Peter Burchfield

FIELD NOTES: WEEK 45

The Pioneer Perspective for Week 45 is: CANOPY.

'Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. '

Isaiah 4:5

Here, the LORD himself is taking the responsibility to cover His people, day and night.

When we look at the usual org chart, we see the leaders at the top of it, but that doesn’t mean that they’re actually covering for the names underneath.

Leadership looks like covering for the people in your care. That’s NOT THE SAME as covering up shady business and unethical activities. Covering people in this context looks like protecting them from the elements and sharing the same canopy effect with everyone.

In a cancel culture, scared leaders push others into “the eye of Sauron” to hide themselves.

In a canopy culture, prepared leaders rely on time-tested standards to protect everyone from both rot within or ambushes without.

The big difference between covering up and offering a canopy is being clear about the standards that keep individuals and the team protected.

Sure, most founders and leaders want healthy team culture, but the people participating in that team culture have to promote each other’s health.

'But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. '

1 John 1:7

If the people on the team are walking in the light, they can experience amazing commadarie with others in that context. However, if people prefer to continue in shady business, or darker behaviors, then there is simply no room for that.

No matter how much someone wants to “make things work” or “win big here,” causing harm in the workplace cannot be tolerated, especially when leaders are involved in the harm being done.

It would be better to go it alone than to be isolated and mistreated on a team. For whatever reason, good people really struggle with this stuff, because they have good intentions. However, they’re cluttering their decision-making with secondary things instead of taking the primary issue(s) more seriously (and objectively).

The LORD is your canopy. He will cover you as you venture out towards hope and health.

And leaders are required to promote safety by taking cues from this example of day and night coverage. How would you practically offer coverage on the leadership level, especially if you feel unprepared to do so right now?

Don’t just wait for an answer. Think about it. Ask the LORD to give you wisdom about this. You’ll never see the leaders you need to succeed rise without this kind of canopy effect in your culture.

Most organizations have an ‘open door policy’ or monthly check-ins. I tend to think it may be more than that, but absolutely the low-hanging-fruit things as soon as possible. If you care about this sort of thing, you’ll figure it out.

Here To Pioneer with you!

- Peter Burchfield

Here’s What You Need To Know This Week:

1. I’m hosting The Prepared Leaders Challenge again next Thursday - Friday (11/13 - 11/14). Let’s work on your capacity-building before 2026 catches up with you.

2. This is the time to prepare Next Year Now! Reach out to setup a 2026 strategy workshop for your organization or team of leaders.

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© 2025 Peter Burchfield | All content shared is for educational purposes only and does not constitute professional, legal, or financial advice.