Who is Blind Spot Leadership?
Blind Spot Leadership is the result of decades of leadership experience on behalf of founders Don Jones and Mike Picconatto.
Most of our leadership experience has been in the non-profit realm, leading in churches and in partnership with nonprofit organizations that serve internationally.
Currently living in Berlin, Germany, Don and Mike continue to explore what it means to live in a multi-cultural environment and serve on a team that ministers to the international community that is Berlin.
Runners, Free Athletes, and 5x Tough Mudder finishers, Don and Mike enjoy discovering their limits and challenging themselves to go beyond them.
Don Jones
Don Jones is without a doubt the most sought out person in his household when it comes time to make tacos! As a devoted husband and father he loves finding adventure, reading, writing, traveling, watching movies, listening to music and running crazy races that push him to the edge. He is a committed cultural learner, and has spent the last 10 years of his life “becoming German”.
Don studied Youth Ministry at Nyack College and went on to earn his MA in Intercultural Studies from Alliance Theological Seminary. During his years in Nyack he met and married his wife Sarah. From 1999-2005 they lived in State College, PA and worked in the areas of Youth Ministry and Christian Education. In July 2005 they became parents and in November 2005 they moved to Berlin, Germany. Since then they have added one more child to the family, learned the German language and been actively involved in many aspects of church planting.
Having grown up struggling with anxiety issues, Don brings a unique perspective to the concepts of leadership, relationship, family and fatherhood. Having seen how his fears and anxieties have blindsided him in the past, he is grateful for the way that God has helped to redeem those struggles, and is excited to share his journey with those who are going through similar situations. His hope is that by sharing his journey he can help others understand more about leading from a place of redemption.
He is also trying his hand at being a DJ!
Mike Picconatto
Leadership has always been an important part of my life.
My dad weas an officer in the Air Force, and as we moved from duty assignment to duty assignment I had the opportunity to sometimes see how he interacted with the men he led. I also had the opportunity to see how other men and women who lived around us, or that we attended church with, or that we saw in their work and social environments led.
I saw leaders who were successful and good at what they did, with people under and around them who enjoyed being with them. I also saw leaders who seemed to leave wakes of negativity in their paths.
As I began getting older, I knew that I wanted to be a leader that people enjoyed being with. I remember several occasions very clearly that began to cement what that would mean for me. The first was going to watch my dad play volleyball. As he played with a team of people from work, I remember them calling him “Major P”. A nickname for their boss. That was cool. I also remember visiting him at the office a couple of times, and seeing the way different people interacted with my dad, whom they liked and also respected, and watching them interact with other officers – who they treated with respect only becase of their position.
I started my education studying computer science at Minot State University, and then transferred to Crown College where I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Youth Ministry. I also met my wife at Crown and we were married in the summer of 1996.
That same summer I started working as a youth pastor at Maple Plain Community Church, in Maple Plain, MN. I spent six years working as a youth pastor, and then accepted a Lead Pastor role at Staples Alliance Church in Staples, MN.
During my 16 years of US ministry, Elissa and I added three wonderful children to our family. I also finished a Master’s Degree in Ministry Leadership, also from Crown College.
We now live in Berlin, Germany, where we work as International Workers for The Alliance. Our current assignment involves the development and launching of a Ministry and Cultural Center in down-town Berlin. Our work brings us in contact with leaders in different organizations as we partner with them to find ways to make ministries grow. We also work with artists and other creative people to help them achieve their dreams and impact the culture of the city we live in.