HARVEST THE POWER
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Adults
WORKSHOP 3: POWER AND AUTHORITY
BY GAIL TITTLE, MATT TITTLE, GAIL FORSYTH-VAIL
© Copyright 2009 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 9/29/2014 9:11:40 PM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm. — from An Enemy of the People, by Henrik Ibsen, 19th-century Norwegian playwright
This workshop distinguishes between power and authority, and between leadership and management. The group explores the implicit and explicit expectations of a congregational leader.
Parts of this workshop invite playfulness to ease participants' anxiety about the responsibilities of leadership. Other activities offer space for deep individual and group reflection on what it means to be a leader.
GOALS
This workshop will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
WORKSHOP-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Welcoming and Entering | |
Opening | 2 |
Activity 1: Story — King of the Birds | 10 |
Activity 2: The Ideal Congregational Leader, Parts One and Two | 65 |
Break | 10 |
Activity 3: What Leadership Is and Isn't | 20 |
Activity 4: My Congregational Leadership Profile | 10 |
Faith in Action: Authority in Our Congregation | |
Closing | 3 |
Alternate Activity 1: UU University DVD — What Leadership Is and Isn't | 40 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
Reflect on the definitions of power and authority in Handout 1. Think of a time you have you experienced power—your own, or another's—as the "ability to achieve purpose" in your congregation. How might you mobilize your own power to successfully lead this workshop? What authority, both formal and informal, are you granted by workshop participants? By the congregation? By the minister or other professional staff? What is implicitly and explicitly expected of you in exchange for the authority to lead the workshop?
WORKSHOP PLAN
WELCOMING AND ENTERING
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite participants to put on name tags or make one, as needed.
OPENING (2 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the group in a circle. Ask a participant to light the chalice as you or another participant read the opening words.
Share Reading 560, "People say, what is the sense of our small effort," from Singing the Living Tradition.
ACTIVITY 1: STORY — KING OF THE BIRDS (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Read or tell the story. Invite participants to respond to the exercise of power by different contestants vying to be named "king." Ask:
ACTIVITY 2: THE IDEAL CONGREGATIONAL LEADER (65 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This is a two-part activity. Part One (45 minutes) identifies the complex, varied set of skills, attributes, supports and circumstances that enable effective leadership. Part Two (20 minutes), introduces definitions of power and authority and applies them to the leadership components identified in Part One. The activity also helps participants express and relieve, through laughter, the anxiety they may feel about the responsibilities of a leadership role.
Part One
Tell participants the group will hold an audition for the post of "Ideal Lay Congregational Leader." Participants will work in teams to imagine an ideal candidate and present that person to the group.
Ask participants to form groups of three or four. Give each group a sheet of newsprint and some markers. Invite them to draw the Ideal Lay Congregational Leader and their surroundings, support mechanisms and other essential leadership tools. Indicate that imagination and whimsy are welcome; for example, if the Ideal Lay Congregational Leader must be able to fix anything that breaks, groups may depict the leader with a hammer and nails or a needle and thread.
Give groups 15 minutes to complete the drawings. Then, invite each group to present their drawing as you list on newsprint the attributes, tools, supports and surroundings they identify. Put a check next to items that are repeated. Allow about 30 minutes for small group presentations.
Part Two
Re-gather the large group and distribute Handout 1. Ask for volunteers to read aloud each definition. Invite comments or questions about the definitions.
Now ask the group to consider the newsprint list of attributes, tools, supports and context for the Ideal Lay Congregational Leader. Point out that while every item listed may help create an ideal leader, the items fall into different categories. Lead the group to use the definitions in Handout 1 to categorize each item as an example of power, formal authority, informal authority or skills. Assign a different color dot to each of the four categories and place the appropriate dot next to each item on your newsprint list. Where there is disagreement about category, or where an item seems to belong in more than one category, use more than one colored dot.
Lead participants to reflect on the difference between power and authority. Emphasize that power involves the ability to act and achieve a purpose, where authority is part of an exchange between or among persons or groups of persons. Invite the group to add any additional attributes, tools, supports and context they think are missing from the list.
