my new favorite word

One of the readings for The Concordia MBA's Leadership: Self course that I taught this past week discussed the concept of spiritually inspired leadership, and how that affects an organization. One of the characteristics of "the good company" is that it embraces subsidiarity. Now I have to admit that I had not come across that word before (or if I had, I failed to recognize its significance). The idea behind subsidiarity, taken from social justice literature, captures "the involvement of and opennes to others, the norm that decision making should include individuals affected by the decision, and belief that authority should involve the levels of the organization that have hands-on knowledge and responsibility" (Delbeq, 2008). This concept, when applied to leadership, can change the way an organization looks, feels, and is actually run.
To be an organization (or a leader) who embraces subsidiarity, several things need to occur:

• leaders need to believe that this process is best for decision making


• leaders need to be comfortable with the fact that they do not have all the answers


• leaders need to put in place a structure that not only encourages this process but actually forces it through governance and policy


• leaders need to be willing to accept other people's ideas and decisions, and then put them into practice


• leaders need to share information - lots of information - and provide a vehicle for others to learn and grow form that information


• followers need to accept the responsibility of their decision making process


• followers need to learn all they can about the organization and the process of decision making


• followers need to be willing to lead when called upon


• followers need to be willing to challenge the process and ask for decision making responsibility


• leaders and followers need to learn to listen to each other


• leaders and followers need to learn to trust each other


• leaders and followers need to learn to forgive each other


• leaders and followers need to learn to give up their locus of control to each other

Consider where you might be able to put into practice the concept of subsidiarity today. Perhaps it is with a colleague...perhaps it is with a student...perhaps it is with a boss...perhaps it is with a child...perhaps it is with an elected officials...perhaps it is with the auto mechanic. Look around and see where you can give the decision making power to someone at a a "subsidiary" level OR where you can challenge the process and offer to make the decision at YOUR level. Who knows where life might take someone when they practice the art of subsidiarity.

trusting the process

People often end up in leadership positions because they make things happen - they are often the first to spot a new idea or trend, the first to put new ideas into action, and the one in front often leading the chrage. These aspects are often noted in future leaders, and the promotion to a leadership position will happen in a swift manner. And there in lies the conundrum...people who have made things happen quickly are now in a position where they must wait patiently for things to happen because they have lost the control to make things happen themselves. Over thsi past week, I have been in a position of having to wait and trust the process. Knowing that the decision of choosing the next president of Concordia University, St. Paul lies in the hands of a group of people out of my control, there has been little I can do except pray and wait. There have been times when I thought to myself what I might do to influence the decision...or help the decisions makers in their deliberation...or just wanting to say one more thing that they might consider. And yet, the process does not call for that type of intervention. There is literally NOTHING I can do at this point to influence the outcome. That is not a comfortable position for me to be in - I want to DO seomthing, and yet... So here are some thoughts on how leaders can best LEAD while trusting the process:

• believe that the process is good, right and proper. Trusting the process means that you BELIVE in the process and that the process will yield the best results for the organization or the individuals involved


• understand it is out of your control. The instinctive action for leaders is to take control - it is in their DNA. And yet, it is that control that can often interupt and flaw the process. Just as helping the butterfly out of its cocoon will destroy the butterfly, attempting to speed a well designed process along can destroy the outcome


• trust the people involved in the process. Yes, all human beings are flawed - and literally all thinking is flawed as there are no crystal balls in the room. And yet, almost all people want to make the best decision available at any given time. Believe that people will act in the best interest of the organization and bring all their decision making ability to the table


• know that there are multiple right decisions that can be made. There is very seldom ONE right decision in any decision making process. In my case, there are three competent people who have interviewed for this position - all three can lead this institution into the future. Thus whatever decision is made will be the best one for this time and place


• Know that people sometimes make mistakes. This may be in paradox with the above idea, but sometimes groups of people (or individuals) make mistakes and the decision turns out wrong for the organization. For the most part, organizations are resilent and will outlast the poor decision


• understand the dynamics of groups making decisions. I know that as the Board of Regents for Concordia University, St. Paul gathers on Monday to make this decision, they will be bringing multiple views, values, and assumptions to the table. They will hear and interpret the information in different ways, and they will then decide on a decision making process that best reflects them as a group. Another group might make a different decision - and they might both be right


• Believe that there is a bigger plan that goes beyond this one decision. As I consider the vastness of God's creation and the idea that there is a big wide world out there, this one decision (or any one decision) is often insignificant in the big (I mean REALLY big) scheme of things. While I consider this a HUGE decision, there are billions of people who could actually care less (that's a humbling thought)


• Trust that God is always in control. My faith in a God that is much bigger than I can even imagine allows me to believe He is in control of not only this one decision, but of the future of the institution and of my future. This is not only conforting for me, but also for my hopes and dreams for Concordia University, St. Paul.

