Page 151 - Appreciative Leadership

124 Appreciative Leadership

Michael is a good leader. He gets excited about new ideas—
even when they are not his own, and even if they don’t jive
with his worldview. He welcomes people and helps them
bring their dreams to life.”
And Michael had a dream, a vision of “a religion for our
time” that called him so strongly that he invested tens of
thousands of dollars and a year of his life to answer the call

and campaign for offi ce. “There are countless unchurched
people who are seeking a spiritual home,” he said. “Th ey
are the spiritually hungry that our denomination—with its
liberal doctrine and inclusive practices—is uniquely suited

to feed. We can only fulfill this vision by radically reaching
beyond ourselves in ways we have not done in the past, by
changing how we relate to each other and the world.”
As he traveled from church to church, Michael’s positive,
hopeful message and path forward attracted many people.
His campaign ignited their creative spirit and mobilized
broad-based support around the country. In the end, his
victory was decisive: a clear and compelling mandate for
the denomination’s future, and a testimony to the power of
inspiration.

Inspiration abounds with a courageous invitation to transcend

the status quo. It breathes life into new possibilities, offering hope in
the midst of crisis, giving people a reason, and a way to go forward. It
prompts innovation and actions not previously thought to be possible.
Appreciative Leadership draws on this positive power of inspiration
by fostering inquiry and dialogue about hopes, dreams, and visions.
It unleashes otherwise latent potential—great ideas, strengths, capa-
bilities, and skills—by inspiring creativity, confidence, and hope

for the future. Even when all the necessary resources are available,
nothing changes and nothing of merit happens without inspiration.
Inspiration opens people to the source of life that moves through
and among us all. It gives people hope and courage to shed habitual
ways of living and working and move in new, innovative and more
life-affirming directions. Inspiration, hope, and creativity—three