There’s this great leadership book that we studied as part of my UCC Young(er) Clergy Leadership Group NGLI (Next Generation Leadership Initiative) called Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linksy.  Heifetz and Linksy are on the faculty of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  Leadership on the Line has become one of those classic leadership books that people turn to across disciplines. 

This week, I was thinking about some of the lessons from Leadership on the Line as it was Election Day on Tuesday.  This was a big day in Colchester and across the country.  And a quote from Heifetz and Linsky came to mind: “Able politicians know well, from hard experience, that in everyday personal and professional life, the nature and quality of the connections human beings have with each other is more important than almost any other factor in determining results.”* 

I think we could substitute “politician” in this sentence and insert “clergy” or “teacher” or “manager” etc. 
The idea is that the nature and quality of the connections we have with one another is essential for good results.
Or more simply, healthy relationships (personally and professionally) are key to people coming together to work for a better tomorrow. 
This applies to politicians, parents, romantic partners, friends, siblings, colleagues, and on and on. 
I always hope that our church is one of those places of healthy connection for our community here in Colchester. 
And I rejoice in all the connections we share as part of this community of faith. 

Love,
Pastor Lauren 

*Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linksy, Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading, pg. 75. 

Photo by Harli Marten on Unsplash.

Thursday Thoughts 11/9/23