116 Ducere Est Servire: THE LEADERSHIP JOURNAL OF DALLAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY Part three builds on the competencies in chapter two, discussing those that allow ministers to lead people “off the map.” Bolsinger encourages leaders to manage “systems” rather than “symptoms,” by which he means functioning in a proactive (rather than reactive) manner. This chapter covers the basics of adaptive leadership as it relates to the church. While he holds that the central tenets of local churches should never be compromised, Bolsinger encourages leaders to approach change with the hearts of learners and to be willing to face loss and setbacks in the process of moving the congregation forward. Adaptive church leadership means functioning amid uncertainty and without the benefit of concrete answers. If leaders patiently engage a process of observation, interpretation, and intervention, they will, he contends, move their church forward. Interventions should be gradual and opposition should be expected. Throughout, the mission of the church should inform and empower necessary changes. Part four describes six groups of people that church leaders may generally encounter. “Allies” align with the mission. “Confidants” give honest feedback from outside the organization. “Opponents” (not necessarily enemies) counter the mission’s perspective. “Senior authorities” hold the influence necessary to make the necessary changes. “Casualties” represent those for whom the leader is responsible, but who the church stands to lose. Finally, “Dissenters” ask the difficult questions, but leaders need not respond defensively, because these queries address the mission and not the leader. Part five concludes the book by describing the transformative qualities of adaptive leadership. As evidenced once more by Lewis and Clark, Bolsinger notes that leaders grow and develop in times of change. These men modeled shared leadership, delegation, empowerment of emerging leaders (for example, Sacajawea, a soldier, an enslaved person, etc.), and challenging existing conventions. As the adaptive leadership process proves transformative for the leader, the followers and organization similarly embrace change and experience transformation, he argues. Canoeing the Mountains offers a wealth of adaptive leadership principles, drawing heavily on the work of Ronald Heifetz and other leadership scholars. The book’s most substantial contributions address the concepts of “loss” and “systems” which can challenge ministry adaptation. He writes, “Disappoint people too much, and they give up on you, stop following you and may even turn on you. Don’t disappoint them enough, and you’ll never lead them anywhere” (123–124). He adds, “People do not resist change, per se. People resist loss” (138). Managing “loss” helps leaders accept the inevitable consequences of change. Bolsinger effectively coaches the reader through common change barriers, such as loss of affirmation (137) and angering followers (139). Bolsinger also suggests that while prophets, critics, and supporters can function outside of “systems,” leaders function within them BOOK REVIEWS
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