[COPY] [COPY] [COPY] DRAFT TEMPLATE

Hi-

I hope this gets to you. I have made the jump from Mailchimp to Substack. Here still in Holland, with about six weeks to go—and still processing lessons, both from ministry and reading. Along the way, I have also met an engineer from NATO who spends part of his spare time doing astrophotography. I have borrowed one of his picture he took on some Dutch clear night.
 

Reports From The Front 4 Discovering Valuable Leadership Lessons While in Europe

At the core of a healthy church are strong leaders. Part of my work here in Holland is to develop present and future leaders. Models help us. I have just finished The Chancellor, by Kati Marton. It is a book about Angela Merkel. For a number of us in the States, Merkel is not a household name. We’re used to headlines that feature Trump or Musk or AOC or RFK. Nonetheless, Merkel stands out as one of Germany’s best leaders. Though imperfect (what leader isn’t?), she has left these worthy lessons—

1-SOUND LEADERS ARE SELF-DISCIPLINED AND TENACIOUS

-growing up in a “Stalinist ice age” in East Germany, in a cruel system based on fear and surveillance, Merkel’s parents instilled in her the values of sacrifice and self-discipline. To succeed, she learned that leaders must learn logical rigor and clarity of argument. They will need a steely composure and a fierce will to survive. Sounds like the stuff of great leadership.

2-SOUND LEADERS ARE CURIOUS AND INFORMED

-competent leaders are learners. They thrive on the new and interesting, so they observe, read, and ponder. Part of Merkel’s political genius was her capacity to discern between good and bad ideas, and this came from an insatiable curiosity. To engage with others, one must be a forceful listener. Before state visits, she read widely about the inner structures of countries and the character of its leaders. She refused to express herself without having full command of the facts.

3-SOUND LEADERS ARE SELF-AWARE AND SELF-CONFIDENT

-healthy leaders are comfortable in their own skin. They have a humble awareness of themselves. Behind Merkel’s composure under stress was a healthy humility. She had a good sense of both her identity and purpose, as well as her limitations. Like every wise leader, she was determined not to be pigeonholed into any fixed identity. At ease with being herself, attention and credit were the least of the rewards she sought.

4-SOUND LEADERS RESPECT THE PLACE OF POWER

-it is true that, given time, power corrupts, and yes, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Merkel was driven by “macht, macht, macht” in part because she was a woman amongst strong men. One of her power moves was to let an alpha male keep talking and wait patiently as he self-destructs. Like any discerning leader, she understood that without power, one cannot achieve much. What’s the use of a good idea if one cannot execute it? To her credit, she used power, but did not allow power to use her. As one observed towards the end of her term, “She will not miss the narcotic of power, having never deeply inhaled its fumes.”

5-SOUND LEADERS ARE DRIVEN TO ACHIEVE

-most leaders are driven to accomplish. Merkel got things done. Some of this comes from a desire for approval, something Merkel never had from her father. What sustained her was a ravenous appetite for work. She was indefatigable. Leaders who hope to leave a legacy realize that results matter. For Merkel, outcome was her singular goal. She described her approach this way: “I think things through starting at the end—from the desired outcome, and work towards them.”

6-SOUND LEADERS ARE CAUTIOUS AND CAREFUL

-given her early years living in a system filled with treachery and betrayal, she was careful not to stand out. She succeeded by working sideways—indirectly and without calling attention to herself. Attentive leaders are careful to surround themselves with the right people. They are careful with information, deploying words cautiously. Merkel scrupulously avoided social media, recognizing its power to spread misinformation. Her advice for decision making was this: “Stop for a moment. Keep quiet. Think.” At the same time, a cautious leader must seize the moment and not fear making a bold decision.

7-SOUND LEADERS EXHIBIT WISDOM

-leadership is a gift, but it requires the skill of wisdom to succeed. Merkel recognized that to be successful in her context, she had to be shrewd. The following are examples of her shrewdness, which applies to all leaders—

“Keep your friends close but your rivals closer”

“Never hate your enemies; it affects your judgment”

“Silence, understatement, and dry wit can be a leader’s greatest weapons”

“Wars have unintended consequences and rarely solve crises”

8-SOUND LEADERS ARE COMPASSIONATE

-though a leader must be in firm control and determined to carry out justice, one must also be empathetic. So much of humanity lives in the margins. Merkel had the conviction that the weakest in society must not be wronged. She was determined to change the image of her country, given the tragedy of the Holocaust. Compassion—not cruelty—must mark a nation—as well as a leader. Her immigration policies were controversial, but her moral values compelled her to provide a safe place for displaced peoples.

9-SOUND LEADERS ARE POLITICAL

-nowadays we’re skeptical of the term “political.” Politics and corruption are often used interchangeably. But Merkel understood that whether one leads a nation or a business or a church, leaders must be political. A leader has to weigh one’s options, understanding that one must sometimes compromise, choosing the lesser evil. To be political is to do whatever it takes to find a solution and whatever it takes to reach consensus. This often requires meeting halfway. It’s how things get done. Her conviction was that an imperfect agreement, where both gain and give up something, is better than no agreement.

10-SOUND LEADERS CARRY THEMSELVES WITH A CERTAIN GRAVITAS

-Merkel had a strong inner life, grounded in a childhood faith. Without the Word of God to establish one’s life, leadership will have a thinness. Leaders will lack a certain steadiness on the rocky path. Though it was a quiet faith, her trust in God enabled Merkel to have an authority and a presence. One of her edicts was to be more than to be seen to be. Though style and swagger count for some, Merkel had a quiet command. Leaders who attract followers have presence. Merkel determined to conduct her politics with dignity, and she intended to leave in dignity. As a result, not a breath of scandal marred her sixteen years. A rarity in these days.

My Latest Reads

Finished—

The Chancellor, Kati Marton

Working through—

When Narcissism Comes to Church, DeGroat

A Life of Listening, Ford

Starting again for the fifth time—

The Attentive Life, Ford

On the radar—

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, Comer

I keep coming back to Ross Douthat’s April 29^th article in the NY Times—“An Age of Extinction is Coming”. I’m not sure I know of a more important article for this moment we are in.

Gallimaufry (odds and ends collected over the past week)

Verse of the Week (from my Psalm reading on April 24)—The righteous…”will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; he is my Rock’” (92:14-15)

Here’s to staying fresh and green—though sometimes my frame feels overly ripe.

Thought of the Week “To be fully alive is to pay attention to kairos encounters, those opportune, turning point moments”-Leighton Ford

Hope of the Week That the Chargers made some decent moves.