True Power

I have an addiction.

I love attending conferences and other professional development events.  Always have.  Always will.  

For the past 3 days, I traveled with the administrative leadership team from Holland Christian to a symposium in Atlanta put on by CESA, the Council for Educational Standards and Accountability.  This group began with a collection of Christian schools seeking to raise the bar for what it means to be excellent in regard to academics, governance, and community.

One of the keynote speakers we heard was Andy Crouch, editor of Christianity Today, and author of the recent book Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power.  During his talk, Crouch painted a fresh, beautiful picture of what true leadership can and should be.  

We all know the famous quote by Lord Acton, “Power tends to corrupt, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  That idea often colors our perceptions of people with power—be they politicians, CEO’s, or in my case school administrators.

But Crouch put forth a view of leadership from a totally different perspective.  He noted that in reality, more authority is actually a call to deeper sacrifice . . . and that true power is really about creating, not controlling.  It longs for abundance, not limitations.

True power wants teeming and flourishing.  And even when the results of this creative energy are unpredictable, they will be beautiful.  Crouch used the example of a murmuration of starlings to illustrate the kind of teeming and flourishing he was talking about.  Check out this video to see what he meant.

I think about how fulfilling it is as a leader to see the people you guide flourishing in their roles.  It strengthens organizational culture, boosts morale, and inspires excellence.  I want to do everything I can to have the halls of our campuses teeming with people—teachers and students—who can’t wait to fulfill their creative calling.

Each evening at the symposium, the principals and I stayed up late, talking through our ideas and sharing visions for the future.  That’s such an energizing time for the team and one of the best parts of being away together.  We have a great group of leaders at the helm of Holland Christian—from administration to our Board of Trustees—and I’m excited to step into the future with these people.

I love me some conferences.

But even more, I love coming back, rolling up our sleeves and getting to the work of greatness.  

Bring on tomorrow!