A Season of Fallen Leaders
Do we live in a time of fallen leaders?
From the resignation of Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon (and now the firing of Athletic Director Mark Hollis) over questions around the institution’s covering up of Larry Nassar and his over 175 counts of sexual abuse, to the now-verified reports of the President’s affair with the now-130K wealthier Stormy Daniels, it would appear that this winter is a season of reckoning for leaders who have lapsed into scandal, negligence, or abuse, despite the persistent immunity of the philanderer in chief.
Whether these failings and their varying array of consequences may or may not be symptomatic of a broader cultural trend, these events might give one pause to consider the theology of fallen leadership - how to avoid it, and how to seek its remedy.
To think theologically about leaders, and fallen leadership, we might start with the Bible, which has many examples of leader ranging from the successful conqueror (David and Solomon) to Jesus, the servant king. It would also be pragmatic to think about leadership from an ethical perspective - in this case, considering the ethics of stewardship. Finally, these pieces ought to be set against cultural realities - among the most pertinent being the democratized flow of information on the internet, a flow of information that has catalyzed the #MeToo movement. If our theological method is a twisting, turning Rubik’s Cube, then this reflection on fallen leaders will orient the cube towards scripture, stewardship ethics, and the culture of the internet, in an attempt to discern God’s work in the world, and our response to such work.
The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) offers us two striking profiles in kingship, and thus leadership: David, and his son and successor Solomon. Both leaders are incredibly ambitious. David is, by the Biblical account, a military mastermind whose genius leads to victories over the Philistines, the Moabites the Jebusites, and, en route to claiming the crown, the House of Saul - all of which is mentioned in 2 Samuel. Amidst all these victories, David aspires to build a great Temple in Jerusalem, a veritable house of God. While the Temple is not built in his lifetime, the reign of David is certainly a reign of mighty military and civic successes.
Solomon, known by many today for his ingenious inclination to dismember a human child in order to settle an archaic Family Law case, is regarded as a very wise king (1 Kings 16:28), and also as a great builder, completing the temple that had been envisioned by David (2 Chronicles 7:11). He carries on the military legacy of David, investing heavily in the construction of chariots and also apparently in animal husbandry (1 Kings 10:26), the Ancient Near East equivalent of tanks and guns - a mobile fighting force, capable of extending Israel’s influence well beyond the city walls.
Yet despite their myriad accomplishments, their profound productivity, David and Solomon are both deeply flawed leaders. David associates a bit too closely with a concubine, and is overly fond of hitting on the Hittites (2 Samuel 11:3). Solomon is a glutton for gold and guns (1 Kings 10:14), he is idolatrous (1 Kings 11), and he is hardly monogamous, having some several hundred wives and concubines (and you thought remembering your anniversary was difficult!).
The scandals of David and Solomon would hardly be unusual amidst the stories of Stormies and Nassars and the fallen leaders with whom they cavort. Their great accomplishments, and their deep moral failures are all too commonly juxtaposed in the archetypes of the CEO, college administrator, or president of the United State.
So in a sense, this season of fallen leadership is hardly unique to the human experience, and the Biblical lens alerts us to this alarming continuity. History and scripture shows that there is not a cure to fallen leadership. But perhaps there is a remedy, a remedy that becomes all the more important when one considers how rapidly the news of a leader’s failure travels across the Twitterverse.
Leadership is about accomplishments, progress, and productivity - but it is equally, if not more so, about stewardship. One of the key thinkers on the topic of servant leadership is Larry Spears, founder of the Spears Center for Servant Leadership. In his article “Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders,” Spears defines stewardship as a defining attribute to effective leadership. Spears writes on stewardship:
Stewardship and dominion, key attributes of the servant leader, are central to Biblical scripture, from the first chapter of Genesis’ emphasis on dominion, to Paul’s letters on stewardship as central to community formation (Ephesians 3:2). Our understandings of David and Solomon are limited, in that the Biblical narratives of their lives are hardly primary sources. And unlike the leaders of Roman Antiquity onward, they did not leave us with written reflections on their principals and governing philosophy. We do know that the scribes of the Old Testament chose to depict them not as leaders anointed for service, but as conquering kings of progress and advancement.
All the chariots, all the gold, the skyscrapers, the basketball national championships, and the gymnastics gold medals are meaningless when pursued without a focus on the greater good, without a “commitment to serving the needs of others.” We live in a time where it so easy, and so efficacious, to call out the failings of leaders in our society. Whereas institutions were at one time insulated from the masses by their physical and organizational walls, these edifices all but disintegrated at the appearance of the Blogosphere and the Facebook News Feed.
