Management: Leading a Kingdom Community Part 1
We love a little bit of friendly competition around the OneHope office, and occasionally during lunch, we will break out the backgammon boards. Vice Presidents will go head-to-head, moving each piece hoping to be declared the victor. The leadership team may play against the youngest members of our staff. Novice players will learn from more experienced players, and vice versa. The game is a perfect blend of skill and luck, so even a beginner can beat someone more experienced once in a while. Anyone who wants to play can join, and it always ends in good fun…but not every company or organization would agree to host a similar game time.
An article recently sparked dynamic discussion at OneHope. The topic? Friendships in the workplace, particularly for management.
As part of our culture at the ministry, we regularly engage with readings from management expert Peter Drucker, as much of how we operate is modeled after his best practices.
In one particular excerpt, Drucker shares the story of Alfred P. Sloan Jr, a longstanding CEO of General Motors, and his particular leadership style. Drucker highlights this quote from the automobile executive:
“It is the duty of the Chief Executive Officer to be objective and impartial,” Sloan said, explaining his management style. “He must be absolutely tolerant and pay no attention to how a man does his work, let alone whether he likes a man or not. The only criteria must be performance and character. And that is incompatible with friendship and social relations.
Source: Drucker, Peter F. (2009-10-13). The Daily Drucker (p. 116). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
Relationships through family, work, church – all God-given. Coming to the relationships at work, OH DNA may not be the same or even similar to GM. Our role model of course is the Lord Jesus, who called his disciples as friends, not based on performance! We are to experience ‘koinonia’. Actually it is not being done enough at OH at least where I am and I may be also part of the problem.
Thanks Rob! When I was in Bible College a few years ago a professor told us never to have friends in your congregation. If I had listened to this advice I would not have lasted five years in ministry. Leadership is influence, and you cannot influence well from a distant relationship. Thank you for your leadership and for working with John Maxwell on Change your World.