Category: Church

Posted on

Six Attributes of “Leadership”

This is likely a longer piece than usual, but I think important as we all consider the place of leadership mid-way through the term of appointment of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

I have been asked many times over the years I have served as a CEO, to define leadership.  There are of course quotes such as “It is an art, rather than a science”.  Or “You can tell if you are a leader when there is someone following behind you”.  What seems to be true is that you are not born to be a leader, and leadership is not achieved from a one day development training session.  However, we can grow as leaders every day – and indeed we must.  And leadership is about people, whilst management is about tasks and things.

But even those small truisms above do not do justice to this thing called leadership.  Most of us can likely recall our own examples of where we have experienced poor, or ineffective leadership.  We may even now be wincing as we read, recognising our own lack of skills in a leadership role at some time in the past.  We can also likely recall and acknowledge some fine experience of leadership that was such a joy to be party to.

Good leadership is a thing of beauty to experience.  Much like a diamond.  A diamond has so many qualities and when cut well, is a thing of beauty to behold.  It is hardly surprising that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”.  As the following picture shows, even a so called six sided diamond has much more to offer than the “simple” six sided cuts.

So it is with leadership.

I provide below just six sides, or attributes, of leadership that I believe if practiced (well) every day will not only assist us to be better performing leaders but will drive better performance in our organisations.  I am certain we can all accept that leadership is more complex than these six, but these are a sound foundation.  The attributes are provided in alphabetical order only for convenience:

Continue reading “Six Attributes of “Leadership””
Posted on

Easter

In Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter, and particularly Resurrection Sunday, there are a number of things that different parts of the Christian faith celebrate.

I am from an evangelical Baptist tradition. Our Services over this important time of the year usually were solely around a reasonably solemn Good Friday morning service and then a celebration service on Easter Sunday morning. Of course the week leading up to Easter we have, among others, such things as Palm Sunday, the remembrance of the raising of Lazarus from death, Jesus cursing the fig tree at Bethany, and Jesus sharing a “Last Supper” with His disciples.

Other than for the Last Supper, until recently I had paid little attention to the events of Easter Thursday evening. Over the past ten years, we became familiar at our local church with a Service of Shadows – a Tenebrae Service – where darkness descends on the congregation following the extinguishment of a number of candles, all set around specific Scripture passages describing Jesus’ final few hours.

Easter Thursday, or Maundy Thursday, has become something special to me. But strangely it is the word “Maundy” that has caused me to rethink. The word has its roots in Latin and comes from the word “mandatum”, from which we get “mandate”. It means “command” or “commandment”.
So, what commandment is this word “maundy” referring to then?

In John’s Gospel we have a few chapters describing the Last Supper and the washing of the disciples’ feet, leading to the crucifixion of and resurrection of Jesus. Indeed, approximately one third of the entire Gospel of John is dedicated to the last two weeks of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. But it is in John 13:34-35 that Jesus says “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Three words, a commandment, that would do us, and the entire world well to remember – “Love one another”!

After all, and contrary to popular belief and practice, Easter is not about chocolate and hot cross buns. It is about one sacrifice for the world, given in love. So love one another!

Have a safe and happy Easter. If you are travelling, please remain vigilant. Enjoy your break. If you are working – thank you for your continued service.

If you have the opportunity, why not stop into a church for an Easter Service and join with others as we celebrate this hugely significant time of the year in our faith journey and annual calendar?

And, “Love one another”!

Blessings,

Wayne.

Posted on

My 2018 Christmas Message

Christmas Time Thoughts

Many years ago, I spent one Christmas time away from family and stayed with friends in the Great Southern area of Western Australia. Their father had died when they were both quite young. 

View this greeting as a video.

As boys, these brothers became the men in the family and over time built up their farming property to be a successful enterprise.  They were both good, honest, hardworking men, who also were faithful in their Christian belief.

I could certainly talk with them about harvest time, how the wheat, barley,and oats grew, why back then one had to wait until a little later in the morning to start up the header and get out and cut into the crop.  But talking about personal things was difficult for them – they were just quiet guys who had some really good things to say, but just didn’t much like speaking it out.

There is this man talked about in the Bible who really had a huge impact about all we believe and practice at Christmas time, but of whom, from Scripture, we never hear a spoken word.  We hear from Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel.  Tradition has called Mary’s Song the Magnificat.  We hear from Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and (eventually) from Zechariah, John’s father.

But we don’t ever read a recorded word that was spoken by Joseph.  Oh,we read of his at least three dream encounters with an angel, or God Himself –first with a message to take Mary as his wife and raise Jesus as his father;the second to flee from Israel and travel to Egypt – an historic refugee journey – and third; to return to Israel because it was now safe to doso.  Given the cultural and societal significance of all of the above,Joseph was a very courageous man.  The strong silent type if you will.  A lowly carpenter, from one of the lowliest places in the whole of Israel, at that time overrun by the Roman Empire, and “ruled” by a king who was a Roman puppet.  Joseph did not have to do this, but he felt so led by God that he could not avoid the challenge set before him.

Just a day or so ago I read this social media post: “Sometimes God will puta Goliath in your life, for you to find the David within you.”  I am sure that Joseph will have wondered something like “You want me to do what exactly?”,or “Why me?”, but he did.  We just don’t ever hear his thoughts and words expressed.

There are some significant challenges in the year ahead for our aged care work.  The looming Goliath is of course the Royal Commission into AgedCare Quality and Safety.  You may already feel quite uneasy about what that is likely to reveal and how we will get through this.  We will – no matter how much we are required to provide, and even to share with the Australian public – we will get through this.

My concern for each of you though is that even if your voice does not godown in any formal recorded historical moment, if you have any concerns about your wellbeing through this next twelve months, speak up.  We want to also care for you.  If you need at any time to share any concern about our behaviour that is both unbecoming, and contrary to our desire to provide a dignified life to our residents, then please share that with us too, so that we all be a “David” and improve how we provide our services.

Folks, I pray and hope that your 2018 Christmas brings you much joy, peace,and blessing, and that you have at least some time to reflect of the enormity of the coming of Jesus into the world – not to destroy the world, but to saveit!God bless you all – and Happy Christmas!