Middle management
I admit it.
I willingly became a middle manager.
Heck, I even earned a Masters Degree (in Information Technology & Management, UNC-Greensboro, 2001) so that I could make it happen.
I made the Dilbertian bargain of foregoing specific technical expertise in order to become a generalist.
I had no idea, however, that it would largely be an exercise in psychology and personality management.
It’s really been quite the surprising thing to note, as I look back over the past 6 years, just how much time & effort I put into juggling the personalities of my staff, as well as that of my boss. The line staff tend to be (rightfully) very task focused/oriented. They’re focused on the micro picture, and often view problem solving through the prism of individual task/project requirements. My boss is (also rightfully) by comparison much more focused on things macro. The proverbial big, strategic, picture. And I’m the middle-management meat in between these two slices of bread.
Now, it’s not a bad thing, not really. But it is a bit frustrating at times, particularly when the two sides present goals, ideas, opinions, & preferences that are, at best, not aware of the other side’s and, at worst, in direct opposition to the other. IOW, a lot of the juggling comes in when those above me are focused on the macro movement of big, project-sized, pieces of what we do & where we want to go. They don’t want to be bothered with how it gets done. Until they do, that is… The staff below me almost inevitably views things in the micro sense, limited to the immediate tasks & how to complete them. Being told to do something in a certain way, especially when that clashes with their sense of “right” or “efficient”, well that takes a certain type of coaxing. What really makes it challenging is when those above are “Boomers” and those below are “Millennials” — commenting on refereeing between those two generations could fill a whole series of postings!
I’m not complaining, mind you. Not really. It is interesting to note that this type of “touchy-feely” stuff goes very much against my personality type. It’s always draining, often frustrating, but oddly satisfying. I ask God every day for the strength to be properly empathetic, sympathetic, and wise as I go about my daily tasks.
In any event, those of you who are middle managers, I think you’ll nod your heads in agreement. Those who aren’t, but are interested in it, be forewarned. Those who don’t care either way, well, I’m surprised you’re still reading this. ;^)
Interestingly enough, the biggest challenge coming up isn’t, I think, dealing with the aging Boomers - heck, I’ve been having to deal with them my entire life. I even sort of “get” them & where they’re coming from. No, it’s dealing with the kids who were born in the 80’s - the Millennials. I just don’t get them & what is going on inside their heads. I have theories as to why they are like they are (surprise! it traces back to the Boomers…), but expounding on them is fodder for future postings.
That’s enough for now.
-ghp
In my head
I felt good walking out of work this evening.
Sad thing is, I caught myself doing it.
That’s probably not a good thing, is it? Not trusting that the good thing/feeling will continue if you acknowledge that it actually happened, that is…
Inside my head can be a, shall we say, odd and often unpleasant place to be. I’m sure that’s probably true for most everyone, but I know it’s the case for me. I know that I ought not doubt the good things, but that pesky sense of impending doom is awfully hard to shake, knamean?
God has blessed me, most certainly beyond anything I even remotely deserve. I ought to thankfully rest in those grace-full blessing. Sin, however, rears its ugly head, only to drag me away from that rest. Well, it’s probably more accurate to say that sin causes me to willingly run away from that rest, isn’t it? Machts nichts…
I’m feeling the need to just ramble, even as there’s a part of me (sitting inside my head, actually - the part that contributes my inner running monologue…) that’s saying it’s a bad idea — e.g., it’s self-indulgent, lame, boring, & readership-destroying. I just need to get some of these thoughts out, though, and since I’ve paid for hosting & taken the trouble to learn how to install, configure, & run things, I might as well do whatever the heck I please. Besides, I know there aren’t all that many folks to alienate out there (although I certainly do thank you hardy 30 or so subscribers of my RSS feed, and the average of 10 or so folks who browse directly by each day!). If you’ve been reading long enough, then you probably know enough of my quirks to possibly even be (morbidly) fascinated or (strangely) interested in what I might be thinking on a given day. Goodness knows I have opinions. And I certainly consume enough information each day, so that I should be able to crank stuff out. So that’s what I’ll try to do…
As I was saying, today was a pleasant walk out to the car. I like winter. I like the cold, crisp weather. After 12 years in North Carolina, cold, crisp winter air was something that almost made me giddy during my first winter back in the Midwest 6 years ago. That holds true through to today. The bite in the air. The sound carrying across the snow. The way the cold temps make my jacket crinkle. So often it’s those little things about God’s creation that make the biggest, most satisfying impressions.
And for that, I’m thankful.
-ghp
3 weddings in 6 months
The focal point of this past weekend was not, like most of country, Thanksgiving - that was just the appetizer, as it were. Rather, the main focus for the Territorial Brood was the third wedding we’ve attended in the past 6 months.
All three have been “family”-related: the first, my wife’s blood relations, the second, my blood relations, and the third was my wife’s life-long best friend - the type of friend that might just as well be family, for the friendship bond is as tight (or tighter) than one shared by siblings.
