Thrall, Bill, Bruce McNicol, and Ken
McElrath. 1999. The Ascent of a Leader: How
Ordinary Relationships Develop Extraordinary Character and Influence. 1st
ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Introduction
I like this statement; “character – the inner world of
motives and values that shapes our actions – is the ultimate determiner of the
nature of our leadership” (Thrall 1999, 1). It seems to me that too much emphasis is placed on outward things, such
as appearance and credentials, as if that is all it takes to be an influential
leader. It will be interesting to see
how the authors address both the need for and the development of character.
Chapter One: A Different Ladder to Success
The story of Captain Edward J. Smith of the Titanic is a great intro to the idea
that many in leadership positions are feeling “a certain futility in climbing
the ladder they have chosen” (Thrall 1999, 11). The authors use the image of climbing “a different kind of ladder”
(Thrall 1999, 11) to seek out and find the plan that God has for our
lives. I think the ladder analogy is a
bit overused, but probably effective.
Chapter Two: Big Leaders on Short Ladders
I was impacted most by Dr. J. Robert Clinton’s thesis “that
more than 70 percent of leaders do not finish well” (Thrall 1999, 14). He argues that there are primarily six shifts
that can happen to any leader over time: 1. They lose their learning posture.
2. The attractiveness of their character wanes. 3. They stop living by their
convictions. 4. They fail to leave behind ultimate contributions. 5. They stop
walking in an awareness of their influence and destiny and 6. They lose their
once vibrant relationship with God (Thrall 1999, 14). I will use this list as a reminder to myself
and to those I disciple.
Chapter Three: Creating Environments That Uphold and
Empower Us
I like the term environment of grace. This sounds like what the church is supposed
to be. The authors state, “To take
risks, we need to feel a certain degree of safety and security in our
environment” (Thrall 1999, 29). When an
environment of grace is present, we are more likely to take the risks required
for excellence. I can’t help but think
about the friction inherent in this statement. We are seeking an environment of safety so we are comfortable in taking
risks. This environment of grace, or the
safety we need, is not present unless someone is first willing to risk creating
such an environment. This is a sign of
true leadership. Am I willing to take
this risk by giving grace to those around me?
Chapter Four: Nurturing Relationships That Ground and
Sustain Us
The authors suggest that relationships based on grace are
just as important as an environment of grace. In fact, the two are interrelated. One does not exist without the other. Learning to meet the needs of others is an important step in nurturing
grace filled relationships. We must also
learn to accept grace. If we want to be
a grace giver, we must first be a grace accepter. Of course none of the above is achievable on
our own abilities, which is why the authors teased us at the end of the chapter
by asking if we are ready for “a climb that takes you above and beyond your
best to find God’s best” (Thrall 1999, 59). I have experienced both an environment of grace and grace filled
relationships, but I know that these are neither attainable nor sustainable
through my own efforts. I look forward
to seeing how the authors teach us to reach beyond what we can do.
Chapter Five: The First Rung – Stepping Up Through an Act
of Trust
In this book the authors are contrasting two ladders to
success; the capacity ladder, which is a path that focuses on what we can do
through our own efforts and the character ladder, which is a path that focuses
on what can be done through us as we center on God. The first rung of the character ladder is
“trust God and others with me” (Thrall 1999, 66). If we don’t trust God, we will not be able to
trust others. The authors address what
they call the “myth of self-sufficiency” (Thrall 1999, 68). Until we realize that the idea of
self-sufficiency is a dead-end, we will never be able to trust God or even
those closest to us. Learning to fully
trust God in all areas of our life will open us up to a path that leads to true
success and fulfillment.
Chapter Six: The Second Rung – Choosing Vulnerability
The second rung of the character ladder is choosing
vulnerability. The authors define
vulnerability as coming “under another’s influence” (Thrall 1999, 77). Vulnerability is dependent on trust. Many leaders often protect themselves through
isolation. The result of isolation is a
loss of influence. As leaders we should
seek out individuals we trust and allow them to speak into our lives. Of course, this is more difficult than it
sounds because it requires us to open up and let people know about our fears
and struggles. The authors share a story
of how one of them had started to open up to an individual only to realize that
vulnerability was not being reciprocated. I recently experienced this in my life and can attest to the truth that
trust is critical when it comes to vulnerability. This person lost the influence they were beginning
to gain in my life.
