Thoughts on The Four Major Graded Areas and Being a Good Shepherd

The USAF has a four-fold structure for evaluating the effectiveness of its leaders:  Managing Resources; Leading People; Improving the Unit; Executing the Mission.  There are specific qualities which undergird each graded area, each of which has further specifications.  For example, “Adequacy” falls under “Managing Resources” and is evaluated by looking at how manpower, funds, equipment, facilities and guidance are used to accomplish the mission.  Under “Stewardship”, the other quality which defines “Managing Resources”, manpower, funds etc. are also evaluated, this time from the perspective of risk-management and efficiency, and with the added inclusion of time as a resource to be stewarded.  

I’m preparing myself for increased leadership responsibilities, and as such have been reading and digesting this list of “Major Graded Areas.”  I find them simultaneously appropriate and thorough, while also being intimidating and very broad:  who can achieve this level of effective leadership?  But what other goal is there; certainly mediocrity is not something to aspire to.  Mediocrity is something that happens when one is not fully engaged, not striving for excellence.  I almost feel like mediocrity is worse than failure; failure at least implies an active trying and striving, just with a poor outcome or because abilities were overwhelmed by circumstances.  Mediocrity is passivity, allowing circumstances to flow past without even an attempt to lead, without any effort made to wade against them.  God save me from being mediocre, from being luke-warm and worthy of being spat out.  OK, so mediocre leadership is not as bad as the blind and poor faith of the Laodicean church (Rev 3: 14ff), certainly there is somewhat likely less a risk of eternal consequences—but maybe not.  I don’t want to confuse my faith with my profession, but I do believe that my professional life is my calling to service in this world and it is the domain in which I live out my faith.  For better or worse, it is also the place where I spend the majority of my time and energy.  It is also the place where I have the greatest span of impact.  

I started this morning with Psalm 5 as my prayer.  It says, very appropriately (v 1-8):

“Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing.  Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.  In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.  You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell.  The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong.  You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors.  But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.  Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make straight your way before me.”

As I consider my responsibilities to manage people and resources, to improve processes and effectively accomplish the missions I oversee, this Psalm says several things to me:

-         Begin every mission, every task, with a prayer to God—“in the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you.”  Or, in the words of the hymn “with the Lord begin thy task…”

-        I am praying to “my King and my God.”  He is the ultimate leader and savior; not only does He hold all wisdom and power, He is a loving and compassionate God who cares both for me and for the people I lead and serve.  And He hears me!  He chooses to listen to my prayers.

-         God takes no pleasure in evil and the wicked have no place with Him.  My leadership must be one of constant self-evaluation and reflection, of confession and of rejecting evil.  I cannot expect God’s blessing or guidance if I chose evil or act selfishly.  

-         This psalm specifically speaks against arrogance, deceit and “bloodthirsty-ness” which I read as a Machiavellian drive for personal power.  These are pitfalls to be aware of, to confess and pray against.          

     

 -  All that I have is because of God’s mercy.  I am able to come before His presence by His grace.  I come only with humility before Him.

-        My ability to lead comes from God, is powered by His righteousness.  He will show me His ways as He works through me.  It is a constant battle against “my enemies.”  Those enemies may be actually “bad guys” but it could just as easily be those things I am expected to fight in the day-to-day—inefficiency, waste, disrespect, miscommunication, etc.  

(Side note:  I’m reading Bonhoeffers tiny book on the Psalms.  His perspective is that all of the psalms, though written by David and a handful of other authors, are really the prayers of Christ Jesus.  Therefore, when I pray the Psalms, the “enemies” I am praying against are historically David’s enemies but they are also figuratively and transcendently the enemies of the kingdom of Heaven, of Christ Jesus and of His desire to reconcile the world to Himself.  The Lord’s Prayer is the ultimate prayer; all Psalms are reflective of the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, with Psalms against “enemies” relating to the petition “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven….”  Therefore when I pray the Psalms as a leader, I am praying that I be part of God’s kingdom presence here on earth—that is my calling as a leader, part of “subduing the earth” (Genesis 1: 28).  When I pray against enemies, first and foremost those enemies are those who oppose God’s kingdom.)

Managing Resources.  Leading People.  Improving the Unit.  Executing the Mission.  

In the past when I have studied and meditated upon Godly leadership, I’ve spent significant time in Ezekiel 34.  I find that this chapter speaks to the four Major Graded Areas.  In this passage, the prophet Ezekiel rails against the abusive, neglectful, selfish, failed-leadership of the leaders of Israel.  Using the imagery of a shepherd and sheep—so common in scripture—the accusations Ezekiel levies against these failed leaders span the four domains:  they squandered resources, they abused people, they let the nation fall into squalor, and they failed in their trust to keep the children of Israel walking in Godliness, which was their sacred duty.  Verses 4-5 speaks with particular poignancy to me:  “You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured.  You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost.  You have ruled them harshly and brutally.  So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.” Verse 10 says “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:  I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock.  I will remove them from tending the flock….”  

