Mysticism and Leadership

So you are a Christian Mystic (like me) and have been placed in a position of leadership. Now what?

This is much easier than it seems. Leadership means you focus on the mission and results, not the fine details of the operation. Yes, there are regulations, and you’ll have to thread your way through the bureaucratic maze of idiocy. Every rule arises from some idiot pushing the envelope for his personal gain, and some idiot bureaucrat pushes back with a new regulation to eliminate that option. But it always goes too far and blocks good options, too. That’s the whole point — stop trying to micromanage. It’s a whole lot easier if you permit creativity in those you lead.

Mystics don’t even want control. We know we cannot trust ourselves to know what works best in every situation, even if we have 50 academic degrees and a century of experience. When you get that far, you should already know full well how to keep your nose out of your subordinates’ business. And it’s their business to execute commands under you guidance, not under your micromanaging hands. The ultimate wisdom knows your real mission is the people, and your assigned mission is the next stupid idea some bureaucratic manager above you dreamed up. The first thing we do is build a barrier to protect our family, which in this case is the folks you supervise. This puts God in control.

The people you lead are not mere extensions, as if they were hands and feet which must carry out the finite decisions of your mind. The people you lead are people. Don’t form a detailed vision, but do include them in your planning sessions. You aren’t better, just the one who is required to have the final say, which you will avoid exercising as much as possible. Respect your people.

It’s that simple. If you can’t work it out from there, you aren’t quite mystical yet, and you aren’t ready to lead.