Called to Leadership

This week's Spectacle of Saints blog is written by George Lisjak, Director of the North American Center for Marianist Studies. (NACMS) Recently, George and NACMS curriculum coordinator Patti Gehred relaunched the online Marianist Studies program in a format convenient for today's lifestyles. Soon, George will welcome a new role: that of being a PULSE parent!

How do you feel about being a leader?  Maybe you like the idea. Some of us have taken on, or even sought out, positions that people associate with leadership, perhaps as a manager, supervisor, or department head, as a school administrator, as a community activist, as a political officeholder, as first chair in an orchestra, or as captain of a team.

Others may not like the thought of being a leader at all.  Whether because of believing yourself less qualified than someone else, or being uncomfortable with the attention that these positions bring, or for some other reason, you simply don’t think of yourself as a leader.

Leadership means different things to different people.  Most would probably agree that it involves a relationship between people.  You can’t really lead if there is no one to lead.  Most definitions of leadership include that it involves intentionally exerting influence within that relationship.  That’s where some of us hesitate.  We don’t feel comfortable with the idea of exerting influence over others.

You may have heard of the “butterfly effect,” the bit of Chaos Theory that asserts that even very small changes in complex systems can have powerful and unpredictable effects – like a butterfly in the Amazon causing a hurricane somewhere else on the globe. (Yes, this is the explanation that Jeff Goldblum, as Ian Malcolm, gives for his concern over the existence of Jurassic Park!)  Whether you buy the theory or not, it is undeniable that just about everything we do has some effect on other people.  Like it or not, we are always exerting some influence on others.  Whether it is as simple as “Go two blocks and then turn left,” as involved as “Here is my vision for this organization” accompanied by a multi-page strategic plan, or as mindless as sipping our drink through a disposable plastic straw that eventually ends up in the ocean, we influence others all the time.

The Micah Community

Influence is not necessarily leadership, however.  Leadership involves intentionally exerting influence within a relationship.  Notice that there is nothing in this definition about being the captain or the CEO.  That means that all of us can practice leadership whether we’re in a recognized position of authority or not.  The catch is that we must be intentional about the influence we exert.

Dayton Good Friday Walk for Justice and Peace 2018
George with other members of the Marianist Family

    
I have been a Lay Marianist for just over 50 years. Over that time I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve in several positions of authority, including Principal of a Marianist-sponsored high school and my current position as Director of the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS).  These are positions wherein leadership is an expected part of the job. I have come to believe, however, that leadership is just as expected of all who would consider themselves Marianist. Marianists, all of us, are called to join in Mary’s mission of bringing Christ to the world. We do that most often and most effectively by forming attractive and inviting communities of faith actively seeking the common good – being what Blessed Chaminade called a “spectacle of saints.” To me, that certainly is intentionally exerting influence on others within a relationship. Of all that being Marianist entails, one thing that is very clear to me: The call to be Marianist is a call to leadership!

In Christ through Mary,
George