by Reverend Dr. Brian Friedrich, President CSP
Several weeks ago, the advertisement promoting the Council of Independent College (CIC) January 2021 Presidents’ Institute, “So Much More… than Zoom” grabbed my attention. CIC, arguably the gold standard for education and resources for leaders of independent institutions of higher education, annually hosts an in-person gathering at the dawn of the new year.
“So much more…than Zoom!” When I began the presidency of Concordia University, St. Paul (CSP) on January 1, 2020 after serving 28.5 years (15.5 years as president) at Concordia University, Nebraska (CUNE), I could not have imagined the role that video conferencing technology would play during my inaugural year of service. I had prepared myself for “so much more.” Yet, during the past ten months, Zoom and its many glorious features (e.g., chat rooms, green screens, shared screen, “mute and unmute”) have become a business standard. Likely the same is true for you.
When Dr. Pingel asked me to write an article for this edition of the ALSS Journal and suggested that I reflect on my year of transition from CUNE to CSP, the phrase “so much more” seemed an apt hook upon which to hang several reflections. It is my hope that these reflections, certainly not unique to me, will encourage you during this incredibly challenging time that none of us signed up for, but, by God’s grace, are leading through to advance the Christ-centered ministries of Lutheran secondary schools.
So much more...than Plans
I am a planner. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s sage advice prior to the Normandy invasion, “plans are nothing; planning is everything,” has undergirded many a planning effort. During my time at CUNE, I was blessed to be part of five comprehensive planning processes. To the great credit of the board, faculty, and staff of CUNE, each of the strategic plans was executed and measurable results experienced.
One of the factors that encouraged me as I contemplated the call to CSP was the institution’s well-crafted strategic plan, its widespread ownership throughout the university, and its laser-like focus upon the plan’s goals and strategies. My predecessor, President Emeritus Tom Ries, instilled a culture of planning and executing. His work further supported my long-held belief that planning works. As I arrived in the cold and snow of a St. Paul winter, with my plan for the first one hundred days in hand, I was ready to go (or so I thought).
But in February, Concordia Portland announced it was closing; in March, campus was closed because of COVID-19; in April, hearts broke when we held a virtual instead of an in-person graduation; in May, George Floyd was killed and riots erupted right next door; and in each succeeding month, another surprise not detailed in my plan burst forth. My confidence in plans and planning was waning. The proverb “the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (16:9) spoke to me and urged me to ask myself and others “what is God up to here?” “What in this time is He calling us to be and to do?”
There were not contingencies in our strategic plan appendix that gave a ready answer to the challenges we faced. But we know “God is our refuge and strength and a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1), and that is propelling us forward.
So much more...than Strengths
StrengthsFinder has been my “go to” leadership development and management tool for decades. The leadership team at CUNE used it extensively. We even use it as a family. In fact, before our son-in-law married our daughter, we asked him to take the assessment and we learned his strengths were a perfect complement to our family’s.
The research proven premise of StrengthsFinder is that when people focus upon and work toward their strengths, they are more emotionally engaged with their work, have a better quality of life, and perform better in their vocations. The assessment uncovered my top five strengths: achiever, discipline, competition, relator, and belief.
My 100 day plan was filled with goals that played to my strengths. You will note that strengths like empathy, harmony, context, deliberative and input are not in my top five (nor my top ten)! And so, God makes each of us as a unique, unrepeatable miracle. Thus, in times of significant change, transition, and crisis, knowing both strengths and limitations is vitally important.
Time and again during the past months I have found myself either wanting a new strength set, desiring to understand the strengths of those around me, or know how God will use my God-given strengths to navigate the Sisyphean mountain climb we seem to be on, making this a less daunting and a less painful and lonely experience.
But, as I reflect on the past months, focusing on my strengths was short-sighted. It always is. St. Paul reminds us that we are so much more than our strengths when He writes: “‘My [God’s] grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9, ESV) and “in all these things more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37, ESV).
So much more...than Vision
Have you, like me, said “it’s all about the vision”? Maybe you have even quoted: “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18, KJV). As we know, “leadership” is likely the better translation than “vision”, but vision requires leadership and leadership vision, so perhaps the KJV is not far off in its translation of the text.
Many times, constituents at both Seward and St. Paul have asked “what’s your vision for Concordia?” My stock answer is that it is not “my” vision. It is “our” vision.
Developing a vision statement through intense listening and an active engagement process is both exhilarating and exhausting—but it is vital for an institution to be clear about its mission-driven vision. In my experience, the more widely understood and embraced an institution’s vision is by its stakeholders, the more likely it is that mission is fulfilled, and vision achieved. Vision is directional; without clear and compelling direction it is easy for an institution to drift, lose focus and wonder how over time it got to a place it was not intending to go.
A high priority task upon arrival at CSP was to work with colleagues to draft a new vision statement to replace two competing vision statements that were neither known nor used. CSP had a wonderful strategic plan in place with a dynamic mission and a bold promise. Yet directionally there were questions about where the institution was headed short-term and longer-term. Blessed by the counsel and wisdom of gifted colleagues, we arrived at this statement: Concordia University, St. Paul is to be “a Christ-centered, nationally prominent Lutheran university known for excellence and innovation that fosters success for all students.”
Any vision statement is, by definition, limited by time. At some point in the not too distant future, CSP will have another vision and likely chart a somewhat different direction as it achieves its mission “to prepare students for thoughtful and informed living, for dedicated service to God and humanity, for enlightened cared of God’s creation, all within the context of the Christian Gospel.” Reflecting on the process is yet one more reminder that CSP is more than vision and that vision, while essential to effective leadership today, can change quickly.
So much more!
What is important at the time of a leadership transition? During a global pandemic? Charting a future where unfavorable student demographics, uncertain fiscal realities, and social mores challenge us daily?
Many things are important in these challenging times, but I contend that understanding our ministry as Lutheran school leaders is so much more than the sum of our plans, strengths, and visions. To be sure, I will continue to use and focus on these tools but in doing so, I will also realize, by God’s grace, that service and ministry are so much more, so much more than things that cross our desks, zip into our inboxes, or happen during Zoom meetings.
As St. Paul reminded the Athenians, it is “in Him we live and move and have our being.” Knowing, believing, and confessing we are “in Him,” Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world, means that for today, tomorrow and forever we are “so much more.”
Brian L. Friedrich is currently serving as President of CSP. He can be reached at friedrich@csp.edu.