{"id":11850,"date":"2010-12-16T00:02:12","date_gmt":"2010-12-16T06:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/jesuscreed\/?p=11850"},"modified":"2010-12-14T20:27:20","modified_gmt":"2010-12-15T02:27:20","slug":"a-55-responds-to-advice-for-55-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2010\/12\/16\/a-55-responds-to-advice-for-55-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"A 55+ Responds to Advice for 55+ Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Brad Lomenick is one of America\u2019s young Christian leaders, and he\u2019s the point person of the very successful Catalyst conferences. I admire Brad and think the world of what he\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>On his blog he\u2019s been doing some stuff on age groups and advice about leadership. Thus, here\u2019s one<\/strong><\/a> and here\u2019s another.<\/strong><\/a> His series of three posts is worth your reading, but I\u2019d like to post what he said for 55+ and then I\u2019d like to go at this topic from the angle of a 55+. This post is not a push back but an extension of what Brad says, but it extends by recontextualizing the whole discussion.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

From Brad Lomenick<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n

Several months ago I put together some thoughts for 20-somethings titled\u00a0Shut Up and Listen<\/a><\/strong>. I also did a post for leaders in their 30\u2019s on\u00a0Lessons I\u2019ve learned in my 30\u2019s<\/a>\u2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This post, however, is for\u00a0Older Leaders<\/strong>. I\u2019m categorizing that as 55 and older. Now don\u2019t get all technical and age arrogant on me\u2026. There\u2019s no magical reason why 55 is the cutoff. The idea is that this post is for those leaders who are \u201colder in general than others around them<\/strong>.\u201d So this might apply if you are 45 and you are surrounded by a bunch of leaders 25 and younger. You get the point.<\/p>\n

From my vantage point, there are some things those of us that are \u201cyounger\u201d want the leaders around us who are older to know. These are just a few of those:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Pursue us<\/strong>\u2013 We\u2019re not in it for the long haul anymore. 35 and under leaders in general are more about projects than they are about careers. More about movements instead of organizations. So if you want to keep us around in your organization, you\u2019re going to have to pursue us. Show us you are approachable, and connected to where we are in life.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Understand us<\/strong>\u2013 make an effort to be in touch with our generation. It doesn\u2019t mean you have to dress like us (not all the time anyway!!), but when you make a concerted effort to be in touch with what we are in touch with, it makes a huge difference. We\u2019re motivated by making a difference, and being part of something bigger than ourselves.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Train us<\/strong>\u2013 Once you\u2019ve got us on your team, pour into us. We may not show it, but we truly desire to be mentored and we need wise sages and mentors who will train us up. Constantly look for ways to pass on your insights to us. We are hungry for mentors, and are open to you passing on your wisdom. And not just your successes and the things you\u2019ve done right- we want to know what you\u2019ve failed at, both to make you \u201chuman\u201d as well to learn from your experience so we won\u2019t make the same mistakes.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Inspire us<\/strong>\u2013 Cast vision for us. Motivate us through painting a picture of where we are headed. Lead us. But Don\u2019t manage us. Managing to you means something completely different than it does to us. You were schooled on the management theories of the 80\u2019s. Major generation gap here. And a source of lots of tension that is difficult to manage.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Listen to us<\/strong>\u2013 We have alot to offer. Sometimes we\u2019re not sure how to best communicate it, but we do bring tremendous raw talent and motivation to the table. We are technically savvy, and understand how to make things happen through completely different systems and processes. Take a posture of listening to us before you dismiss our ideas.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Connect us<\/strong>\u2013 We are drawn towards community, and relational networks through which we can make an impact and affect change. Community is incredibly important to us, in any context. We want to climb the hill together, not by ourselves.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0Release us- <\/strong>Literally, kick us out.\u00a0Not only give us permission to leave, but actually encourage us to leave and pursue other things. Once it\u2019s time for us to move on, we might need your encouragement to pursue what God might be stirring up in us. Especially during the last couple of years, when it was much easier to just hang on than to really let go and chase after our dreams. We\u2019re not leaving because we\u2019re \u201cgiving up\u201d on your vision, we just want to make ours a reality.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Brad\u2019s first post for the 20somethings was about as direct as it gets: \u201cShut up, sit down and listen.\u201d Whew, I was a bit surprised by his directness. And then he had some mature advice for the 30somethings, including \u201cI don\u2019t know it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

I happened to read this 55+ something post first and I was about surprised how \u201cus\u201d oriented it was, but in light of posts one and two, this post has a good context. But, still, I want to frame this whole discussion in a slightly different framework.<\/p>\n

The most under-examined, the most neglected, and the most difficult \u201cvirtue\u201d to master \u2014 and the one that takes all three of these posts and puts them in a powerful and biblical context \u2014 is Wisdom<\/strong>. I rarely hear anyone talk about Wisdom, I\u2019ve never had a student tell me she or he wants to become wise, and when it comes to discipleship very few \u201cmanuals\u201d even bring up the subject. (By the way, I have a brief sketch in my new book: One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow<\/a> <\/em><\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

In contrast to our culture, the biblical culture was a wisdom culture. Our culture is a youth culture and a do-it-yourself culture. The two cannot and will not co-exist. A wisdom culture favors the wisdom of the wise and it sets the young on a path of becoming like their elders who are wise.<\/p>\n

First, let me begin with this: if we frame these discussions in the terms of leadership we miss the biggest factor. What 20something, 30something, 40something, and 50something \u201cleaders\u201d need to pursue is wisdom and becoming wise.<\/p>\n

Second, and Brad sees this so well in his pieces, fundamental to becoming wise (which is not the same as becoming a leader unless we reframe the meaning of \u201cleader\u201d) is sitting under the wisdom of the wise. So I agree: find a mentor.<\/p>\n

Third, while I see an emphasis on listening in your stuff I\u2019d like to push that further. The biblical idea of wisdom involves the status and stature of those who were recognized as wise (my first and second points), and it involves listening to the wise, but there\u2019s more to this: those who want to become must convert listening into doing<\/em>. Prov 1:3 puts this beautifully: \u201cTo receive moral instruction in skillful living, in righteousness, justice, and equity.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Prov 1:3 the operative word here is \u201creceive.\u201d This word means to acquire and to acquire one must treasure and one must listen and one must listen to the point of accepting and receiving and doing so with a sense of respect and even reverence for those who are wise ahead of us on the journey. Those who acquire wisdom are those who listen and absorb to the point of doing, even when they may think otherwise, what the wise have to say. Some know this experience from spiritual directors.<\/p>\n

So, brother Brad, from a 55+, I have one simple idea: let us pursue leadership in the context of Wisdom, and to do that we must find a Mentor and then listen and learn to receive their wisdom so that we do what the wise know to be wise.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brad Lomenick is one of America\u2019s young Christian leaders, and he\u2019s the point person of the very successful Catalyst conferences. I admire Brad and think the world of what he\u2019s doing. On his blog he\u2019s been doing some stuff on age groups and advice about leadership. Thus, here\u2019s one and here\u2019s another. His series of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1731],"tags":[5175,1184],"class_list":["post-11850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pastoring-and-leading","tag-brad-lomenick","tag-wisdom"],"yoast_head":"\nA 55+ Responds to Advice for 55+ Leaders<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Brad Lomenick is one of America's young Christian leaders, and he's the point person of the very successful Catalyst conferences. 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