Max Johnson Encouraged The Heart

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

For the past few months the administration team has been reading The Leadership Challenge by James Kouze and Barry Posner. We divided the book by chapters and each representative of the administrative team presented a chapter. We decided that the last section of the book will be done collectively. The section is called "Encourage the Heart." It speaks to the extraordinary things that leaders do to inspire others with courage and hope. Later this morning, our community will lay to rest Max Johnson. In the short time I have come to know Max, his actions epitomize the practice of encouraging the heart.

Point of case, in the Chapter 10 summary of The Leadership Challenge substitute Max Johnson every time it uses the form of the word leader. I think you will find that it represents him well:

Leaders give heart by visibly recognizing people's contributions to the common vision. With a thank-you note, a smile and public praise, the leader lets others know how much they mean to the organization.

Leaders express pride in the accomplishments of their teams. They make a point of telling the rest of the organization about what the teams have achieved. They make people feel like heroes. 

Hard work can also be fun work. Hoopla is important to a winning team. Everybody loves a parade. Leaders find creative ways to celebrate accomplishments. They take time out to rejoice in reaching a milestone.

And what sustains the leader? From what source comes the leader's courage? The answer is love. Leaders are in love - in love with the people who do the work, with their organizations produce and with customers (p. 273).

I didn't know Max before his stroke, but I know he did all of these things from a wheel-chair. Since moving to this community five years ago, Max went out of his way to greet me with a handshake and a smile. He made my family feel welcome. He went out of his way to clip news articles out of the paper and give them to my children when their name or picture appeared. This made them feel loved and appreciated. He always asked how Stephanie (my second oldest child) was doing at college. He didn't just ask, he listened. He made a point of celebrating her accomplishments here at St. Ignatius. It was like we were a part of his family. He cared about our family.

Max Johnson was an extraordinary man. He didn't know my family, but he made a point to love them. He loved everyone else in so many ways. From shaking hands with congregational members after communion at St. Ignatius to attending almost every athletic contest here at Mission.  Max Johnson "loved" Mission.

The obituary in the Missoulian stated that Max passed away on Saturday, February 28. His son, Scott, said that in his father's last days he woke up several times and said that he would be leaving on Saturday because his Dad was picking him up to put out salt. Scott told me that Max left this world at noon on Saturday, both hands on the clock were straight up, just as his Dad had said. Ironically enough,  I was talking to my Dad on the phone and told him what Scott had said. His response was: "You know the Bible says that salt is a necessity of life." This morning I Googled "salt." Sure enough, Wikipedia says that salt metaphorically it signifies permanence, loyalty, durability, fidelity, usefulness, value and purification. Metaphorically, I think Max has been putting out salt all of his life.

Thank you Max Johnson. You are the salt of the earth.