And so, let me close this "chapter" of my blog (and of my life) with this prayer:

Heavenly Father, as you have promised to be with us always...and as you have promised to even "count the hairs on our head," I trust that this decision is now in your hands. As you have chosen 17 people to serve Concordia University St. Paul in the capacity of Regent, so now use their gifts, talents, and wisdom in choosing that person who will lead your University into the future. Give peace to those who anxiously wait for this decision - and allow the three candidates to see how you will use our gifts, talents and wisdom to best bring about your Kingdom in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. Help us (and others) trust the process as we place our lives into your hands. Amen.

decision making 101: who should a leader listen to?

While leaders are not making decisions regularly (and if they are, they have moved into the management mode), the decisions they do make often have a significant effect on their institution. These decisions will come with a lot of input, data gathering, and often some serious hand wringing. These are not what we would call easy decisions. While there has been a lot of science that has gone into understanding how one makes decisions, I would like to comment on the process of who leaders listen to as they go about their decision making process.

Listening to people's input as leaders go about making decisions is an important part not only of the decision making process, but also in building the culture that one wants to have within their organization. Who leaders listen to...how they listen...when they listen...and how that advice is used all affects how others perceive the leader and the organization. Here are several groups of people that I believe leaders should listen to - and the process in which they should listen to them:

The Executive Team - more often than not, this is a group of people who surround the leader because of their title and position. They are also often tied to a particular section (aka SILO) of the organization. This group of people bring data to the issue from their unique perspective and often have a stake in the game as decisions are being made. The decisions made by the leader will often affect them and their people very directly. While they have to be a part of the decision making process, I often wonder if they bring the best advice. And we all know what can happen if the leader actually asks them to VOTE on the decision...

The Masses - our culture tells us that democracy always works best, and yet decisions made by the masses are often made with little or no real data. What "feels" good at the moment often guide this group in decision making. Whether it is by vote...or by survey...or by informal input, the masses are mostly asking "what's in it for me?" They often only see what is on the outside of the decision to be made, and know little about the real issues. They are not fully informed (nor should we expect them to be) and yet are quickly willing to lend thier opinions.

Those Who Have Gone Before Us - while it is good and wise to to have counsel from mentors and coaches and those who have been in the decision making role in the past, it is difficult for this group of people to be completely objective in their thoughts and opinions. The picture of what worked in the past might not necessarily work today or into the future. This group of people may want their own personal legacy to live on, and relying on them for help in the decision making process can skew a leader's understanding of what the organization REALLY needs to move forward.

The Best People in the Organization - for me, this is the group I would put the most stock into when listening for advice in decision making. They may or may not have a title...they may or may not be sitting on the executive team...they may or may not have been with the organization for a long time...BUT they should be the people whom the leader trusts the most. They bring the most value to the organization...they are the ones whom the leader believes can best move the organization forward...they are the ones coming up with ways to make the organization better...they are the ones who show up early and stay late...they are the ones with whom others associate the organization...they are the ones who see their job as their calling and vocation...they are the ones who exemplify what the organization is all about. Listening to them makes the most sense, because they will give advice that is best for the organization (not themselves)...they will give advice that is forward looking (not the easy way out)...they will give advice that comes from the heart (becasue that's the only way they know how to think about the organization)...and they will give advice that challenges the "normal" way of thinking (because they are always challenging themselves and their personal way of thinking).

Leaders should be listening to others in their decision making process, and who they listen to says a lot about them as a leader - and a lot about the culture of the organization. Ultimately, the leader HAS to make the decision, and it becomes THEIR responsibility to do so. There is no place for blame afterwards, and the leader lives with the consequences of that decision. However, good listening (or what others refer to as deep listening) can assist the leader in the decision making process - and can serve them and their organization well in the long run.