it is worthwhile.  Maintaining innocence, curiosity, and compassion in the midst of the challenge of leadership enables one to risk with gusto and enthusiasm.  These three characteristics are the training table to the athlete.  They feed the heart and enable one to pursue life wholeheartedly by contributing yourself to the lives of others out of love.  This coupled with perspective and the willingness to listen, question, hold steady, and challenge those one is leading to face growth as people and organizations, makes navigating the dangers of leading possible.

Implications for the church

Adaptive change is exactly what the church in my context (Southern US) finds itself facing (maybe the Western church as a whole).  The problem is that most churches are approaching the challenge as if it was technical.  We have to understand that what we are facing requires more than just a new program, or worship style, building, etc…  We need to be brave enough to face the adaptive challenge and lead-no disciple, people through the hard transformation that is required. 

As I was reading the book, I wrote down several questions:

• What expectations do we and our churches bring to the table when talking about missional church or being church in the 21st century?
• How are we preparing current and future church leaders (clergy and laity) to face adaptive challenges?
• How does this understanding change the way we plant churches?
• How does this change the way that we train missionaries, pastors, disciple, etc… (I think that there is great synergy between the last 3 questions. Given the adaptive challenge understanding, I think there is not much difference in the way that we train all three.)

It struck me how very similar discipleship is to what Parks and Heifetz describe when they say that leadership is helping to move people to question their assumptions and face their fears.  Our calling is to live life with others in such a way that we open ourselves to the Spirit for transformation. 

It’s time we learn to face adaptive challenges in the church.  This book is a must read.