I am not called to be a religious leader, but I am called to lead people who are God’s beloved sheep.  I will be held accountable not just to an inspector for the condition of my unit, but I will be held Divinely accountable regarding how I shepherd His sheep.  Ezekiel 34: 11 through 16 contains these phrases:  “I myself [God the Good Shepherd] will search for my sheep and look after them.  As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep.  I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered….I will tend them in good pasture…they will lie down in good grazing land….I myself will tend my sheep….I will search for the lost and bring back the strays.  I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak….”  The leadership style here is one of deep compassion and personal involvement; it is a “hands-on” leadership style that recognizes that not only are the sheep a resource to be stewarded, they are the heart of the mission.  

I hate anonymous quotes, but one is coming to mind “Take care of the people and the people will take care of the mission.”  At the level of leadership I’m preparing for, I am no longer the expert in the individual aspects of “the mission;” it will be my responsibility to ensure that I lead and guide people, that I hold them accountable and ask the hard questions, make the hard decisions.  I can’t make “the mission” happen, but I can shepherd the sheep.  I can take care of the people who are taking care of the mission.  

There’s a reason that the Major Graded Areas are listed first as Managing Resources and Leading People, then Improving the Unit and Accomplishing the Mission.  Frankly, the people are the resources as well as those who need to be led, so Managing Resources and Leading People are inseparably intertwined—even the individual characteristics which define Managing Resources start with manpower and end with peoples’ time.  To use terms from other management texts, Managing Resources and Leading People, along with Improving the Unit, are the “lead measures” while Accomplishing the Mission becomes a “lag measure”—the desired outcome that follows.  Accomplishing the Mission doesn’t just happen; it is predicated by everything else.  Managing Resources and Leading People will look very much like the expectations for good shepherds outlined in Ezekiel 34.  And while I am accountable to my chain of command, to those who will evaluate my leadership and the outcomes I achieve, I am ultimately accountable to the Good Shepherd who has given much and will therefore expect much from me (Matthew 25: 14-30).  

(Second side note: I’m reading the book Attitudes Aren’tFree, published by Air University.  It presents essays from various authors discussing various perspectives on contentious issues.  In the chapter on religious freedom, it discusses the balance between the free expression of religion versus the possible influence toward establishment of a pseudo-official religion by undue command influence.  The authors make excellent and well-articulated points.  As a Christian, a person of faith seeking to live out my faith and to serve others in all aspects of my life, I find the discussion to be timely and important.  Even as I type this, I’m sensitive to the fact that everything I do as a person with rank and authority carries weight.  I share the author’s horror of an established state religion.  Frankly, I’m not a huge fan of the strident (militant, even) approach taken by so-called evangelical Christians as they live out the Great Commission.  I would not want that "style" of Christianity imposed upon me (indeed, I've had brushes with styles of Christianity within the military that were both unpleasant and felt intolerant of me and my different style of Christian faith).  I recognize the authority of that Great Commission in my life, but I also recognize that that Commission can be lived out in more subtle ways.  I believe that my vocation is my mission field, but it is not a place for strong-armed discussions of faith.  It is a place where I quietly but consistently live as a Christian—with integrity, compassion, kindness and justice.  My witness does not need to be a forcible testimony of faith at every turn; my witness is to be the kind of under-shepherd that makes people want to know the Good Shepherd.  I pray that God will give me the grace to live as a consistent witness to Him and to the saving power of Jesus Christ, that I would never shy away from giving a defense of the faith that is in me.  But that I simultaneously would respect the autonomy of others and trust in the power of God’s Spirit, such that I know faith is ultimately His work and never mine).

The end of Psalm 5 says this:  “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.  Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.  For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”  I know that my righteousness and all good things come from God.  I am declared righteous through Jesus Christ, and by His power am able to be a good and Godly under-shepherd of His sheep.  I am able to come before God in Jesus name, asking for guidance and for protection “as with a shield”, as I seek to be a good and Godly leader.

1)      Consider the four Major Graded Areas:  Managing Resources, Leading People, Improving the Unit, Accomplishing the Mission.  How do these areas of emphasis look in your sphere of influence?  Do you agree that these are a reasonable way of establishing expectations for leaders, reasonable standards to define successful leadership? 

2)      Read Ezekiel 34 and compare the accusations made against the wicked leaders of Israel with the declarations of compassion and care made by God.  Examine your activities in your vocation and calling.  Where have you failed to shepherd God’s sheep?  Examine your heart and your actions; prayerfully repent, and ask for forgiveness and guidance for the future.

3)      Jesus Christ is The Good Shepherd, the One foretold in Ezekiel 34.  His death and resurrection demonstrate His love and His power.  As His child, you have forgiveness of sins as well as the promise of eternity.  You also have access to God the Father, Who promises to hear you for Jesus’ sake.  Your circumstances in life are to give God glory and to serve His people.  Pray for wisdom, courage, integrity and strength for the individual situations you struggle with, your challenges and obstacles.  As the psalmist says, “in the morning, I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation”; you are heard for Jesus’ sake.