“It’s not just about the things that you teach, and it’s not just about the things you encourage people to have a go at. It’s about the whole context, the whole way we speak to them and encourage them and that we’re alongside them”.
Thus speaks one of my interviewees, on what an entrepreneurial culture looks like. So how do we create that? How do we cultivate systems and processes within the church that create a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, that will help us to find new ways of sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ in our neighbourhoods and networks.
My early findings haven’t come up with anything ground-breaking (yet!). Much of what I write below can be found in the wider academic leadership development literature[1]. But while I could have been disappointed, I was in fact encouraged(-ish). Because that means that the solutions are not rocket science or out of reach. It’s just about doing the kinds of things we should have been doing in the first place (there’s a ‘however’ at the end, though).
Giving permission is very powerful. Comments included “there’s something about permission. We’re saying ‘yes’, we’re saying ‘can do’, we’re saying ‘your ideas are not crazy’” and “sometimes that’s all people need. They just need affirmation, and somehow that comes across as permission”. One spoke of “an invitation and permission to do something different”.
To get the ball rolling, we should look for those who are ready to have a go at something. One commented, “we’ve recruited people who are ready to have a go at something, but they haven’t quite got the confidence or skills or experience to be able to launch into what they’re doing”. Another said that they were perceived by others as being the kind of person who got on with things rather than just talking about it or wishing for it (the personal agency that was discussed earlier). They believe that “if you want to do something, just get on and do it, or make it happen”.
There is a need to inculcate tenacity amongst these would-be entrepreneurial leaders. They have deal with “delays”, with “ups and downs” and “difficulties”, so “they have to be really committed to learning how to do this ‘new thing’. We want them to try things and not be discouraged when they don’t all work”. Put simply, they need to “be resilient”.
Practice-based reflection is essential. One advocate of this said that they were not committed to this as a principle, but as a pragmatic decision – “this is definitely the right way to do things. I suppose that I have just sort-of seen it work”. Another said “try something out, learn a lot from it, spend a bit of time reflecting, question everything to the hilt, reimagine, try something out, you know?”.
The role of mentors is also important. One stated “if you’re going to be an entrepreneur, if you’re going to be a pioneer, you need mentors”. Others spoke of “advisors who were much more experienced in different areas” and that in “every aspect of things I’m dealing with, somebody’s emerging in those areas who I can talk to, who is supportive, who I feel confident to speak about anything in relation to what their skill is”. One said “we become mentors and we become coaches, people who can help to guide and shape … the role we play needs to change, to be honed around the role of mentor, coach and wise friend”.
Learning with your peers is equally important. One said “there’s something about having a network of support, a group of people”; another added that their learning was enhanced through a group of people different similar things to them, and a further one spoke of the importance of “being able to connect and share the same experience”. Yet another spoke of finding peers who “energise you, feed you, challenge your vision, keep you centred”.
As I noted above, this stuff isn’t earth-shatteringly new. It’s bog-standard leadership development stuff. So here’s the ‘however’. If it’s that easy, then why are we not doing it more of it already? What are the structural, cultural, theological and personal hindrances to the emergence of this kind of leadership in the church in Scotland? Why do we see so much more of it going on in England than in Scotland, and what do we do about it? That’s where my research is currently heading.
So, it is reassuring that those who are breaking new ground in Scotland have learned or pulled together most of these things for themselves. But wouldn’t it be great if we had a church culture that made this the new normal, that cultivated a field of a thousand flowers, and didn’t hack the tall poppies down?
[1] Most of which is based on the seminal article by DV Day (2001), “Leadership Development: A Review In Context”, in Leadership Quarterly Vol 11 No 4, pp581-613
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