God is in the Details
Just wanted to post some evolving thoughts on right-brain leadership. I think the best leaders are the best noticers. They are big-picture people. But they also pay attention to microscopic details. There is almost an obsessive/compulsive nature to it.
I saw it in Oprah the other night.
ABC did a special on the school of dreams Oprah is building in South Africa. A-mazing. Will you allow a tangent? What's even more amazing than Oprah using her own money to build the school is the way some people are criticizing her for doing it. Some people have a problem with the fact that it's in South Africa instead of America. Some people have a problem with the educational approach or the way students were chosen. Give me a break! Criticize by creating.
One of the things that was interesting to me is the way Oprah made all the little decisions--chose the color of the brick, style of the plates, clothes, decor. You name it. Oprah decided it. Some people would call that micromanagement. But the attention to detail was intriguing to me. Everything had to be just right. I love the commitment to excellence in everything!
I saw the same thing in my father-in-law who planted and pastored Calvary Church in Naperville, Illinois for 30+ years. Incredible leadership gifts, but I noticed the way he would stop to pick up a piece of lint on the church grounds. Few things escaped his notice. A combination of big vision and attention to detail. Macroscopic and microscopic.
There is an old aphorism: the devil is in the details. Not true. God is in the details.
Right-brain leaders have an eye for excellence. They pay attention to subtleties and nuances. They notice what others ignore. Their leadership antenna is always up. Their leadership radar is always on. They have a sixth sense that notices everything from how the lighting is affecting mood to how the seating is affecting the pschology of the space. They know that everything says something about everything. And it drives them to excellence in everything.
Case in point. We just got our 2007 Annual Ministry Report and the paper isn't right. On one level, big deal. But it is a big deal. The texture and gloss aren't what we wanted. The report is going to read the same way no matter what paper we put it on. but it won't feel the same. Those details aren't insignificant. It is often 1% that makes 99% of the difference!
I love what Dorothy Sayers once said about Jesus:
No crooked table legs or ill-fitted drawers ever, I dare say, came out of the carpenter's shop in Nazareth.
I wonder if we have overlooked and under appreciated how much his career as a carpenter affected the way Jesus approached ministry. True craftsmen have an eye for excellence. I just don't think Jesus cut corners. He did what he did with excellence. He used the best wood; measured the angles twice; and sanded until smooth. He took pride in his craftsmanship. He put his personality into every work of art. And he strived for aesthetic perfection just like he strived for moral perfection. Bottomline: excellence honors God.
In their book, Geeks & Geezers, Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas borrow a term, first-class noticer, from a Saul Bellow novel to describe an important dimension of leadership.
Being a first-class noticer allows you to recognize talent, identify opportunities, and avoid pitfalls. Leaders who succeed again and again are geniuses at grasping context. This is one of those characteristics, like taste, that is difficult to break down into its component parts. But the ability to weigh a welter of factors, some as subtle as how very different groups of people will interpret a gesture, is one of the hallmarks of a true leader.
Right-brain leaders are first-class noticers.
I saw it in Oprah the other night.
ABC did a special on the school of dreams Oprah is building in South Africa. A-mazing. Will you allow a tangent? What's even more amazing than Oprah using her own money to build the school is the way some people are criticizing her for doing it. Some people have a problem with the fact that it's in South Africa instead of America. Some people have a problem with the educational approach or the way students were chosen. Give me a break! Criticize by creating.
One of the things that was interesting to me is the way Oprah made all the little decisions--chose the color of the brick, style of the plates, clothes, decor. You name it. Oprah decided it. Some people would call that micromanagement. But the attention to detail was intriguing to me. Everything had to be just right. I love the commitment to excellence in everything!
I saw the same thing in my father-in-law who planted and pastored Calvary Church in Naperville, Illinois for 30+ years. Incredible leadership gifts, but I noticed the way he would stop to pick up a piece of lint on the church grounds. Few things escaped his notice. A combination of big vision and attention to detail. Macroscopic and microscopic.
There is an old aphorism: the devil is in the details. Not true. God is in the details.
Right-brain leaders have an eye for excellence. They pay attention to subtleties and nuances. They notice what others ignore. Their leadership antenna is always up. Their leadership radar is always on. They have a sixth sense that notices everything from how the lighting is affecting mood to how the seating is affecting the pschology of the space. They know that everything says something about everything. And it drives them to excellence in everything.
Case in point. We just got our 2007 Annual Ministry Report and the paper isn't right. On one level, big deal. But it is a big deal. The texture and gloss aren't what we wanted. The report is going to read the same way no matter what paper we put it on. but it won't feel the same. Those details aren't insignificant. It is often 1% that makes 99% of the difference!
I love what Dorothy Sayers once said about Jesus:
No crooked table legs or ill-fitted drawers ever, I dare say, came out of the carpenter's shop in Nazareth.
I wonder if we have overlooked and under appreciated how much his career as a carpenter affected the way Jesus approached ministry. True craftsmen have an eye for excellence. I just don't think Jesus cut corners. He did what he did with excellence. He used the best wood; measured the angles twice; and sanded until smooth. He took pride in his craftsmanship. He put his personality into every work of art. And he strived for aesthetic perfection just like he strived for moral perfection. Bottomline: excellence honors God.
In their book, Geeks & Geezers, Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas borrow a term, first-class noticer, from a Saul Bellow novel to describe an important dimension of leadership.
