Name: Ron Simms

Title: National Lead

Organisation: Full GOspel Australia

Ron placed his faith in Christ as a young teenager. He joined the local Methodist church and later a Pentecostal church. Ron joined Full Gospel in 1989 as the pastor of a local fellowship. Ron has, over the years, served in a variety of ministry-focused positions from youth work to missions, in local churches and para-church organisations. He has taught in Bible colleges and ministry training schools as well as engaging in a number of successful businesses. He currently serves with his wife, Justine providing support and member care for pastors throughout Australia.

Ron holds a Master of Ministry with a major in Leadership (Harvest), an Executive Master of Business; Leadership through Coaching and Mentoring (EMBA – LCAM) from Queensland University of Technology [QUT], and an Executive Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (QUT).

Ron and Justine have two adult children and four grandchildren, and he enjoys sudoku, writing, and people.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Ron's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Leadership in a VUCA world (Volatile; Uncertain; Complex and Ambiguous) demands constant self-appraisal, the ability to pivot quickly, and a willingness to be comfortable with uncertainty and unexpected outcomes.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

The call of God on my life meant that I was constantly placed in situations where leadership was put before me. This coupled with my natural preferences drew me into circumstances of leadership. The first leadership positions offered to me were in my teens. As I look back now, I see the hand of the Lord in my life and the directions I thought I was taking, were actually of the Lord's instigation and moving. Even when circumstances were challenging, the Lord's hand was there, guiding, helping, and moving me in the direction he wanted me to go.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

My work days are a cacophony of preset appointments, set tasks which must be accomplished, and unexpected surprises. I never know what a work day will bring. I run two calendars that work together to bring my different roles together. There are some appointments that are regular and do not vary, others are able to be shifted. People are most important to me.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

Sometimes leading from the front means that you enter unpleasant circumstances before those who follow you.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

Green Leaf in Drought by Isobel Khun. This book is the story of missionary Arthur Mathews and his family's ordeals as they waited to be repatriated from China in the 1950s after the communist government began to systematically oppress Christianity in general and missionaries in particular.

I have read and re-read this book as a devotional, inspired by Mathew's faith, humbled by the trials the little family endured, and heartened by the way the Lord supplied needs, walked with them through trials, and gave them victory in so many situations. My own faith in times of need has been bolstered, my thoughts on the transformative power of the Holy Ghost have been shaped partly by the accounts in this book.

Leadership is more than populist fashion and empty memes, it is having the audacity and purpose to take God at his word, love the ones he gives you, and live the life he leads you into with honour, purpose and holiness.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Find a leader who has gone before, who exhibits traits of holiness, righteousness, and wisdom. Befriend them, serve them and learn from them, emulate them as they emulate Christ.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

An older, very successful leader befriended me and began to speak into my life. I was honoured and very pleased. I treasured our times together and learned much from this older saint.

However, a time came when this leader blamed me for things for which I was not responsible. No matter how I tried to overcome this situation, the other voices in his life were louder than mine, and the truth of what had happened remained unheard. That relationship was never restored, we went our separate ways and he passed away before there could be any reconciliation.

I learned that God is the Lord of my days, my relationships, and all my life. God is better to me than a thousand friends and mentors. It is appointed once for man to die and then the judgment. We will all give an account for the way we have lived, the things we have done in this life, and the attitudes we have allowed to remain in our lives.

As leaders, we need to be those who hold to the holiness and righteousness of Christ, love one another with compassion and forgiveness, and live with a bravery that shines as bright as the sun.