CREATED TO BE CREATIVE

Leaders are creative. As a leader you are imaginative, insightful, ingenious, inventive, and intentional enabling you to evaluate, comprehend, and generate creative ideas, resources, solutions, and transforming actions.

How is it that a person like Archimedes could discover the law of buoyancy while taking a bath? That King Gillette could invent the safety razor while shaving? That Antoine Ludwig Feutchwanger would invent the world renowned hot dog? Or that Bill Gates would become the richest man in the world by starting a small technology business in his garage?

Why are people like these so creative? Some tell us that these inventors were born creative. That is, creativity is found in their genetic code. Others tell us that their creativity was the product of having grown up in the “right” environment.

The fact of the matter is that they – like you – were created to be creative. The very God that used His remarkable, unsurpassed imagination and ingenious creative ability to form the day and the night, the galaxies and solar systems, the dry ground and the waters, and the plants and animals, also created you – the glorious and crowning achievement of His act of creation.

In His divine providence, God gave you this same creative ability. Like God, you are imaginative, insightful, ingenious, inventive, and intentional. God endowed you with the capacity to evaluate, comprehend, and generate creative and resourceful ideas, solutions, and actions. The result is that by mirroring God’s creativity with your inherent creativity, you are empowered to bring about relevant and beneficial change in the events, people, materials, and circumstances in purposeful and transforming ways. You were created to be a full participant in bringing God’s kingdom to earth by filling the earth with His glory – through His created attributes.

The Truth of the Matter

Creativity is an essential leadership trait. Whether you like it or not, you happen to be living in a time when change is happening more rapidly than at any other time in human history. Unfortunately, this unprecedented pace of change is not going to get “better” – it’s only to get “worse.” At times you are being overwhelmed with tidal waves of new and increasingly specialized information; technology is outdated almost before it becomes available; you face a national and global economy that is fragile and unpredictable; and, businesses battle temperamental consumers whose demands and confidence seem to change by the hour. The success, and perhaps even the survival, of your organization (for-profit or not-for-profit), depends on having to do more with fewer resources. Many organizations – especially the people – find it necessary to reinvent themselves overnight, several times each year. Therefore, leaders of the third millennium must be creative and able to respond to the ever-changing demands of a volatile, rapidly-changing climate. Creative leadership is crucial to the short-term survivability and long-term success of each and every enterprise. Creative leadership is crucial to your personal effectiveness.


The truth of the matter is that you are creative. You were created to be creative. Creativity is an attribute given to each and every person – given to you – by God. Creativity is a crucial leadership trait. It is a trait that you must rediscover, claim, cultivate, and use in every dimension of your life. In doing so, you will be functioning as you were created to function, as a creative leader, as an image bearer of God. You have the very same creative capacity as Archimedes, King Gillette, Thomas Edison, or Bill Gates. You have the “right stuff” for leadership in the 21st century.

You are creative.

You are a leader.

This is the truth about leadership!

This is the Genesis Principle of Leadership.

Living Rationally - Living Relevantly

Leaders are rational.

As a created leader you have the intellectual capacity to discover, perceive, understand, and relate to the world in meaningful and intentional ways. You exercise sound judgment and common sense in implementing informed and practical solutions to life’s challenges.

Oh what a fairy tale! From brewery worker – to stagehand – to dramatist – to prominent playwright – to essayist – to political dissident – to welder in a communist prison – then – president of Czechoslovakia! By his own admission Vaclav Havel was catapulted overnight into a world of fairy tales. His political foes said he was “not a normal man.” In spite of the adamant claims of his adversaries, Havel insisted that he was just a normal person. History tells the story: Vaclav Havel was the revitalizing intellectual figure and moral force that brought about the collapse of communism in Czechoslovakia and throughout Eastern Europe.

Vaclav was correct. His life was a fairy tale. Regardless of how others viewed him (elitist, intellectual, enemy of the state, not normal, subversive, bourgeois, or disloyal), Vaclav always viewed himself as nothing more, or less, than an ordinary person, simply living normally, and attempting to do his work well.

But how was this possible? The circumstances of his life were undeserved, wearisome, often discouraging. What quality, what character trait, enabled Havel to cope with maddening circumstances and change the course of his life and world history?

Havel possessed the God-given ability to rationally and logically relate to the world about him. Though the circumstances in his life were often aberrant and perplexing, Vaclav was able to sort through and interpret those conditions, though bizarre at times, and generate new ideas and insights regarding these events. Then, based upon insightful and logical analysis, he formulated and implemented strategies that changed the circumstances of his life and the lives of those around him.

You, too, were created rational.

This created leadership attribute is not given to a select few, like Vaclav Havel. It is not given only to those with a good bloodline or those who had the good fortune of growing up in a good neighborhood. This is an attribute of God – given by Him to every single person – given to you. Like Havel, you are endowed with the capacity to discover, perceive, understand, and intellectually relate to your world – though confusing, even maddening at times – in meaningful and purposeful ways. You possess the ability to exercise sound judgment and common sense, implementing informed and practical solutions to each one of life’s challenges.

