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As I read this article, I kept thinking of how much this describes pastors and church leaders as much as corporate executives. See the parallels in Bold font as you read.
Truth a Rare Commodity in Corporate America?
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) August 7, 2006 — As decision makers rise up the corporate ladder, they often find themselves disconnected from ground-level, real-world happenings in their organizations, making it difficult to completely grasp the big picture.
Pastors and church leaders have greater demands as congregations grow and less time getting to know the new person visiting for the first time.
It has been suggested that the average leader in an organization today is aware of less than half of the issues, perceptions and concerns held by the rest of the organization. This gap in knowledge includes truth about how they are perceived as leaders, truth about front line realities, truth about customer perceptions, truth about organizational health. The list can go on and on.
How do pastors stay focused on the needs of the people?
Far too often, in response, leaders surround themselves with assistants, committees and advisors charged with providing them with that truth. However, in the competitive environment often found in organizations today, those advisors become “yes men” (and “yes women”) who end up mirroring the leader’s own thoughts and perceptions, fearful of disagreeing and assuming that blindly supporting what they think is the “management perspective” is the best way to keep their job. The truth remains hidden.
Do pastors really expect committees to brainstorm and come up with new ideas or are they just wanting these groups to carry out their plans?
This lack of organizational truth, these “blind spots� in perception, create an environment in which leaders consistently make decisions and take actions that miss the mark causing lower morale, lost profits and missed opportunity.
Some pastors and church leaders are sometimes influenced by a few individuals who may or may not have God’s plan as their number one goal.
David Riveness, in his new business leadership book, “The Secret Life of the Corporate Jester�, addresses this dilemma by posing a new way of revealing organizational truth using the perspective of a Jester.
Riveness explains,
“True jestership is not about wearing colorful costumes and entertaining others with jokes, but is, instead, a unique perspective into organizational impact and truth telling. True jesters have developed the rare ability to uncover and address blind spots in thinking and action that negatively effect companies, organizations, and individuals. The perspective and behaviors of a jester outlined in the book can be understood and adopted by anyone, regardless of their role or position, to bring about remarkable positive change within any organization.”
“Truth telling”, how much of this is lost in our churches today.
The newly released (August 1, 2006) book from Jardin Publishing has already received much positive praise from a variety of marketplace leaders including the Senior Vice President of Strategic Change Management at Hewlett Packard who said:
“The Secret Life of the Corporate Jester is a fun and intriguing read filled with insights into what it takes to be a successful leader in today’s complex corporate environments.”
“The Secret Life of the Corporate Jester” (Jardin Publishing, ISBN: 0977685616) is now available via www.corporatejester.com, www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com and selected bookstores.
Source:
Press Contact: Melissa Dragich
Company Name: CORPORATE JESTER
Phone: 408-454-6650
Website: www.corporatejester.com
Enjoy the journey…
Albert
