Leadership
Items on leadership and its personal and public implications
Making a Difference
Fri 21 Dec 2007 • Responses: 6 • by Donald M. Bishop
‘Young Altruists’ Need a Broader View of Doing Good
Donald Bishop, a senior U.S. Foreign Service officer, looks at the difficulties faced by some young adults who want to use their careers to make the world a better place. He argues that they leave unexplored real possibilities to do good. It’s time to question the conventional wisdom and consider the possibilities of business, the military, and long-term overseas service as means to help the poor and suffering.
Judgment
Thu 15 Nov 2007 • Responses: 1 • by Al Sikes
By many of today’s single-issue, polemic political tests, some of the most revered figures in biblical—and even American—history would be summarily rejected.
In the summer of 1989 I was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to be Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Several weeks later, as I was making the rounds of U.S. Senators on the Commerce Committee, I learned that my confirmation would be opposed by the Rev. Don Wildmon, of the American Family Association. His testimony was sponsored by then–Senator Al Gore, who was a senior Democrat on the Committee.
The Challenge of Cultural Influence
Thu 15 Nov 2007 • Responses: 5 • by John Seel
Coercion is just as harmful—and ineffective—in culture as in politics
John Seel notes a new humility among evangelical Christians who recognize the need for cultural renewal and the shortcomings of previous politics-heavy strategies. He offers some reflections that followers of Christ should keep in mind as they engage the culture, for doing the wrong thing may be worse than doing nothing.
Stupidocracy at Work
Fri 24 Aug 2007 • Responses: 1 • by David Aikman
The case of the seven-year-old “terrorist” shows how bureaucracy plus technology plus fear are killing common sense.
Ever since 9/11, one of the main agencies working at the task of defending ordinary Americans against acts of terrorism has been the Transportation Security Administration. The good folks at this agency are the ones who ensure that, when you proceed through airport security checks, you clutch your toothpaste (no more than three ounces), shampoo, and shaving cream in a clear plastic bag as though you were a colostomy patient.
In the rush to protect America’s air travel after 9/11, a lot of folks were hired who—we might say—were “common-sense-challenged.” There were stories of elderly ladies being taken aside and body-searched, of Members of Congress misidentified as possible terrorists, and even of people who looked “Middle Eastern” (whatever that means) being taken off planes. A high proportion of those hired by the TSA seemed to be immigrants with minimal command of English, which of course does wonders for the average American traveler’s sense of security.
Jesus Christ: Not Your Typical Company Man
Mon 07 May 2007 • Responses: 3 • by Gary Moore
On Reintegrating Business and the Christian Ethic
Investment counselor Gary Moore addresses the issue of church leaders more concerned for their institutions than helping lay Christians integrate the teachings of Jesus with their workplace occupations. By contrast, he looks at the concept of our responsibility to rightly apply our own expertise.
Remembering Boris Yeltsin (1931–2007)
Wed 25 Apr 2007 by David Aikman
Senior Fellow David Aikman saw a lot of Boris Yeltsin over the years and recalls a flawed and fascinating leader.
I first met Boris Yeltsin in Moscow in February 1989, when he was still Deputy Minister for the construction industry, a job to which Mikhail Gorbachev had sent him after Yeltin’s dramatic resignation from the Politburo in October 1987 and ouster from the Moscow Party leadership the following month. I was interviewing him for Time Magazine not only because he had already emerged from the gray tapestry of Soviet politics as an outspoken critic of corruption and stagnation within the Soviet bureaucracy, but also because the following month he was going to run as the at-large candidate for the seat representing Moscow’s eight million citizens.
As he spoke during the interview about his adventurous youth and early manhood, losing two fingers in right hand after trying to dissect a Soviet hand-grenade and later traveling like a hobo across the Soviet Union by train, it was obvious he was quite different from the colorless apparatchiks who usually occupied seats on the Soviet Politburo. He joked, he loved tennis, he enjoyed being asked personal questions. It was obvious to me then that he was a quite exceptional Soviet figure: lively, eccentric, and spontaneous.
Not in Our Time
Thu 12 Apr 2007 • Responses: 6 • by Al Sikes
A culture of short-term thinking has been a useful ally to partisan gridlock.
“Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?” With those words King Hezekiah comforted himself while setting aside Isaiah’s warnings that his descendants and his kingdom’s wealth would be taken by the Babylonians. Millennia later, a “not in my time” attitude is one of our most formidable cultural and political challenges. Too many seem to say, “tomorrow—leave that to the forecasters” (and chance).
On Wilberforce and the Clapham Group
Fri 23 Feb 2007 by TTF Staff
Here are some books and links for further reading on Wilberforce and his circle. We're pleased to see that the anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade is leading to much new publishing activity. Our Entrepreneurs of Life curriculum also has a section on Wilberforce.
Let us know if we missed anything!
Gratitude and Leading in Challenging Times
Sat 18 Nov 2006 • Responses: 4 • by Fred Harburg
“Genuine gratitude in the face of difficulty is the attribute that most distinguishes the great from the good.”
Selfless gratitude—the ability to appreciate the goodness of life while simultaneously feeling deep empathy for the pain and suffering of others—is one of a leader’s most important qualities. Yet the anxieties of a world rife with terrorism, economic uncertainty, illnesses, hunger, and injustice, can choke the lifeblood from one’s sense of gratitude. What’s a leader to do?
In closely observing senior leaders from many different walks of life, I have seen that genuine gratitude in the face of difficulty is an attribute—perhaps the attribute—that most distinguishes the great from the good. There are three reasons gratitude is such an essential quality for men and women who are called to positions of service as leaders. First, gratitude is the key to authentic emotional connection. Second, it is the basis for emotional resilience. Finally, the expression of genuine gratitude unlocks the door to discretionary effort.
The Dynamics of Cultural Change (Part Two)
Thu 09 Nov 2006 • Responses: 1 • by William Edgar
Part Two of Two: The Process of Cultural Transformation
Senior Fellow Bill Edgar talks about the tensions we face as we work and pray for real transformation in people and cultures. In this second of two parts, he discusses strategies for cultural change that are respectful both of God’s will and our own responsibility.