Being a first-class noticer allows you to recognize talent, identify opportunities, and avoid pitfalls. Leaders who succeed again and again are geniuses at grasping context. This is one of those characteristics, like taste, that is difficult to break down into its component parts. But the ability to weigh a welter of factors, some as subtle as how very different groups of people will interpret a gesture, is one of the hallmarks of a true leader.
Right-brain leaders are first-class noticers.
13 Comments:
Right brain thinkers don't always have a concrete way of backing their thoughts and opinions. As you said, they see subtleties and nuances, which often are not able to be explained in conventional ways, but by a 6th sense that simply says...I just know it to be true.
It can be very frustrating for a right brain thinker trying to get his/her point across in an environment where more concrete type thinkers are at the forefront. Love to hear your ideas on that Mark.
Steve Wulf
http:ethoughts.tv
Steve,
Good to hear from you bro!
So true...somehow saying "just trust me" doesn't always cut it :)
Learning to substantiate and communicate the "why" behind the what is huge. It is part of the teaching process--helping other see the way you think, notice details, pay attention to your gut, develop leadership intuition...
Saw from your blog that you're reading Made to Stick--great book. Actually a good book to help right-brain leaders commmunicate in concrete ways...
I think one lesson I've learned is this: never assume. It's ok to "go with your gut" but you've got to communicate the who, what, when, where, and why with great detail and intentionality.
Mark
Mark,
I agree with your thoughts on attention to details and I truly believe that the church (especially) should do things with excellence.
However, as a leader how do you guard yourself against discouragement? Obviously no matter how hard we try, things are never going to be perfect (working with volunteers, limitted resources, etc.). So how do you stay positive and remain focused on the BIG picture while still trying to improve all the details?
Thanks,
Paul Stewart
http://paulstewart.typepad.com
Mark,
Great post. I really enjoyed it. I just posted something today about the struggle in churches between Natural and Supernatural. Many times the right-brained leader must fend off criticism because he/she isn't being "spiritual" or "supernatural" enough.
Again, great post.
Kevin Stover
verge.lifepointblog.com
Hey Mark,
thanks for the insights here and throughout your blog. I was reading howard schultz's book this morning and thought about what you guys are doing at the coffeehouse there. Shultz, the starbucks guy, was talking about the early days (around 1990) and noticed how people were desiring a third place to interact and share space with others, then he realy suprised me with this insight
"However well they seem to have stepped into the role, though, Starbucks stores are not yet the ideal Third Place" (Shultz, Pour your heart into it, 120)
it reminded me how you have talked about ebeneezer's being a modern drinking well for people to gather at!! keep up the good work, and continue to allow God to infuse you with huge dreams, as even the man behind starbucks realizes that they are missing something. I would have to say the true thing people are desiring at the third place, seems to be connection, to others and God. This really struck me as the unique opportunity Christians and churches have to offer people! Thanks for the leadership and inspiration you provide!
Paul,
It's our curse my friend :) I'm never satisfied with my preaching :) I always feel like there is room for improvement. The way I compensate for that constant divine discontent, is really celebrating the wins along the way! That is huge! And while I know we have a long way to go, I need to remind myself of how far we've come :)
Mark
Just want to say thanks Mark. Just this morning had a hard time conveying the fact that I didn't like the font on a flyer for an upcoming worship event our band is doing. (www.zoaworship.com if you ever get bored and wanna hear some music). I just didn't like the way it marketed us. I couldn't agree more with the person who said that communication is the problem b/c often (I feel) it's the person who pays attention to detail that can be in the minority and communicating the idea is more important than the idea itself.
Anyway you can shed some insight on communicating those ideas?
Stan
Stan,
Font matters :)
If you have people that don't think aesthetic details are important, remind them that about fifteen chapters in Exodus are committed to the aesthetics of the Temple--smell of the incense, color of the curtains, priest's clothing, etc.
Color of the carpet matters!
God is a God of infinite detail...
My two cents,
Mark
I completely agree with your thoughts on leaders being noticers. But you touched on a criticism of Oprah being a micromanager because of her obsession with detail. How do you balance the need to get everything "just right" and the leader's imperative to delegate, even when the top leader can do the job better?
"Criticize by creating"
I know it wasn't the focus of this post, but I love what it says. When God has placed a call or vision on our hearts, we're tempted to think everyone else has to do it that way. We see how others do church/ministry/life and it sometimes doesn't line up. We want to correct them. What's usually more effective is to move forward with God's call and set an example. Fruit speaks. :)
Thanks for the great thoughts...
Good question Nathan.
Here is my "short and sweet" answer--teach them to be noticers :) You don't just delegate "jobs." You delegrate an approach to ministry, a philosophy of ministry. I think you inculcate a value--excellence honors God. They may not do it as good as you, but they need to be striving for excellence.
I have a hard time with someone who does it half-hearted and doesn't care. I have no problem with someone who does it poorly but wants to get better and do what they do with excellence.
Make sense?
Mark
This post reminded me of a conversation I had about a month ago now, about the way in which we inhabit spaces. I'm not sure it's entirely related to this, but just made me think about it again (thanks!). We talked about how we have forgotten the artists (and the graphic artists nowadays), the people who know how to inhabit the spaces we construct. We are social creatures that are shaped by the poetics of space.
Again, not sure its entirely related, but thats what it promted in me!
Mark,
Thanks for the encouragement! It helps me know that i am not crazy when as a leader I see something others do not, and have what Bill Hybels calls a Holy Discontent so we can see God's mission fulfilled.
This really helped me after the week i have had.
Rich
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