On Leadership

The business section of The Washington Post ran an interesting “panel” discussion of the evolution of leadership over at Facebook.  Having read all the panelists it seems to me there is some wisdom to apply to our evolution of leadership within our denomination, specifically ministerial leadership, in every manifestation: congregation, region, and general.  Click the title to visit the “On Leadership” main page.

Facebook’s Leadership: Time for an Update?

By Amy Fraher: For example, a good leader needs to not only provide a clear vision but also reevaluate it, considering whether it remains valid or needs modification along the way. To accomplish this, the leader needs to build a team that will provide the direct, honest feedback required; even when news is unpopular. Facebook could follow other startups like Google and Apple, hiring senior industry veterans to round out their workforce. Yet, I am not convinced that strategy would immediately solve Facebook’s problems. The organizational culture must evolve as well.

By Michael Useem: Here’s the leadership wisdom for a creative young founder: If you believe that you can master the next levels of leadership demands and complexity, embrace them, as both Meade and Smith have proven can be done. But if you are ambivalent about your capacity – or taste – for ever rising responsibilities, stay engaged but get out of corner office.

, 06/13/2010. Category: Culture, DOC Thoughts.

Interesting “Plugged-In” Research

The New York Times is running a series of articles on “Your Brain on Computers.”  Here is a paragraph or two of  latest article, “The Risks of Parenting While Plugged-In.”  Click the title to read the entire article.

The Risks of Parenting While Plugged-In
by Julie Scelfo | June 9, 2010

WHILE waiting for an elevator at the Fair Oaks Mall near her home in Virginia recently, Janice Im, who works in early-childhood development, witnessed a troubling incident between a young boy and his mother.

The boy, who Ms. Im estimates was about 2 1/2 years old, made repeated attempts to talk to his mother, but she wouldn’t look up from her BlackBerry. “He’s like: ‘Mama? Mama? Mama?’ ” Ms. Im recalled. “And then he starts tapping her leg. And she goes: ‘Just wait a second. Just wait a second.’ ”

Much of the concern about cellphones and instant messaging and Twitter has been focused on how children who incessantly use the technology are affected by it. But parents’ use of such technology — and its effect on their offspring — is now becoming an equal source of concern to some child-development researchers.

, 06/11/2010. Category: Culture, Youth Ministry.
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