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A Postmodern Narrator

 by john o'keefe

I have always said that truth can be found in the narrative; that being the case, I believe leadership is found in the narrator.  Let me explain.  For years my wife has been buying me books on leadership – birthdays, anniversaries, groundhog day (my wife is just into holidays), when ever the mood hit, I got a new book, tape, or article on leadership – you name it, I got it and I read most of it.  But there was a problem, it seemed the advice never quit fit.  Not matter what I read; it just never felt like the author was speaking to me, they always seemed to miss the target.  In fact, they weren’t even speaking about me at all.  That’s when it dawned on me, these authors were not writing for me, they were writing for the modern leader, with a modern view of the world, leading modern people.  I remember when my wife bought me the “21 irrefutable laws of leadership” by John Maxwell – my first thoughts were, why 21?  Why not 22 or 20?  Does “irrefutable” mean they cannot be questioned?  Why laws?  Why not “strongly held suggestions?”  The title alone suggested a strong tie to modernism, the content assured me of a direct tie.

Postmodern people are not looking for a CEO, CFO, COO CIO, or any other 3-letter combinations you can think of that starting with the big “C.”  Today, we are looking for the poet, the prophet, and the storyteller – the narrator.  We don’t “lead” people as much as they listen to the needs of people and guide them along the path of faith.  Modern leadership tends to be ridged, rule structured and orderly.  One of the biggest complaints I have concerning modern leadership is the idea that “people are assets.”  When we see people as “assets” we start to determine if one person is a “better asset” then another.  We find new ways of “grading” people based on their ability to be a “good asset.”  While postmodern leadership tends to be chaotic and fluid.  We see people as people, limited, hurt, searching, questioning, people.  We don’t “give directions,” we tell stories – and modern people have a hard time seeing this – so the question becomes, how does one lead in a chaotic, fluid and structures story based reality called postmodern?

Fluididic Space:

I love the idea of  “fluiditic space” – space that is fluid.  I first heard of it on Star Trek, The Next Generation I just thought the word was too cool – it brought forth images that could hardly be put to words, and it just fit.  The image of space in flux was truly so very powerful.  I like the reality that you could not put your hands on it, but it was real – that is how I see postmodern leadership; at some level it is hard to define, but you can put your finger on it.  I know, many modern minds will have a hard time getting a grip on the concept of a narrative leadership model, but it is the best way I can describe what in truth is fluid and ever changing.  Postmodern leadership to me is like looking at a lava lamp, it keeps changing as it gets hotter and hotter (closer and closer), and while it is simply a stupid lava lamp, you just can’t keep your eyes off it.  To lead a postmodern people one must keep that fluid nature in mind.  If you try to make it too solid, you will lose the people you are trying to bring alone in their walk of faith – it will backfire on you.  Jesus understood this, and lived as a model for those of us who seek to lead in a postmodern reality.  While I do not desire to give you a “list” of does and don’ts, I do want to share with you some cores I find in postmodern leadership.

Cores in the Narrative:

I think primarily, you don’t lead, you example.  Notice I did not say, “you lead by example” – because that is somewhat impossible, and all the time doubtful.  To “example” you simply are you.  Be you; be honest; be open; be transparent; be wounded; be vulnerable; be accepting; be willing to find; be willing to lose; be willing to seek answers; just be.  Being “example” is not saying “look at my life, I have all the answers.”  Being “example” is saying, “look at me, I mess-up, I fall, I flounder, but what’s cool is people around me support me, love me and help me find the way – without judging me.  I don’t have all the answers, but I am willing to look – coming with me?”  Here are some “cores” to the “example.”

One of the first things we need to do as a postmodern narrator is to let people function, and not just “give” them a function.  This means you need to help people find their calling, their gifts and let them develop that call and gift to best serve God, themselves and the community.  Modern leadership strives to “fill needs” of the organization, causing people to given a function.  When the “function” comes from with in, and not from with out, people are happier, and the organization benefits in many ways.   Another point, that is closely related to the “function” aspect of postmodern leadership can be found in you desire to truly serve the people in the community.   Modern leadership desires that you serve them; postmodern leadership is truly defined in your ability to serve others in the community.  If you are truly helping people to “find their function” you need to be willing to serve them, and help them, in their walk.  It requires that you spend time with the people of the community, and not just a select few.  People need access to you, and not to your appointment book.  I remember at one church I served a woman came into my office to speak with me about her being happy she found our community of faith.   She came in, and started to cry – out and out ball.  Several people came in and were with her as she started to calm down.  When she was able to calm down, she told us, “This is the first time I have been able to just walk into the senior pastor’s office – I walked past two associate pastors and three support staff and none of then ‘ran interference’ for you – I could actually talk with you.”  The funny thing about it was, we were a “large” (300 people on Sunday morning) and growing fast community of faith.  The church she came from had 50 people, and she was never allowed to speak with the pastor.

I believe that for a postmodern narrator to truly understand the community of faith they serve, they must believe in them.  Modern leaders usually require that you believe in them as leaders, postmodern leadership requires that we, as leaders, believe in the community we serve.  That means we need to invest in them; give them what we have and be willing to openly discuss issues with them.  We need not preach to them, use them or require that the “take” what we desire to offer to them.  This means we, as postmodern leaders, need to trust the community we serve.  Trust comes in many forms, and one of the most important is the ability to delegate authority.  Modern leadership requires, at a core, the ability for a person to “submit” to authority.  We find this in the modern saying, “to be a great leader, you need to be a great follower.”  This is not true, to be a great leader you need to care.  Another way of developing a true and lasting trust is to openly and honestly praise the efforts of the people in the community you serve.  To paraphrase scripture, without praise, God’s people parish – and I have no desire to parish, or cause others to parish. 

Closing:

Modern leadership is relatively selfish; it truly is.  It seems that the main goal of modern leadership is to make the leader “look good.”  While the main purpose of postmodern leadership is centered on making the community look good.  Postmodern leadership is founded in trust and community.  Our willingness to help people find God’s plan for them and to trust them today with the outlook of tomorrow.  One of the things we need to do as leaders is work our way out of a job.  We need to be willing to go that extra mile, and take that extra walk to be with those we are blessed to serve.  We need to transfer God’s grace to the people, and not demand that the people give us their grace.  Postmodern leadership is hard, and is ever shaping.  One of the realities I face as a postmodern leader is the understanding that what I do today, may not work tomorrow – the fluid flux of postmodern leadership.  

john o'keefe is the founder/editor/publisher of ginkworld.  he has an mdiv from drew and several years experience as both a church planter and a senior pastor.