BEYOND SALVATION TO MATURITY

It was 1991 and we had just moved to Leningrad to open fire. The National Capital Band, Washington D.C. would soon visit Tallinn, Estonia assisting the Finland Territory to expand into what was once a part of their command. Tallinn was a short 6-hour drive plus 2-3 hours at the border, and well worth the trip to be a part of that historic re-entry. Plus with my good friend Steve Bulla, their B/M and other good friends and family in the band it was a no brainer.

Following a well-attended open-air concert we marched off through narrow cobble stoned streets too the cathedral for a well publicized concert. The cathedral had been abandoned for many years with the KGB taking command of the high steeples- perfect for installing radio broadcast and reception and other equipment.

In that I spoke a smattering of Russian I was asked to officially introduce the band and therefore selected a seat in the 2nd pew. Seated next to me was a young boy of perhaps 7 or 8, obviously excited about what was to take place. He was wearing a SA Guernsey, which signaled he was probably attending the newly established Tallinn SA outpost.

As the band marched in, resplendent in their festival tunics it was more than the young lad could handle. He’d joined this very same army, albeit if only a wee part of it, but he jumped to his feet and shouted with glee, Это мой собственный Армии спасения! “That’s my own Salvation Army ! And indeed it was… although from my perspective my army was very different, yet the same. It’s our army, and we are its soldier servants.

I believe that sometimes our myopic, immature and possessive attitudes are what bring conflict.

We need to move from a managerial mindset focused on maintaining the status quo and doing things right, to a leadership mindset that values entrepreneurial thinking and is more concerned with doing the right things at the right time; beyond simply reworking the familiar. “Most organizations say they want strong people, but they don’t know what to do with them. What they’re really looking for are people who’ll go along. They think go-along types will be better at teamwork, but this isn’t true, because people who don’t have strong beliefs don’t have that much to contribute. They lack a sense of urgency, of commitment.

If your soldiers, friends and local officers are unwilling to embrace the realm of the radically unfamiliar and even the unknown you’re probably rooted in the 19th century organizational style where an insufficient number were educated and trained to explore, create and effect the organizations to become highly maneuverable by empowering individuals to exercise competence in line with their strengths.