ACTIVITY 3: WHAT LEADERSHIP IS AND ISN'T (20 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Using Leader Resource 1 and your gleanings from the presentation, explain the difference between leadership and management.
Then, distribute Handout 2. Invite participants to turn to a partner and read the scenario. Wait for all pairs to finish. Then, say:
Given the information we have about First UU Anytown, we will create a list of questions that will guide this congregation toward ways to address its problems and move toward its goal. The questions should not seek more information to complete the scenario. Rather, let's come up with questions which ask, "Are we doing things right?" (management) and "Are we doing right things?" (leadership). For example, a management question might be, "How can we better furnish our building?" A leadership question might be, "Is our building adequate for our mission?" Let's compose some management questions and some leadership questions.
Take ten minutes to compile questions. Write each question on newsprint and lead the group to assign it a "L" or "M" for leadership or management.
ACTIVITY 4: MY CONGREGATIONAL LEADERSHIP PROFILE (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Distribute Handout 3. Invite participants to reflect silently on their own leadership profiles. Provide pens or pencils for participants to answer in writing. Explain that they will be asked to share only their responses to the final question. Allow at least five minutes for individual reflection before sharing. Encourage participants to continue their reflections after this workshop.
CLOSING (3 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Thank the group for their contributions. Distribute the Taking It Home handout or tell participants when you will email it to them. Lead the group in singing "This Little Light of Mine," Hymn 118 in Singing the Living Tradition.
FAITH IN ACTION: AUTHORITY IN OUR CONGREGATION
Description of Activity
Investigate the ways your congregation authorizes its leaders (board members, committee chairs and members, religious education teachers, youth advisors and so on). Does a formal ceremony or ritual make the congregation's expectations of leaders explicit and initiate the empowerment of leaders? Consider working with the minister and/or a small task force to create rituals to make transparent the relational nature of authority in your congregation.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
TAKING IT HOME
A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm. — from An Enemy of the People, by Henrik Ibsen, 19th-century Norwegian playwright
Reflect with your family or friends about the definitions of power and authority. Where in your life do you have authority, either formal or informal? Where are the places you use your power to achieve a desired outcome? Where are the places you might more effectively use the power and authority you have?
Find Out More
Resources for exploring leadership in the congregational context include the Congregational Handbook (at www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/congregationalhandbook/index.shtml) (Unitarian Universalist Association, 2005), a summary of Gil Rendle's keynote (at www.uua.org/events/generalassembly/uuuniversity/2007/uuu2007/30767.shtml) at the 2007 General Assembly and these books:
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: UU UNIVERSITY DVD — WHAT LEADERSHIP IS AND ISN'T (40 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity guides participants to distinguish between leadership and management.
Show the "What Leadership Is" chapter of the DVD in its entirety (19 minutes). Then, distribute Handout 2. Invite participants to turn to a partner and read the scenario. Wait for all pairs to finish. Then, say:
Given the information we have about First UU Anytown, we will create a list of questions that will guide this congregation to address its problems and move toward its goal. The questions should not seek more information to complete the scenario. Rather, let's come up with questions which ask, "Are we doing things right?" (management) and "Are we doing right things?" (leadership). For example, a management question might be, "How can we better furnish our building?" A leadership question might be, "Is our building adequate for our mission?" Let's compose some management questions and some leadership questions.
Take ten minutes to compile questions. Write each question on newsprint and lead the group to assign it a "L" or "M" for leadership or management.
HARVEST THE POWER: WORKSHOP 3:
STORY: KING OF THE BIRDS
From Stories in Faith: Exploring Our Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources through Wisdom Tales, by Gail Forsyth-Vail ( Boston : Unitarian Universalist Association, 2007).
Tales like this are part of the folklore of many different cultures. There are references to its appearance in a Jewish collection from the 13th century; there are variants in Irish, Scottish, Manx, English, Dutch, Danish and Norwegian folk cultures. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published a version in German Household Tales in 1812. Similar stories appear in both Chippewa and Ojibway folklore in North America and in a tale from India . Often, "King of the Birds" tales serve as explanations for why a particular kind of small bird darts about noisily. Each version of the tale has its own natural setting with the trees, terrain and kinds of birds drawn from the familiar surroundings of the storyteller. A surprising and wonderful version of the tale was collected and translated by Loreen McDonald, a first-grade teacher at the John Wesley School in Eshowe, Zululand, Natal, South Africa . The tale here draws from this Zulu version, which portrays the birds deciding together who will be their leader, with an unexpected result.
