In recent years, God has been faithful to enlarge the territory of D+C Australia – and no small part is due to the efforts and leadership of Josh Crowther, our Executive Director there.
Josh joined me on a recent episode of The Dunham Podcast to talk about some ways he has learned to “bridge the gap” when leading globally.
Josh, let’s start by talking about some hurdles to overcome when it comes to leading a global organization. What challenges have you faced?
Josh: I would first say that there is a complexity of different perspectives. Environments look different in every setting and even within the states, different cultures exist. Add a whole new continent and all of a sudden you have very different value systems… among other things.
We’re deeply connected thanks to technology and able to tap into people’s expertise, no matter where they are on the map. There’s so much value that can come from that. But as the pitfall, one of the things is simply time zone.
For instance, your team is winding down and ready for your afternoon nap when we’re just getting up and going in the morning. So getting in the same brain space can be very hard. We’re pretty intentional, I will say, about getting face time. Because at the end of the day, when you meet together, it deepens the relationship.
Now that we’re in this new environment due to the pandemic, face time is essentially gone so it takes much more effort to maintain those relationships. Asking intentional questions is key… “How are you doing personally? How is your family holding up?”
Understanding someone’s environment, and the state they’re operating in is pretty critical. And then you have to communicate that to a wider team because it’s not just me, it’s also many of my team and many of your team, Trent, who connect on a regular basis.
In any given week, we could have 10, maybe even 20 conversations that have happened between our offices about various projects. That alone strengthens the bridge between us.
Trent: We get the opportunity to serve ministries now around the globe that we otherwise wouldn’t have the privilege to serve if we only had an office in Dallas. Give us an insider’s view into the types of ministries we serve in Australia and the areas of influence we have as a company.
Josh: Many of the ministries we work with here in Australia are advocacy organizations. They are the voice of truth in the public square, and spend their time advocating for values that God cares about. And that gets us in the door politically.
Then in addition, we work closely with those involved in Christian media such as radio stations and broadcast ministries. In Australia, Christian media is an interesting beast and it reaches a lot of people who have never attended church. Over 5 million people listen to Christian radio, for instance. That’s a huge footprint.
For more insight into leading and succeeding in a global organization, be sure to listen to The Dunham Podcast Episode, Defining Success from a Global Perspective with Josh Crowther.
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