Getting Unstuck

Georgina was in the beginning of her third year of a five-year appointment as head of a religiously affiliated elementary school and also the head pastor of a large, but largely underfunded urban church located in a deteriorating neighborhood. The much too large school/church complex, like many urban buildings, was in need of serious refurbishing. Annual facility operating costs represented, in Georgina's words "a small fortune."

The church partially underwrote the operating budget of the school, but because of the physical condition of the complex and the high operating costs, was rethinking its financial support for the school. The fiscal situation of the school was "in crisis."

Georgina saw several concrete problems: School funding, school expansion and personnel issues were one side of the equation; operating the large school/church facility and the financial viability of the church was the other.

In our first session, Georgina admitted that she did not know how to break out of being in a "stuck" place. Georgina quite candidly told us that she has a huge fear of failure stemming from the adverse effects of dyslexia as a child and a series of repeated secondary school shame based incidents of "failure." In her present roles, she saw "failure" as not being a competent head of school and, at the same time, not being an adequate pastor.

Georgina was pessimistic and disheartened with her vocational role and situation. It became increasingly clear that there was a huge disconnect between Georgina's distinctive gifts versus the role that Georgina had created for herself.

In our Affirming session, Georgina articulated the values that brought her to ministry in the first place. Given a choice, she said, she would opt to be a pastor, not the head of a school. She decided to put her narrow definition of success aside as she realized that it inhibited her ability to address the desperately needed bolder and broader vision for the school and church for which she was "called" in the first place. She squarely faced her fears of failure. She chose to address the larger vital needs of her enterprise without reference to her personal fears of success or failure.

In the Sustaining session, Georgina outlined specific steps she needed to take to create separate futures and separate leadership for the school and the church, while maintaining their important historical and community service connection. These plans included details of who to enroll in broadening the vision, how and when to address particular personnel issues, and how to find support for a new vision among school and parish leaders, including support for addressing critical funding issues.

In sum, Georgina rediscovered her vast energy as her own unique gifts were employed, without trying to be someone else. She also discovered and enrolled the previously untapped energy of many others in the school and church, challenging them to use their own distinctive gifts as she leads them to a previously unimagined future.

Georgina comments: "David and Ted's work is unique I think. I had quite simply lost my focus and with it the handle on what I was doing and called to do. They had the grace not to need to change any of that. Rather, they kept probing gently but firmly at my strengths, joys and passions until I could feel them once again and find the focus that had authentic life, energy and grace for me. It was hard work and yet so simple.

"What was so powerful about working with Ted and David was their ability to stay with me in the mire and not fall into the trap of problem solving the details. Their understanding of the importance of physiological and spiritual vision and clarity for real leadership kept us grounded in the work I needed to do. I had lost my vision under the burden of the problems I was facing and was immobilized. Their insightful questions and intuitive probes guided me to the breakthrough.

"The authenticity of the process of working with David and Ted was clearly evident in the surprise, simplicity and joy with which we all recognized my breakthrough to vision. Clearly theirs was no hidden agenda, no 'right answer.' We were all digging for the 'truth that sets you free' and we found it. It was a gift to me that continues to be alive even now, months later and I feel confident it was a gift to them as well because truth and grace and wisdom always bring energy and joy."

		"The leaders I meet, whatever walk of life they are from, whatever institutions they preside over, always refer back to some failure, something that happened to them that was personally very difficult, even traumatic, something that made them feel the desperate sense of hitting bottom-as something they thought was almost a necessity. It's as if at that moment the iron entered their soul; that moment created the resilience that all successful leaders need to lead others out of the chaos of failure or, worse yet, mediocrity." - Warren G. Bennis

What are the places where your leadership and life are stuck?
Have you lost sight of the vision that brought you to where you are in the first place? How could Tarxien help you put aside your fears to address the critical issues facing your enterprise? We invite you to contact us at info@tarxien.net.

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