A leader can and should be friends with others who are skilled in different areas, with the ability to learn from someone who is at a higher level than you and has already paved the way. My peers are beside me, iron sharpening iron. In addition to discussing work-related items, we share about our families and hobbies, as it adds a richness to our relationship. I also enjoy connecting with younger professionals, as they help me see what’s up-and-coming and can provide a different perspective. As a global ministry, I often get to interact with staff who live in other countries, and I love learning about their hometowns.
My best friends are ministry partners, board members, and OneHope staff that are my leadership peers and those that report to me. Some individuals have moved on from being a member of the OneHope team, yet our friendship remains.
The key to me is that OneHope is not a corporation, it is a member of the Body, a sodality of the Church in service to the Kingdom whose construct is Family. As believers, we are all part of a Kingdom family. I’m not negating the fact that performance and character are integral. These traits guide where people are suited to serve, but they don’t override our relational bonds as spiritual ‘relatives’ – moms and dads, sons and daughters, uncles and aunts.
The next chance you get, set out a few board games at the office during lunch. Engage in community. Interact with people you don’t get to work on projects with every day. You may be surprised by what you learn (and how discreetly competitive some people are!) in your next gathering.
This tension of being a well-run, functioning organization that follows the wise principles of Drucker management philosophy and being a missional family of love are not antithetical, they are in fact, and in aspiration, the community that God is calling us to be.
This is powerful. Amen.