Living rationally is to live relevantly – to live purposefully. You possess the inherent capacity to be rational in each circumstance of your life. It is fundamental to all men and women. Therefore, it is an attribute that you must rediscover and cultivate.

As Vaclav Havel put it, living rationally is “living the truth.”

Now go out and lead!

LEADERS ARE ACTIVE AND PURPOSEFUL

As a leader you have the capacity to see beyond your current circumstances, to develop a vision for a preferred future, and then intentionally implement strategies that will change each circumstance in your life and the lives of those around you.

To be active and purposeful is an essential, core quality of leadership. Leaders are keenly aware of the circumstances around them, good, bad, ugly, and difficult. But as active and purposeful agents, leaders do not passively surrender and cave in to these conditions. Rather, leaders develop a vision for how things can, will, and should be different.

In a very real sense, leaders can see into the distant future. They have the ability to analyze what is (or is not) and conceptualize, that is, vividly see, what can be. Leaders intentionally design and implement the strategies necessary to achieve this hope – this longing – this vision. Leaders see and shape a preferred future for themselves, their families, communities, and organizations.

As a unique, image-bearing creature of God, you, too, are active and purposeful. Right now, you possess the full capacity to be active and purposeful in every situation in your life! Yes, your environment acts upon you, tragically at times. But you are not a helpless victim of life’s circumstances. God made you to be His image. You possess the God-given ability to purposefully act upon your environment and each circumstance in your life.

In fact, you have been charged to do so. You are to fill the earth, to subdue it, and to have dominion over it. You are to lead by being active and purposeful in every circumstance of your life. The trouble is that you may have forgotten that you possess this ability. This trait has atrophied from lack of use. Even so, being active and purposeful is a trait you are to rediscover and cultivate as an image bearer of God.

The Apostle Paul’s said it best:

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.
II Corinthians 4:8-9 (ESV)

Now, pilgrim, go out and lead!

Reviews: The Genesis Principle of Leadership

I am humbled by what readers are saying about The Genesis Principle of Leadership:

“It is rare that breadth and depth meet in writing these days. In The Genesis Principle of Leadership: Claiming and Cultivating Your Created Capacity, Dick Allen accomplishes both with engaging and energetic style. This book has depth in that it is anchored to a radically Trinitarian view of God and all of life. This book has breadth in that it engages this radical view with a sweeping grasp of the majority of literature published on the topic of leadership. I actually found myself emotionally excited as I turned the pages and encountered deeper and broader truths on every page. This, in my estimation, is one of the more significant contributions to the ever-growing body of literature on leadership. Thank you, Dick Allen. This is a triumph. I found myself over the top emotionally because of the profundity of what I read, and I am your debtor. I am your debtor.”
Joe Novenson, Senior Pastor, Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church

“Dick Allen lifts out of the Bible those traits that we can all learn, traits that make us leaders in the best sense of the word. I commend The Genesis Principle of Leadership.”
Dr. Frank A. Brock, Center for Authentic Christian Leadership

“Dick Allen invigorates the leadership dialogue with biblical insight and practical implementation.”
Dr. Gary Purdy, Senior Pastor, North Shore Fellowship, Chattanooga, Tennessee


“Dick Allen offers an insightful and challenging exploration of the biblical teaching on leadership. By grounding his understanding in the biblical notion of the imago Dei and exploring its implication for leadership, Professor Allen paints a unique portrait of the leader that will challenge you as you engage this thoughtful work.”
Darwin Glassford, Ph.D., Professor, Calvin Seminary


“How exciting! How refreshing! The Genesis Principle of Leadership is long overdue. Dick Allen’s work is a must-read for those acting in key positions of leadership and those teaching leadership concepts. Clearly, it’s time for you to become the leader God designed you to be. It’s time for you to read this book!”
Dr. Robert J. Imhoff, President, Mid-Continent University.


“Over the years I have become a voracious reader. I count Francis Schaeffer, Paul Stroble and Max Lucado among my favorite writers when it comes to spiritual topics. What I find unique about The Genesis Principle of Leadership is that you have found a unique observation from which to observe the issues all of these authors, Schaeffer, Stroble, and Lucado, have addressed in their books. And that position is that God has created man in his original state to mirror Divine attributes, and has in fact imputed those attributes to man at creation.”
Skip Ellis, Writer and Composer

“The first 60 pages have already made me re-think and re-exam my life and how I interact with people.”
Jonathan Archer, Graduate Student, Michigan State University

You can purchase your copy online from Tate Publishing Enterprises:

http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60462-483-0

Now Available!

I'm pleased to announce the publication of
The Genesis Principle of Leadership: Claiming and Cultivating Your Created Capacity.

Don't be fooled! The Genesis Principle of Leadership is not just another book to add to the amalgam collecting dust on your shelf! Not even close!

