True Your Compass to Lead, Teach, and Navigate Life Well
We are certainly living in uncharted territory. Social media, societal pressures, changing political landscapes, and different seemingly acceptable norms for behavior make it hard to know what is right and wrong - and even harder to understand how to teach it.
In this episode of Clearly Christian, Dr. Cy Smith, Superintendent with Mansfield Christian School, welcomes Dr. Keith McDaniel, USAF officer and pilot, and Superintendent of Shiloh Christian School in Springdale, Arkansas to discuss what it means to lead and educate in uncharted territory during uncertain times. Together, they explore the parallels between military leadership and Christian education, and how core values and trust can guide students and leaders alike through uncertain times.
Leading Off the Map: The Importance of Core Values
Dr. Smith opens by referencing Todd Bolsinger’s book Canoeing the Mountains, which uses the story of Lewis and Clark to illustrate leadership in uncharted territory. When Lewis and Clark expected to find a river leading to the Pacific Ocean, they were instead confronted by the vast Rocky Mountains, forcing them to shift their entire approach. Dr. Smith uses this as a metaphor for the complex challenges leaders face today. “We are certainly leading off the map in many ways,” he explains, noting the volatile, uncertain world we live in. “How will we chart the course where the future is nothing like the past?”
That’s where the discussion turns to “maps”, “compasses”, and “true north”.
Chalkboard Point #1: In uncharted territory, be clear about your convictions.
For the leader in uncharted territory, you must recommit to your core values and be clear about your convictions. The focus here is on developing credibility because no one is going to trust you off of the map unless they trust you on the map.
Chalkboard Point #2: In uncharted territory, find and establish "True North”
For the young person in unchartered territory, you must know how to establish a “True North.” You must keep asking questions until you find real answers, answers that not only make sense but are proven correct. Christian schools teach what is “True North” with confidence, knowing that everything that is true can be traced back to the mind of God.
The Role of Trust in Leadership
Trust is a central theme in Dr. Keith McDaniel’s leadership philosophy, and he draws on his military experience to explain why trust is crucial. “Trust is the singular differentiator—whether a person absorbs and applies what you’re actually going to say,” McDaniel asserts.
He explains how students today, with access to endless information, need trustworthy guides to help them navigate through competing narratives and find the truth.
In agreement, Dr. Smith asserted, “When you're a young person living in a culture that bombards you with over a thousand messages a day and you have access to all the information you could ever want at your fingertips, and then you feel as if most adults don't really understand the world in which you live, now more than ever, you need a single reference point, something true that you can count on.”
True North: Teaching Students to Find Their Own Direction
One of the most powerful metaphors discussed in the episode is the concept of "True North." Dr. McDaniel uses the analogy of a compass and a map to explain how Christian education helps students align their internal compass with biblical truth. “Our job is to develop a biblical worldview so that students can navigate life, even when they no longer have the 'map' of school,” he says.
He emphasizes that students will face many distractions and challenges as they grow, but if they have a clear sense of True North—rooted in God’s truth—they will be able to stay on course. He explains that this process begins with spiritual formation in schools, ensuring that the gospel is central to everything they learn. “The gospel is interwoven into who we are... His truth guides their internal compass,” McDaniel says.
Letting Kids Fail
Dr. McDaniel also highlights the importance of letting students face discomfort and challenges in a controlled environment. Drawing from his military experience, and that as a football coach, he explains how stress can actually enhance learning and resilience. “There has to be a certain level of stress imparted for real, true, long-term memory learning to occur,” McDaniel explains. This philosophy applies both in the classroom and in life, as students need to experience difficult situations in order to build the resilience they will need in the future.
Dr. Smith agrees, adding that adults often underestimate how much students can handle. “We need to teach kids to navigate stress, not shield them from it,” he says, encouraging parents and educators to allow students to struggle and grow through those experiences.
In this episode, Dr. Smith and Dr. McDaniel dig deep with a real, open, and honest conversation about how Christian leaders can navigate the uncharted territory of today’s world by staying rooted in core values, building trust, and teaching students to align their lives with biblical truth.
As Dr. McDaniel puts it, “Our mission is to develop godly leaders who engage their culture and change it.”
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