Chapter 7: The Third Rung – Aligning with Truth
The third rung of the character ladder is aligning with
truth. The authors suggest that aligning
with truth “distinguishes between those who use transparency to manipulate and
those who submit in vulnerability to live lives of integrity” (Thrall 1999,
94). Each rung seems to lead to greater
difficulty. Each rung leads to greater
interdependence with those we are seeking to live in community with. Aligning with truth calls for us to dig deep
and decide if we are going to listen to and adjust to the truths that others
speak into our lives as a result of our becoming vulnerable. If we do, our integrity grows and shows. If we do not, we stop our climb toward true
character.
Chapter 8: The Fourth Rung – Paying the Price
The fourth rung of the character ladder is paying the
price. Are we willing to pay the
price? Paying the price is an inevitable
part of climbing the character ladder. There will be times when we are forced to make decisions that may
jeopardize our status or our position for the benefit of others. We will be faced with opportunities to “make
profound differences in the lives of others” (Thrall 1999, 110). Yet, these opportunities always come at a
price and the question is, are we willing to pay the price. The subject of interdependence comes up again
as it is clear that the only way we will choose to pay the price is if we trust
God and not ourselves, if we are walking in vulnerability with others whom we
trust and if we are willing to align ourselves to they truth they share. As we maintain consistency in the earlier
rungs we will be able to withstand the pressures that will inevitably come.
Chapter 9: Chutes and Leaders – Stories from the Fourth
Rung
In this chapter the authors share several stories of leaders
who have paid the price. “Paying the
price either tests and proves our character or scares us back into a frantic
search for significance” (Thrall 1999, 130). As I read these stories I was reminded of a few of my own. Recently I was having lunch with a financial
supporter of our ministry. He told me of
a recent decision he had to make. He was
faced with loosing one of his larger clients which represented over ten million
dollars in annual business. As he worked
to replace this line of business he found a new situation that looked like a
great fit. In the final stages of
negotiations the potential client asked him to make some changes in the
financial information he had submitted. This would require him to “doctor” the books. If he did this, his employees would be
covered and the business would be replaced. It would also require him to sacrifice the integrity he had built his
business on. He chose to decline and the
new client chose to come on board anyway. To this day he does not know if the new client was testing his
integrity, but he knows that he made the right decision.
Chapter 10: The Fifth Rung – Discovering Your Destiny
“God places people he can trust into the right places at the
right times” (Thrall 1999, 146). Finding
our destiny, our purpose, is not something that we pursue. It simply happens when we pass the test of
life. God chooses and we are placed into
the leadership roles he intends for us to fill. Our role is to stay on the character ladder and to always be in the
process of preparing ourselves for the destiny God has planned for us. We are not to pursue the destiny. We are to pursue the God of our destiny.
Chapter 11: Keeping Your Balance – Seven Challenges of
the Fifth Rung
The authors present seven challenges that often occur when
one reaches the fifth rung. To combat
these challenges fifth rung leaders must: 1. Confront complacency. 2. Intentionally express compassion and
conviction. 3. Be teachable teachers. 4. Avoid
comparing themselves to others. 5. Allow others to benefit from our fifth rung
influence. 6. Learn to be fluid with relationships and
responsibilities. 7. Continually tackle their unresolved
issues. Not that I am claiming fifth
rung leadership, but the area that I relate to the most is number 6, learning
to be fluid with my relationships and responsibilities. I have been learning over the past few months
that flexibility is a key to relational success. I have also learned that I often put ministry
before family. I am learning to be more
flexible, to the point of being willing to take my 10-year old son to an
afternoon movie this week even thought I had more work to get done than time to
get it done. However, it was more
important to spend that time with my son, who had taken the brunt of my recent
busy schedule.
Chapter 12: Becoming the Kind of Person Others Want to
Follow
For several months now I have been coming to a deeper
understanding of our need to always have Christ at the center. He must be our primary focus. All that we do, say and are must be Christ
centered. But, it is so easy to lose
focus and center on other things. We can
center on ministry. We can center on
others. We can center on our family or
our nation or our community. However,
when we center on these things first, we lose our focus on Christ and things
get shaky. I think the kind of person
others want to follow is that person who consistently has Christ at the
center. When Christ is the center,
motives are pure and everyone benefits. It is truly my hope that I can continue to learn to live in a Christ
centered way. Perhaps those I am in
community with will help me?
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