Tempered Passionate Leadership

The first day of class, when we were asked to share why we wanted to be in a Religious Leadership class, I gave a polite response. I have respected and appreciated Professor Dalton on the Committee on Community Life that I serve with her, but my distrust of anything as corporate, Harvard Business School, the principles of successful people, as "Religious Leadership" made the only reason I signed up due to a course requirement. I said out loud that one of the things I wished to learn was to move beyond the instinctive aspects of my leadership. I was surprised at realizing that this answer, because it wasn't merely politeness, it was the truth. Despite my youth, I have been in many different leadership places. This was the first example that this class gave me insight into my own processes around leadership. Despite my initial cynicism around such a course as this, I have discovered a great deal about myself and its usefulness for a course of ministry. That in of itself, that situations will be unexpectedly useful over my anticipated cynicism was a first important lesson that I will try to hold on to throughout my (God-willing) career as an ordained elder of the United Methodist Church.

Another one of the important aspects I have learned and have been helped systematically thinking through, is that there are in fact limits to how far my leadership can take me. This year I said yes to everything. And this year that parts of my leadership suffered because of stretching myself too thin. I think that saying "no" will be a constant adaptive problem in my future leadership, yet this year taught me the consequences of that constant "yes." Since I was taking this class at the same time that I was recognizing my limits, I was given the time and safety to constructively think through this unexpected roadblock. No sometimes means that my hopes and objectives will be achieved, yes sometimes acts as a hindrance.

One of the places that I would like to continue to grow is that when I feel so comfortable in a group, like I did for this religious leadership class, is to how to be quiet gracefully. My eagerness to contribute and to process my thoughts verbally still plays across my face. I wish to indicate that the reason I wish to remain quiet is because I want to hear others speak, not that I wish to be so magnanimous as to keep my mouth shut. One of the places that I wish to grow in my leadership is to learn how to gracefully convey that while I am often convicted in my own opinions, I also appreciate the opinion of others with equal passion.

Ultimately, what I have learned about myself in this class is that I am a tempered* passionate leader. I know that I feel my victories and disappointments keenly. Yet, I also know that I have the assessment tools and support network to support me and not let me get overwhelmed by the disappointments and the headiness of victoriesg. The passion was the instinct; this class was the addition and recognition of the tools that allows me to channel and guide that passion without burning out. This was easily one of the most useful classes that I have taken at Claremont School of Theology and I am extremely grateful for it.

Thank you Professor Dalton.


*Temper, not as in anger, but tempered as in qualified.