This current season of fallen leadership is here to stay, at least until leaders commit themselves to a style of leadership that puts a greater emphasis on stewardship and less of an emphasis on ambition, advancement, and progress. To prioritize servant leadership, responsible dominion, and stewardship is no longer a nicety, it is no longer an innately religious mindset or something adopted by liberal, prosocial types. Given the speed of the ticker on the bottom of your newscast, stewardship is a now a fundamental necessity for a leader’s survival.
Ryan Panzer is a theological thinker, coffee drinker, corporate trainer, and Badger football fan. Comments, questions, criticisms, and vinyl record suggestions can be sent via Twitter to @ryanpanzer. The photos from this blogpost come from Rock Island State Park, Door County, WI.
From the resignation of Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon (and now the firing of Athletic Director Mark Hollis) over questions around the institution’s covering up of Larry Nassar and his over 175 counts of sexual abuse, to the now-verified reports of the President’s affair with the now-130K wealthier Stormy Daniels, it would appear that this winter is a season of reckoning for leaders who have lapsed into scandal, negligence, or abuse, despite the persistent immunity of the philanderer in chief.
Whether these failings and their varying array of consequences may or may not be symptomatic of a broader cultural trend, these events might give one pause to consider the theology of fallen leadership - how to avoid it, and how to seek its remedy.
The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) offers us two striking profiles in kingship, and thus leadership: David, and his son and successor Solomon. Both leaders are incredibly ambitious. David is, by the Biblical account, a military mastermind whose genius leads to victories over the Philistines, the Moabites the Jebusites, and, en route to claiming the crown, the House of Saul - all of which is mentioned in 2 Samuel. Amidst all these victories, David aspires to build a great Temple in Jerusalem, a veritable house of God. While the Temple is not built in his lifetime, the reign of David is certainly a reign of mighty military and civic successes.
Solomon, known by many today for his ingenious inclination to dismember a human child in order to settle an archaic Family Law case, is regarded as a very wise king (1 Kings 16:28), and also as a great builder, completing the temple that had been envisioned by David (2 Chronicles 7:11). He carries on the military legacy of David, investing heavily in the construction of chariots and also apparently in animal husbandry (1 Kings 10:26), the Ancient Near East equivalent of tanks and guns - a mobile fighting force, capable of extending Israel’s influence well beyond the city walls.
Yet despite their myriad accomplishments, their profound productivity, David and Solomon are both deeply flawed leaders. David associates a bit too closely with a concubine, and is overly fond of hitting on the Hittites (2 Samuel 11:3). Solomon is a glutton for gold and guns (1 Kings 10:14), he is idolatrous (1 Kings 11), and he is hardly monogamous, having some several hundred wives and concubines (and you thought remembering your anniversary was difficult!).
The scandals of David and Solomon would hardly be unusual amidst the stories of Stormies and Nassars and the fallen leaders with whom they cavort. Their great accomplishments, and their deep moral failures are all too commonly juxtaposed in the archetypes of the CEO, college administrator, or president of the United State.
So in a sense, this season of fallen leadership is hardly unique to the human experience, and the Biblical lens alerts us to this alarming continuity. History and scripture shows that there is not a cure to fallen leadership. But perhaps there is a remedy, a remedy that becomes all the more important when one considers how rapidly the news of a leader’s failure travels across the Twitterverse.
Leadership is about accomplishments, progress, and productivity - but it is equally, if not more so, about stewardship. One of the key thinkers on the topic of servant leadership is Larry Spears, founder of the Spears Center for Servant Leadership. In his article “Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders,” Spears defines stewardship as a defining attribute to effective leadership. Spears writes on stewardship:
“Peter Block (1993)—author of Stewardship and The Empowered Manager—has
defined stewardship as 'holding something in trust for another.' Robert
Greenleaf’s [Greenleaf is the founder of modern servant leadership] view of all institutions was one in which CEO’s, staffs, and trustees all played significant roles in holding their institutions in trust for the greater good of society. Servant leadership, like stewardship, assumes first and foremost a commitment to serving the needs of others. It also emphasizes the use of openness and persuasion, rather than control.”
This current season of fallen leadership is here to stay, at least until leaders commit themselves to a style of leadership that puts a greater emphasis on stewardship and less of an emphasis on ambition, advancement, and progress. To prioritize servant leadership, responsible dominion, and stewardship is no longer a nicety, it is no longer an innately religious mindset or something adopted by liberal, prosocial types. Given the speed of the ticker on the bottom of your newscast, stewardship is a now a fundamental necessity for a leader’s survival.
Ryan Panzer is a theological thinker, coffee drinker, corporate trainer, and Badger football fan. Comments, questions, criticisms, and vinyl record suggestions can be sent via Twitter to @ryanpanzer. The photos from this blogpost come from Rock Island State Park, Door County, WI.
Comments
Post a Comment