The Catalyst Leader: Eight Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker-Authentic

          Last week I began exploring the central thoughts of a book entitled The Catalyst Leader by Brad Lomenick.  Through this work he outlines eight essentials for becoming a change maker (or great leader).  Brad is the president and key visionary of Catalyst-a movement purposed to equip and inspire young Christian leaders through events, resources, consulting, and community.  If you would like to learn more about this amazing organization you can visit their website at http://catalystconference.com/.  Needless to say after working with countless young leaders and listening to the voices of several amazing leaders Brad has developed an understanding of some key qualities in the arena of leadership.

            The first principle that Brad discusses in his book in the need to know your calling in life in order to be a great leader.  If you missed my thoughts you can read them here http://refuge-faithumc.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-catalyst-leader-eight-essentials.html or purchase a copy of the book for yourself. 

This week I will be looking at the second piece that he outlines which is authenticity.  After working in youth ministry for the past almost decade I have come to discover that students are genuinely looking for someone who is authentic rather than perfect.  Authenticity is most easily defined as striving to be genuine or real, which is something that not only teenagers but many people are looking for in others.  When I first began in youth ministry I felt the pressure to be the best possible youth pastor as I strived to reach students for Christ.  However, this only left me feeling exhausted and defeated as I could never measure up to perfection.  (The truth is there are many times that I struggled to even get going, let alone get it all right and have everything together.)  I struggled with this battle for the first few years of ministry until an associate pastor that I was blessed to serve with began to mentor me.  She told me that I didn’t have to have everything together or have all the answers but simply be myself and be willing to look for the answers to the challenging questions of life.  She walked beside our family through the loss of our daughter, the battle of almost losing our son in the NICU, not to mention the professional struggles that come with ministering to teenagers.  Through it all she demonstrated the need to be real with my struggles, deal with my doubts about my faith, and wrestle through the challenging issues that life throws our way.  I can honestly say that because of her influence I now understand and feel more comfortable being authentic than perfect.  Christine Caine, the co-founder of the A21 Campaign states, “There’s beauty in imperfection.  When something becomes too polished, it loses its soul.  Authenticity trumps professionalism!”  This associate pastor truly embodied these words as her desire to be authentic with others never seemed overly polished but that is exactly what drew people to her.

            This theme is a rather challenging one for people to embrace in the realm of leadership because it means that we have to become comfortable with not having all of the answers, but more importantly because we have to become comfortable with who God created us to be.  Author Daniel Pink says, “Perhaps the ultimate freedom is the freedom to be one’s self.”  For me I readily embrace this freedom because I truly feel the most loved by God when I am being the person that He created me to be. 

Please understand that by no means am I saying that have authenticity completely figured out but rather that I am on the journey just like everyone reading this blog.  So as you think about the issue of authenticity where would you rate yourself on an authenticity scale?  To start exploring this process work through these seven themes that will help you discover how to be more authentic.              

·       Practice self-awareness- Too many people refuse to accept and even name their weaknesses, struggles, and pitfalls.  As a result, they accept a version of themselves they believe others will like better.  Understand who you really are.

·       Question yourself-Ask yourself these challenging questions:  “Whose attention do you crave?  Are you chasing the approval of friends, colleagues, and customers?  What is it you don’t like about yourself, and how can that shortcoming also be a strength?  Self-diagnosis can lead to self-discovery, which is the only path to authenticity. 

·       Move from self-promotion to storytelling-If you want to be a change maker, begin to see public outlets as places for sharing your personal story.

·       Resist the urge to create a digital alter ego-Seek to embrace the mindset of Claire Diaz Ortiz (the social innovation director for Twitter) who comments “Social media is not just about being connected.  It’s about being transparent, intimate, and honest.”

·       Learn to laugh at yourself-When you are able to accept and even chuckle at your blunders and mess-ups, others will too.  And this common experience will help you bond with them.

·       Build a support network-Keep honest people in your life that can help you stay grounded and keep from thinking you’ve arrived.

·       Be interested over interesting-Be more concerned with listening instead of talking.  Focus on others, not yourself.

After you have worked through themes think about the words of author and pastor Judah Smith who states, “Be strong in grace.  Your grace, your gift, your ability, who God’s called you to be, just be yourself … Don’t be anybody else, don’t compare yourself, just be you.  If “you” is not everybody’s cup of tea, then don’t worry about it.”