Friedman Made Simple

I mentioned a book by Edwin Friedman on leadership a couple of months ago. It's been a big help to me.

I wouldn't say that Friedman is the best way or the only way to understand leadership. I also wouldn't argue that it's the most biblical. I would say that it covers an important area of leadership that's missed in most of the technique-driven material out there. It's worth thinking through the issues he raises and thinking about them from a biblical framework.

You could say that he helps us understand sinful and dysfunctional systems, and pushes us to understand our God-given role in these systems with nothing to prove, because we already have God's approval. That's my gospel riff on his theory.

This video gives you an quick introduction to some of Friedman's teaching in just under seven minutes.

If you want to learn more, check out A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix

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Comments

[Mark Wood]

FYI, "How Your Church Family Works" by Peter Steinke examines Friedman's understanding of differentiated leadership in the context of church leadership. Steinke doesn't add much to Friedman's teachings, but does show how they apply to the challenges of pastoring a congregation and how they explain much of the dysfunctional behavior that occurs in the church. Steinke draws on examples from his counseling/consulting experiences as well as citing some illustrations from the Bible.

[Dave]

Is Friedman saying that self-love is the key to differentiated leadership? I'm out.

[Darryl]

I don't think Friedman ever says that exactly - I could be wrong - but the video does.Friedman talks about self-differentiation, which essentially means 1) knowing what you stand for and 2) how to stand apart from the group.