The three weddings offered a contrasting look at three different points along the contemporary wedding “event” continuum. Not only that, but they also presented some interesting data points with regard to theology. Note: Much has been written elsewhere about the whole “white wedding” industry, so I won’t get in to all that much detail here; suffice it to say that the trend over the past 50-75 years has been to change the focus from celebrating the start of a life together (i.e., the marriage) to that of the spectacle & shindig (i.e., the wedding).
In the middle, both “event” wise as well as theologically, was the first wedding. My wife comes from a Roman Catholic background, thus it was no surprise that there was a full-on Roman Mass. As I wrote more in-depth on it earlier, I’ll not go into detail here; suffice it to say that while I certainly didn’t like or approve of much of the theology underpinning the Roman Mass, I found it refreshing that they took it seriously as a worship service and not just as a ceremony/event. As for the reception, the focus was on the party as a celebration in & of itself, rather than as a celebration of the marriage. Things weren’t way out of whack, mind you, but enough for it to be reasonably obvious to me. Way too loud and a little too big to keep the emphasis on the marriage over & above the wedding. For reference, the bride & groom were 25-26 years old.
At one extreme, then, was the second wedding, this time on my side. The wedding ceremony was held in a Lutheran church, but the service was more of a “performance” in that it didn’t follow a set liturgy, nor did it have a traditional feel to it. There was much contemporary music involved, and the order of service seemed like it had been left to be molded by the aesthetic requirements of the bridal party more than by any theological requirements. The reception was very much one of a party “event” rather than a celebration of the marriage. It was, I must admit, very much in line with the vibe of two recently graduated, early-twentysomethings getting married. Way, WAY loud music. Lots of drinking. A definite frat/sorority party vibe.
Let me say at this point that I’m not (really!) meaning to blithely pass judgment on the choices made by the folks involved; rather, I’m trying to make some observations about some of the larger theological & societal issues at play in & around the context of weddings…
Finally, at the other extreme was the wedding we just went to. Theologically, it was a very traditional Lutheran service. The Rev. Tim Halboth (of Grace Lutheran, Redford, MI, where they have carved busts of Martin Luther and C.F.W. Walther in the sanctuary!) conducted a very nice service. While it wasn’t liturgical in the sense of being an order of service right out of a hymnal, it very much was a Divine Service that was centered on Christ and Him crucified. It was conducted reverently yet joyously. The reception was the most sedate of the three, possibly because it was the smallest, but also reflecting the fact that the bride & groom were in their mid-thirties. It wasn’t horrifically loud, but the music encouraged much dancing, and the celebration was nicely lubricated thanks to the open bar, but there didn’t seem to be the vibe of drinking as an end in & of itself. The tone seemed to be forward looking, celebrating the marriage & future life together of the happy couple.
Heck, I even did something that I haven’t done since my own wedding reception nearly 18 years ago - dance with my wife. I might be biased, but I got to dance with the most beautiful woman in the room! Not only that, but she stole the show with her matron-of-honor toast, totally blowing away the efforts of the best man!! ;^)
About the only bad thing about it was the fact that the groom’s family has this unfortunate attachment to tOSU, which resulted in the playing of the Ohio State fight song. Luckily, it was immediately followed up by The Victors. Normally I’m a Michigan fan, though not of the die-hard type (not since I was a kid, anyway). Being around all those misguided Buckeye fans though, turned my blood maize & blue, and I was compelled to lead the charge in our lusty rendition of the greatest college fight song known to mankind.
It was a nice weekend, one for which I give much thanks, as many good times were had, and much God-given happiness was witnessed and experienced.
-ghp
Willow Creek repents?
Per this blog & this article at Christianity Today, Bill Hybels over at Willow Creek states “We made a mistake.”
Wow.
I’ve long thought the theology of pop-American Evangelicalism (as defined by the “seeker sensitive” mantra of Church-Growthers like Bill Hybels’ Willow Creek & Rick Warren’s Saddleback churches) to be deficient, dangerous, and outright wrong. Thus, it’s interesting to read the article at CT & some of the comments at the other blog linked to above, wherein Hybels forthrightly admits that they’ve made some mistakes wrt their programmatic emphases. To wit:
“Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much. Other things that we didn’t put that much money into and didn’t put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for.”
“We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.”
Read that second paragraph again. Legalistic/Law-driven “participation” & emphasis on programs didn’t work. Catechesis, teaching, & training in the Word is what should’ve been done.
Amen.
Church ought not to be primarily a social club. It’s where we get fed through Word & Sacrament. That’s how we get equipped to exercise our various God-given vocations, through which God ensures that His children are cared for. Socialization is important, for we most certainly do need to support & “build each other up” (1 Thess 5:11) in the body of Christ. It’s just that it is not the end in and of itself, and neither will it suffice as the sole/primary means for helping folks grow in their walk with God.
That some are being led to this realization is, as the saying goes, a good thing.
-ghp
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