441: How Leaders Can Thrive in the Unknown

When familiar strategies fall short and the path ahead is uncertain, how do leaders respond with clarity and courage? In this episode, Dr. Tod Bolsinger—founder of AE Sloan Leadership, executive director of the De Pree Center Church Leadership Institute, and associate professor at Fuller Seminary—offers powerful insights on navigating rapid change with adaptive resilience, humility, and a renewed sense of purpose.

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In this episode:

A Distinctly Christian Model of Change Leadership

• Christian leadership starts with recognizing that all leadership is done before the face of God and in response to God’s call. (05:45)

• Success is not measured by worldly standards, but by faithfulness to God’s purpose. (05:52)

• Identity and values, rather than vision alone, are core to Christian leadership—transformation must preserve a “family resemblance” to our values in Christ. (06:04)

The Role of Humility and Curiosity

• Effective leaders ask honest, forward-looking questions—especially when they don’t have all the answers. (07:19)

• Growth as a leader starts with humility: acknowledging you’re not the expert and being willing to learn. (07:52)

• Teachability and curiosity drive leadership effectiveness in changing environments. (07:57)

Adaptive Leadership and Navigating the Unknown

• Adaptive leadership is needed when best practices no longer work and leaders must learn as they go. (09:01)

• The biblical example of Jehoshaphat illustrates adaptive leadership: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” (10:01)

• Leading adaptively means helping people navigate both learning and loss—letting go of what no longer serves the mission. (10:30)

“Canoeing the Mountains” as a Leadership Analogy

• Lewis and Clark were prepared for river travel, but when they hit the Rocky Mountains, they had to abandon their canoes and adapt. (11:10)

• The story is a metaphor for leading in uncharted territory—when the world ahead is nothing like the world behind. (11:54)

Building Resilient Leadership Teams

• Organizations need support (such as assessment tools from Best Christian Workplaces) to evaluate and strengthen team health and capacity for adaptive change. (12:51)

• Resilient teams are built on trust, candor, and commitment to the mission. (13:17)

• Leadership teams must become the “first team” (à la Patrick Lencioni), prioritizing trust and alignment over individual agendas. (13:47)

Definition and Origin of Charism

• Charism is a term from the Catholic tradition, used to describe the distinct gifts of different religious orders (e.g., Benedictines, Franciscans, Jesuits). (16:52)
• These orders share theology and commitment but differ in the unique contribution or “gift” they bring to the world. (17:15)

Charism in Organizations

• Organizational charism is like spiritual or identity-based DNA—it’s the unique value or gift an organization contributes to the world. (17:58)
• Every church, community, or organization has a distinct identity that shapes its purpose, similar to how a personal calling arises from individual identity. (18:07)
• This gift may resemble others but is uniquely expressed by each organization. 

• Before initiating change, organizations should clarify what will never change—their identity and charism. (18:22)
• Knowing this unchanging identity provides a foundation for navigating change. (18:30)
• Charism helps organizations discern how to apply their unique gift to the world’s pain and evolving needs. (18:36)
• It guides transformation, growth, and adaptation in a grounded, authentic way.(18:44)
  
  

Clarifying Organizational Calling

• A Christian high school in California struggled with enrollment while trying to model itself after elite prep schools.

  • Faculty desired to be a “Christian prep school,” but parents and students valued personal mentorship and being known. (19:25)

  • With Tod’s team’s help, they shifted focus from prepping to mentoring, aligning with what made them unique. (19:49)

  • Result: Lost a few faculty, reorganized around their true calling—and began to thrive. (20:43)

• Baylor University engaged Tod’s team post-R1 status to ask: “The world needs a Baylor for what?”

  • Answer: A university where Christian values and elite scholarship combine to develop global servant leaders. (23:19)

  • Baylor’s impact stands out because of its scale and reach among Christian institutions. (23:37)

Understanding Calling and Charism

• Many Christian leaders wrongly believe vision begins in isolation on a mountaintop. (21:50)

  • Tod argues true leadership starts not with vision, but by listening to pain—as God did in Scripture. (22:10)

  • Leaders should discern where their unique charism (spiritual gift/values) meets the pain points of the world. (22:24)

  • Pain is the place where calling emerges, and vision flows from that.

• Leaders are encouraged to ask:

  • “Why does the world need what we do?” (24:11)

  • “What is the problem God is calling us to solve?”  (26:34)

Reframing Leadership Motivation

• Leaders often carry the weight of institutional survival (e.g., keep the school/church alive).

  • Tod reminds them: “No one cares if your organization survives—they care if it cares about them.” (27:10)

  • When leaders shift from survival to service, they regain clarity and energy. (27:29)

Endings, Transitions, and Mission Focus

• Not every church or organization is meant to last forever.

  • Even Paul’s churches didn’t survive—but the mission continued. (28:24)

  • Tod’s firm helps leaders discern if they still have a mission—and to lead courageously even if their season ends. (28:43)

• A megachurch Tod worked with recognized that it was too focused on growth.

  • They shifted from prioritizing numbers to prioritizing neighbors, living out their missional values. (29:03)

  • The transition required humility and a clear return to their core purpose. (30:23)

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