Once upon a time, when the world was new, the Great Eagle called a meeting of all the birds. On a bright beautiful morning, they all assembled: the flamingo, the weaver, the steppe buzzard, the warbler, the owl, and all the other birds of the wild.
There was chirping, hooting, and all manner of singing as the assembled birds greeted one another. Eagle called for silence. When all had quieted down, he said, "We know that Lion is king of all who dwell on the land. But a land dweller like Lion should not rule the birds of the air. We must choose our own leader!" There was great cawing and chirping and chattering of agreement. When all was quiet again, Eagle spoke once more: "The King of Birds should behave like a king. I am the bird with royal bearing. I am the best choice for king!"
The birds murmured and mumbled.
Another voice spoke: "Yes, you are indeed majestic. But I think I, Owl, should be king. I have the largest eyes of any of you and can see everything that happens. I am known for my wisdom and will know best how to act when the king must choose wisely."
The birds began to chatter and argue back and forth. Should their leader have wisdom like Owl or majesty like Eagle? Or perhaps strength like that of the steppe buzzard was the most important thing. The birds had chosen sides and were preparing to vote on who should be their king when another voice emerged from the chatter. It was the voice of the tiny warbler: "I'd like to be king. I think you should elect me!"
The assembled birds began to laugh. What a silly idea! Electing this small warbler king was unthinkable! How dare this ridiculous little bird even suggest such a thing! "Whatever makes you think we should consider choosing a bird like you for our leader? What have you got to offer? You are not the wisest, or the strongest, or the most majestic of the birds," said Eagle.
"Well," said Warbler, "I think I'm as able to be a good king as any of you others who have declared yourselves. I want the opportunity to try!"
The birds laughed. "He certainly has courage," one said.
"Let's have a contest!" declared Eagle, and every bird agreed. "We will meet right after the next full moon. We'll wait until the sun is going down, and when it touches the very top of the mountain, the contest will begin. We'll all fly as high as we can go, maybe even high enough to touch the place where the sky begins. Whoever flies highest will be our new king."
When the contest day arrived, all the birds met once more. Warbler was among the birds who gathered. He had figured out a special plan to prove that he had as much right to be king as any other bird. Just before the beginning of the contest, Warbler crept under Eagle's wing. He pushed his way so deep into Eagle's feathers that as Eagle flew upward, determined to win the contest, he did not feel Warbler buried deep in his feathers.
The birds flew higher and higher. The ones with small wings were soon out of the competition, unable to soar with the larger birds. In time, there were only three birds remaining: Eagle, Owl, and Buzzard. They were exhausted, but they pushed on, flying ever higher. When Owl could no longer continue, he dove back toward earth, resigned. Up and up, higher and higher flew Eagle and Buzzard, until at long last even Buzzard gave up, too exhausted to continue. When Eagle saw that Buzzard was not able to continue, he flew just a little higher and proudly declared himself the contest winner — and the new King of the Birds!
"Not so fast," chirped Warbler, who emerged from Eagle's feathers. "You have not won yet!" And Warbler rose above Eagle, who could not muster the strength to continue flying.
The birds did not declare Warbler their king. They were angered by his trickery and ready to pounce upon him when he came back down. Warbler was frightened by their anger and flew into a deserted snake hole, where he hid from all the others. Owl was appointed to watch the entrance to the hole night and day, lest the little bird escape without facing the consequences of his trickery.
After a while, Owl grew tired. He decided to close one eye and watch with the other. It wasn't long after that when his second eye closed as well and Owl fell asleep. Warbler, who had been waiting for this moment, flew out of the hole and deep into the forest, where even today he flits from place to place, never staying long enough to be caught, calling "I am king! I am king!"
And to this day the birds are still undecided about who should be king.
