Have ever been white water rafting? I’m not thinking of the kind of rafting I did in my youth on the Chattahoochee River in Georgia—tying a cooler on an inner tube and meandering merrily, merrily, merrily down the river. No, I’m thinking of real, honest to goodness white water rafting—like I did some years ago on the New River in West Virginia. To give you an idea of the New River, rapids are classified from 1 to 7; a one being the gentle, meandering kind and seven being Niagara Falls. The New River rapids range between a 3 and a 5.
Exhausted from a week of hard physical labor in Appalachia during a youth mission trip—I was the priest—our group decides to go rafting as our grand finale. Arriving late for our appointed time, we are greeted with a quick word of welcome and herded off to outfit ourselves with a life jacket, helmet and paddle. There’s no messing around and no time to waste. The woman in charge, takes charge.
Standing at attention like soldiers, we pass inspection as she checks our equipment. Then she commands us to get on the blue bus, which I am sure in previous years was yellow. The kids race to the back of the bus. As leader, I sit in the front and look back at all those angelic youthful faces. I wonder if they’re thinking what I’m thinking. I want to get off this bus! It’s not too late if I move quickly. But, before I can stand up the take-charge woman jumps on board and we start moving up and down mountain roads.
“Hollywood,” as she is called, sits up front on the back of a seat so she can look us in the eye and begins to instruct us on the harsh realities ahead. “Usually we show a video,” she says, “but because we want to catch up with the rest of the rafters I’ll just tell you what’s on the video.” She begins…“People get killed white water rafting.” “You don’t want to get caught in an eddy.” “If you fall out of the raft, and this does happen, just stick your legs out in front, float to the nearest bank, yell and someone will come get you.” “Should you get caught under the raft, which also happens, move in one direction only to find your way out.” “Listen to your guide at all times.” “I’ll tell you exactly what to do.”
This is all very disturbing. No one mentioned the possibility of dying. But, now that I am completely petrified, I have no doubt that the only way I’m going to survive this is to trust “Hollywood” and follow her lead no matter what happens. I decide I’m not leaving her side.
In half an hour we arrive at our launch site. After a quick tug to tighten our life vests and secure our helmets, we grab our paddles and haul the raft to the water’s edge. I step into the raft. From solid ground to no ground.
The first thing Hollywood wants us to do is to practice paddling together. “Team work.” she says, “It’s all about team work.” She begins shouting commands I’ve never heard before in my life. “Paddle right! Paddle left! Backwards left! All Forward! Drift! Hold on!”
We sort of get it. At least we’re no longer going in circles. Slowly we set our raft straight and head downstream. I begin to relax. This isn’t so bad. Dying now seems somewhat less likely.
This actually is fun. Hollywood is good. She knows the river. She knows we need to gain some confidence before navigating the rough waters ahead. So she keeps guiding us. Encouraging us. Praising us.
“We’re coming to our first rapid,” she shouts, then turns to me as the priest and says this would be a good time to pray. (I’m way ahead of her—I haven’t stopped praying since we got on the bus.) Hollywood reassures us by explaining what to expect. She tells us the classification of the rapids, what turns we’ll take and how we’ll get through it. The rapids have names and she says the first one is Whale’s Back. I am ready. I know exactly what to expect. My left foot is secured tightly under the Velcro strap. My right knee is firmly against the inside divider. With paddle in hand I’m braced for action. My ears are tuned to Hollywood’s voice, and we’re off.
The next thing I know I’m flat on my back, at the bottom of the raft, arms and legs flailing. It’s not a pretty sight. This is not the image I have of my dignified, adult, in-control self. And, it was like this for most of the day! But I learned some valuable lessons from this experience of white water rafting. I learned to trust the voice of our guide, to follow her lead. And, I learned to depend on others—more than once my team hauled me up and encouraged me to keep trying.
Of greatest value was what Hollywood taught me about what it takes to be a strong leader. She was not afraid to use her authority and own her own voice. Like a prophet she warned us what would happen if we did not heed her words. Like a shepherd she was ever present, calling out commands so we could hear her voice above the roar of the river. She gave us permission to fail, but reassured us we wouldn’t be left behind. She helped us take a risk and try something new. She pushed us beyond our comfort zone! She helped us lean into our strengths. She had fun and encouraged us to have fun as well.
What I saw in Hollywood was the epitome of a non-anxious leader. She was someone who could manage her own response when surrounded, bombarded by the reactivity of others. She was calm and assured—an expert at self-regulating her emotions in the face of reactive fear.
While fully present to us, she was not co-opted by us. Presence, I found, does not mean being passive, it means being unafraid of getting your feet wet, it requires staying in touch without getting soaked by the anxiety around us. A well-defined presence—someone who has clarity about her own goals—is able to separate from the surrounding emotions while remaining connected. The trick is to be both non-anxious and present simultaneously.
I know that as a catalyst for change, leaders must not be quick to quit difficult situations but to stand firm with what we know as truth. In order to mature the system, rather than simply fix it, leaders must be able to take stands even at the risk of displeasing others. To be effective leaders we must have persistence for the goal, relentless drive, and stamina to stay the course. It is, after all, the nature of the leader’s presence that is their real strength.
In summary, leadership is about:
· Having the energy to make a positive impact.
· Giving the work to the people to whom it belongs.
· Allocating adequate resources others need to do their work.
· Removing barriers that limit the work and effectiveness of others.
· Being a conversation partner where creative ideas and learning can be generated.
· Keeping the work of everyone aligned with the intended outcomes and mission of the group so that efforts are not diluted or misdirected.
· Creating a context that nurtures gifts, generosity, accountability, and commitment.
· Initiating conversations that ask the right questions to shift people’s experiences.
· And, above all, listening and paying attention.
It is this last point that moves us into the spiritual dimension of being an effective leader. What is needed in the church today are courageous leaders who are willing to look deep within themselves and acknowledge what is there—both light and dark. This connection leaders have to their inner life—discovered through listening and paying attention—is foundational to effective spiritual leadership. For when a leader is able to delve into the depths of their own being and acknowledge authenticity and acceptance for themselves, they are better equipped to lead with credibility and clarity.
Now, I have no idea whether Hollywood is an Episcopalian, Lutheran, Baptist, Buddhist or atheist but one thing she sensed was that I am a person of prayer. Prayer is foundational to being grounded in God, and in order to be strengthened for the journey of leadership in the church we must pray and pray often. Just as with Jesus, it is in prayer that we are sustained for our journey, our ministry, our call—and we are reminded that our leadership isn’t about us but about the one we serve and those given to us.
Leonardo DaVinci said that “When you put your hand in a flowing stream, you touch the last that has gone before and the first of what is still to come.” Thanks Hollywood for getting me down the river, for the lessons in leadership, and for being a bridgebetween what has gone before and all that is now to come.
Sources: Ed Friedman, Failure of Nerve…Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix; Gil Rendle and Susan Beaumont, When Moses meets Aaron: Staffing and Supervision in Large Congregations; Peter Block, Community: The Structure of Belonging; Parker J. Palmer, Leading from Within: Reflections on Spirituality and Leadership