It's time you knew the truth about leadership, and that's exactly what is unveiled in this book. Through careful examination of original intent, I silence the age-old argument of "nature versus nurture."

The truth is: Leaders are not born! Leaders are not made! Leaders are created! - in God's image that is.

The capacity for great leadership is an inherent, created capacity within each of us. Not only did God equip us to lead, He also commands us to lead. The Genesis Principle of Leadership reminds us of our unique personhood, designed specifically for effective leadership and aids in reclaiming and cultivating this created capacity.

You have the right stuff for leadership! You can be the leader God has called you to be!

Now go out and lead!

For more information and to place an order, click onto this link:

http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60462-483-0

THE CLASSICAL VIEW OF YOUR PERSONHOOD

A correct understanding of personhood - the classical view - is not merely a cold, obscure, and irrelevant religious dogma. It is a foundational and indispensable part of understanding who you are and your sense of self-worth and dignity. It opens the door to purposeful living, to a proper understanding of self, and ultimately determines your view of leadership.

The classic, Judeo-Christian view of personhood starts with an understanding of God Himself. The biblical record begins with God, In the beginning God… (Genesis 1:1, ESV). God alone is the fountainhead of all that exists. God is completely independent of and sovereign over all things He created. God is not dependent upon any created thing. Throughout eternity it is God alone who creates, upholds, and governs every part of His creation from the largest to the smallest.

All reality is created by, owned by, controlled by, and completely dependent upon God. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36, ESV).

This means that God is the author of mankind - of your personhood. Again the biblical record is crystal clear:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV)

Yes, you are a creature, part of the rest of God’s creation. Yet, at the same time, you are set apart from the rest of creation. You are unique, carefully shaped, male and female, in the very image and likeness of God. Consequently, you are distinct from the rest of creation. This likeness is not incidental. It is intentional. It was God’s conscious and purposeful design to make you in such a way that you reflect His image.

Being made in the image of God is the primary organizing principle of human life. It is the essential element of your existence. It shapes how you are to live. People should be able to look at you and see something of God because you are to represent something of God himself. You reflect Him, like a mirror, to the rest of creation.

Indeed, reflecting God’s image has significant implications for every person in every arena of life, including leadership. As Anthony Hoekema observed,

Any view of the human being that fails to see himself or herself as centrally related to, totally dependent on and primarily responsible to God falls short of this truth.

What is man? Man is the bearer of the very image of God. This is the answer!

This reality is foundational to understanding the truth about leadership!

Hoekema, Anthony A., Created in God’s Image, Grand Rapids, MI, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1986, p.1.

So Tell Me - Are Leaders Born or Made?

According to The Owosso Argus Press, Brad VanPelt was unquestionably the greatest athlete ever to come out of the farm country of mid-Michigan. Brad earned eight varsity letters in football, baseball, basketball, and track and field at Owosso High School. In his senior year he was named all-state quarterback and given honorable mention on the Sunkist All-American High School Basketball Team. Brad had enormous strength. In high school track and field, he threw the shot put 46 feet, 7 inches. Brad’s “Number 10” football jersey, now retired, hangs in the halls of Owosso High School.

All around town people say, “What a natural born athlete!”

Brad attended Michigan State University where he was a three-sport athlete, receiving collegiate letters three times in football and twice in baseball and basketball. He earned numerous honors from The Associated Press, Walter Camp Foundation, United Press, The Sporting News, Time Magazine, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association, Football News, Universal Sports, The Columbus Touchdown Club, and others. Brad became the first defensive back – ever – to receive the Maxwell Award as the nation's top collegiate player. He was a second-team All-Big Ten pick in baseball as a pitcher and still ranks eighth on the Michigan State single-season strikeout list. When Brad played baseball at Owosso High School, one major league baseball team scout said, “No major league pitcher can throw the baseball as hard as Brad!”

“What a natural born athlete!”

Though drafted into professional baseball, Brad decided, instead, to play professional football. He was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants playing fourteen years in the National Football League (New York Giants for ten years, Los Angeles Raiders for three years, and the Cleveland Browns for one year). He played in five straight Pro Bowls and was named player of the decade for the 1970s by the Giants.

“What a natural born athlete!”

Brad continues to be honored for his athleticism. Brad was named to the Lansing State Journal's Michigan State University’s Centennial Super Squad in 1996; inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000; inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in April, 2002; and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December, 2002.

“What a natural born athlete!”

Or was he?

You see, the only thing most people saw were Brad’s amazing athletic accomplishments on game day. Brad grew up in my neighborhood. Few people observed the countless hours he spent practicing and training – shooting thousands of free throws – often after dark – into the old backboard suspended over the garage door; pitching the baseball – again and again and again – into his father’s well-worn catcher’s glove; or, throwing the football, with laser precision, through the old rubber tire dangling from the tall burr oak tree in his backyard.

So, was Brad Van Pelt a natural born athlete – or was he made?

This is the very question that divides us on the topic of leadership, “Are leaders born or are leaders made?”

Or - is there another explanation?

Richard