HARVEST THE POWER: WORKSHOP 3:
HANDOUT 1: DEFINITIONS OF POWER AND AUTHORITY
POWER is the ability to achieve purpose. — from a 1967 sermon by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
AUTHORITY is conferred power to perform a service. This definition will be useful to the practitioner of leadership as a reminder of two facts. First, authority is given and can be taken away. Second, authority is conferred as part of an exchange. Failure to meet the terms of the exchange means losing one's authority: It can be taken back or given to another who promises to fulfill the bargain.
AUTHORITY can be conferred in two forms: formal and informal. With FORMAL authority come the various powers of the office, role or position. With INFORMAL authority comes the power to influence attitude and behavior beyond compliance.
FORMAL authority is granted because the officeholder promises to meet a set of explicit expectations (job description, legislated mandates).
INFORMAL authority comes from promising to meet expectations that are often left implicit (expectations of trustworthiness, ability, civility). — adapted from Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald A. Heifetz (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1994), pp. 57 and 101.
HARVEST THE POWER: WORKSHOP 3:
HANDOUT 2: FIRST UU ANYTOWN SCENARIO
Membership at First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Anytown, USA has reached a plateau, even though the demographic studies of their community suggest they could be larger. The congregation has tried a variety of growth strategies over several decades, but none have resulted in significant membership growth. During the past decade, the average age of its members has increased from 47 to 60 years old. A few years ago, the congregation undertook a capital campaign and building project that caused severe conflict within the congregation. This conflict has continued with open arguments and confrontation. When district consultants were called in to conduct a congregational assessment, they found that communication practices within the congregation were unhealthy, the facility equipment and furnishings were sparse and unwelcoming to visitors and there was no apparent path to congregational membership. The congregation has an experienced minister who has been with them for five years, a part-time director of religious education, a part-time music director, a full-time administrator and a part-time facilities staff person. Their Board’s expressed goal is to better serve their membership and the community.
HARVEST THE POWER: WORKSHOP 3:
HANDOUT 3: MY CONGREGATIONAL LEADERSHIP PROFILE
Use these questions to reflect on your personal profile as a congregational leader. You will be invited to share responses to the final question with the group.
If authority is power conferred in exchange for meeting certain expectations, what are you formally authorized to do? What are the expectations of a person in your leadership role? What is the source of that formal authority?
What is your informal authority, that is, what are you trusted and expected to do? What is the source of that informal authority?
What power do you bring to your leadership position? What ability to achieve purpose do you bring?
List a half dozen tasks or activities you have accomplished recently as a leader. Which would you categorize as management tasks? Which as leadership?
What are your burning questions about being a leader? What would you like to learn or understand more fully?
HARVEST THE POWER: WORKSHOP 3:
LEADER RESOURCE 1: WHAT LEADERSHIP IS AND IS NOT
If you are not able to share Gil Rendle's presentation on this topic via the DVD or link (at www.uua.org/videos/legacy.php?movie=UUU2007/Chapter_Two.wmv) to UU University 07: Leading Change in Your Congregation, use this information to explain the major points of the Rendle presentation.
In his presentation, "What Leadership Is... and Isn't," Alban Institute consultant Gil Rendle describes management as "something that makes the organization operate smoothly." He says that management tries to answer the question, "Are we doing things right?" If this is your primary question, then what you are doing is trying to "satisfy" a congregation. Rendle notes that a completely satisfied congregation is difficult to lead because they don't want to try anything new or do anything differently.
By contrast, Rendle says leadership asks the question, "Are we doing right things?" Rendle explains that asking this leadership question creates a necessary unsettledness in congregations because it makes congregants look more deeply into what they are doing. Both leadership and management are necessary, but leaders need to focus on leading, and not seeking simple harmony or satisfaction.
Rendle further explains that true harmony does not mean everyone is doing the same thing, but suggests a multiplicity of ideas blending together. As in singing, "everyone singing the same note is not harmony, but monotony." He draws on the work of leadership author Ron Heifitz, who talks about the difference between "reactive" space and "balcony" space. Managers necessarily work in reactive space, but leaders must move to the balcony to see the whole picture. By moving out of reactive space into balcony space, we move away from action to learning, but we also have to be willing to move away from neatness. This is difficult because we must lead into the unknown.