Someone recently sent me a picture of the street in front of the house where I grew up after a major rainstorm dropped 10 inches of water in just a few hours. Three feet of water turned the street into a swimming pool, and there was a guy floating in a tube… down the street… in front of my old house! My mom has lived in that house for the past 70 years, and nothing like that has ever happened before (especially a guy floating in the street!).
But think about what it would have been like if a tornado, tsunami, blizzard, and fire also were added into the mix, all at one time.
We are leading in a time where we are experiencing a number of converging forces, that have great power in and of themselves, that are merging together to create a force that can change culture, stretch leaders, and trigger conflict. It is because of this that you are hearing leaders use terms like “upside down,” “crazy,” “broken,” and “messed up!” so frequently. Here are six of the converging forces that are impacting our country, community, and the church right now.
1. Justice.
There are varying and strong feelings and opinions of what an appropriate response should be to complex and painful issues such as race and immigration.
2. Leadership.
A growing scrutiny and suspicion of those in positions of leadership and authority has been underway for many years, and this has escalated quickly in the past 24 months.
3. Politics.
There is hyperpolarization and rapidly declining common ground regarding who aligns with which candidates, parties, and policy platforms.
4. Pandemic.
An extraordinary fracturing has emerged from how a school, organization, church, or individual addresses things such as closures, masks, and vaccinations.
5. Social media.
Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are pervasive, immediate, free, easy, and often unfiltered which has resulted in the rapid intensification and spread of both information as well as influence.
6. Intolerance.
There is a rapid decline in civility towards tolerance of anyone who holds a different perspective from our own (ie. “canceling”) as well as an overall anger and disregard for the well-being of others.
Over the past 18 months, I have reminded myself and others that this is not the first time we have experienced such powerful forces. For example, those of us who lived in the late 60’s and 70’s experienced the Kent State shootings, Watergate, bombing of judges and other figures, race riots, the Vietnam War, and the assassinations of President JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. We are living through very real forces, and it will require wisdom, courage, vision, and grit to lead through them.
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Jay Desko is the CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.
