Barnabas File

Did you ever dissect a frog in high school biology? The main thing I remember besides the smell of formaldehyde was a bit of guilt because the frog was dead and would never live again.     Dissecting a frog is an exercise in reductionism, seeking to understand an organism by breaking it down into its smallest, most basic components.     The opposite approach would be a holistic approach, observing the living frog in its natural environment to understand how all its parts work together.      Regenerative leadership is informed by the rhythm of life, the nature of living things  The basis of regenerative leadership is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, because the individual components interact and create entirely new properties. Systems should be viewed as wholes, rather than just as a collection of isolated parts. It is famously summarized by the phrase, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Parts of a system are int...

A walk outdoors is refreshing.     Whether it is in the backyard, the neighborhood, a park, or a walking trail, being closer to God’s creation reminds us of the resilient, dynamic, and changing environment in which we live.    Although our efforts in development and industry often tend to interrupt those natural rhythms of life, they persist.   The same is true in human organizations.  Organizations—businesses, churches, not-for-profits, communities, political parties—are living systems.  However far they seem to have departed from God’s creation, they still exhibit the characteristics of living organisms.  If we recognize this, we can encourage those inherent aspects of life to make them more integrated, dynamic, and life-giving.    I was first introduced to this approach several years ago in a book by Steven Johnson entitled Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software , but more recently I was re...

Ministers tend to collect Bibles over the years.     I received a Scofield Reference Bible when I was ordained.     I collected several translations while in seminary including Greek, Greek Interlinear, a Harmony of the Gospels, and Hebrew scriptures (and rarely touched after seminary).      My Bible that has the most wear and tear is a New American Standard Version (The Open Bible Edition) that I used while serving as a campus minister on three campuses.     It is a little worse for wear these days, but I have found it illuminating to look back on the passages underlined, the notes in the margins, and the “Personal Study Notes” in the back.  There are several things there that reflect both what I was attempting to teach and what I was trying to learn.   One of the first things added was this quote from Francois de Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambrai (1651-1715):   “The right to be wrong in matters of religious belief must...

“ The best leaders don’t know just one style of leadership – they’re skilled at several and have the flexibility to switch between styles as the circumstances dictate.”—Daniel Goleman   Leadership style is a choice.  The approach the leader takes in working with their team impacts the leader, the team, and process outcomes.     Daniel Goleman is one of the foremost proponents of Emotional Intelligence, the concept of how effectively we manage our emotions and understand the emotions of others.  Of all his writings, I find his discussion of leadership types most challenging.   He suggests that there are six common leadership styles. In a recent  LinkedIn post , he revisits these styles.   Command--"Do What I Tell You"   The leader provides clear, decisive direction when it is felt essential, communicating certainty.   This style is essential in genuine crises—but overuse erodes morale and initiative.   I...