An Introduction
Hello all! My name is Daniel and first let me say how thrilled I am to be able to learn and grow together. One thing that you will learn about me is family is first and foremost in my life (under God). I have been happily married to the love of my life, Bhreagh, for 6 years now. We have two amazing boys: Maverick (3) and Asher (15 months). It’s been a crazy couple of weeks because our youngest, Asher, just started daycare. We’ve always had a baby with us in some shape or form for 3 years and now…nothing. Therefore, figuring out life during the day without a little human at your side has been a challenge.
Both my wife and I are Pastors/Officers in The Salvation Army and have been for close to 5 years. With being a pastor as well as, what anyone else would call, an executive director of a church and “Ministry Unit”, we call them, comes with its own set of strategic leadership problems as well as good news stories. I have been actively involved in the complete restructuring of a church board, as well as the complete restructuring of a church mentality (this was a little bit harder then restructuring a board!). Everything from having to deal with employees who show up to work drunk to having to buy depends for an elderly gentlemen who couldn’t drive. Life has been interesting.
I fully believe that mission, vision, and values are at the forefront of what we do as a church and as an organization. We need a target to aim for or what’s the point of what we’re doing? As Hughes, Beatty, and Dinwoodie as in their book, Becoming A Strategic Leader, “These components [mission, vision, and values] serve to help people understand why the organization exists, how it intends to make a difference in the world, and what the important beliefs are that drive and connect the people of the organization.”
It is my hope that through learning together, peer evaluation, as well as being open in regards to struggles we are having, in regards to strategic leadership, that we can all grow to become better strategic leaders!
Also…I am a huge Star Wars fan.
-Daniel
5 Replies to “An Introduction”
Hello Daniel!
Nice to meet you. I’m just starting a new job with Salvation Army next week as the Children/Youth Coordinator in White Rock. Praying this job is going to be a great experience to serve the community. I am sure you’re going to have very interesting experiences to share with us. Looking forward!
Hi Daniel;
So glad you could get into the class Daniel.
I have many friends in the Salvation Army from past Strategic Leadership classes in the MA LEAD program. Being the world is so small, we probably have some mutual connections there.
Looking forward to your engagement!
Doug
Hi Daniel,
Nice to meet a fellow Ontarian! I actually work with a lady who has a rich family history in the Salvation Army and am familiar with Jackson’s Point Camp as well. I also am a huge Star Wars fan. I would love to know how you think Episode 9 will end the series!
– Lillian Boyd
lillian@springvale.org
Great to meet you Daniel and thanks for your perspective on the challenges amongst the good news stories. Real life, especially in leadership, presents a side many don’t want to see or at least acknowledge. No doubt a shift in church mentality was difficult and continues to be such as our world exposes more and more of those interesting moment. Thanks for your sharing! I look forward to hearing more of your strategic approaches in your setting.
Lisa
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for introducing yourself to us in your blog. It appears that you have much experience already with employing strategic leadership skills in the restructuring of a church board and of a church mentality! I look foward to getting to know you better over the next 10 weeks as we learn together the value of strategic leadership within His rememption story for each one of us as His children.
Jason