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Philosophy of servant leadership
Servant leadership versus transformational leadership
Philosophy of servant leadership
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How does being a Christian help or hurt the ability of a manager to help drive change in his/her organization?
Change can take people out of a place at work that has been comfortable for them for a long time. It is difficult for some people to accept the fact that change is unavoidable and no matter how much one resist, change will still happen. As Christians we understand the value and significant of putting people above profit. People need to be at the center of the decision making process specifically if they have spent the majority of their life in the organization. I am a Christian manager in the organization that I work for and my scope is that it appears that spirituality in the workplace have numerous application regarding organizational
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For example, new leaders may be promoted, job responsibilities may change, employees may have to learn new talents and competences, there will be a lot of uncertainty and resistant. Adaptation to change has predictable psychological stages that resemble the grieving process and describe normal reactions to change (SHAM, 2011). A manager has to appreciate how change effects people and the emotional pain that will be present because of the change. Being a Christian can hurt a manager’s ability to affect change because the manager’s concentration is on the objective of the change not the person’s problems. The point is to increase, not decrease their ability to effectively implement change. Being a Christian can hurt the ability of a manager to effect change because leaders that comes under pressure, often times lose their bearings or that sensitivity of how their decisions impacts the attitudes and actions of others. In other words, stress can case a Christian manager to stray away from Christian ethics and values. A Christian manager strives to live their values in the work they do. In other words, they bring Jesus to the workplace, and demonstrating the fruit of the …show more content…
For example, my approach to managing is with a servant leadership style which is helpful in driving change in our organization. To further explain the idea, servant leadership focus on the growth of a person, helping them reach their full potential. In other words, the person is more important than the organization. A servant leader is obligated to their followers just as Jesus was to his followers. Being a Christian can help the ability of a manager effect change in his/her organization when it comes to trust, communication and collaboration. The top three competencies when it comes to change are building trust, communication effectively and achieving collaboration (Society for Human Resource Management, 2011). When people are hurting and uncertain about their future, they tend to listen to those they trust. If the people trust you then they will listen to what one has to say. Therein is the foundation for communicating effectively and achieving collaboration. The message of change has to be communicated throughout the workforce continuously throughout the life of the project. The manager has to make a case for change. Can you imagine a preacher preaching a sermon when none of the people listening has his trust? The Christian’s manager has the creditability of accomplishing the buy-in from the stakeholder and as a result,
Leadership within Christian community should be with distinct qualities and traits of an effective Christian leader. The author defined leadership by not focusing on profit when Christ said, “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” The author explored the leadership qualities and practices that are not only distinct within the community of Christian leadership but also applicable in any arena of leadership. Significance comes from working with associates and friends. Similarly, the joy of success comes from the journey toward it than its accomplishment. Grace-full leader is a responsive leader who allows an organization to discontinue practices that are no longer effective and replace them with other good ideas and effective methods.
Transformational leadership theory conceptualized in the late 1970’s, proposed that leaders could motivate followers through shared vision and mutual interest to uplift the entire organization to a higher morality (Burns, 1978). Morality was defined as leaders and followers working together to fulfill organizational goals and achieve higher performances within a context of change and innovation. Leaders would surpass their own self-interest, in order to, foresee, foster, and indoctrinate a new organizational vision to their followers. Bass operationalized Burns’ seminal work into a leadership model to better indentify transformational leadership characteristics. The model emphasized four dimensions such as idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration in order to achieve success.
This is where transformational leaders excel in their roles as motivators and change agents; however, one characteristic that resonates most with followers is the leader’s ability to define vision and mission. Ballou (2015) used the analogy of an orchestra conductor possessing the musical score that provides the details for every participant in the ensemble. The ability of the leader to bring clarity to the vision enables followers to understand the ‘why’ of their hard work. While seemingly autocratic, followers accept direction from transformational leaders because they demonstrate selflessness and are most interested in the team’s success, not their own. These highly regarded traits can alleviate tension in diverse groups by focusing on the vision, not individual differences. While there are similarities between the servant and transformational leader, there are important differences as well. In the book, The Leadership Challenge (2002, p. 153), the authors suggested that transformational leadership affects not only the followers, but the leader as well, by raising each other to achieve the higher purposes of motivation and morality. Another vital component of transformational leadership is the fostering of participation when making decisions. It is never the intention of the leader to inject his or her opinion, especially at the onset of the process. This ability allows followers to arrive at consensus by encouraging team participation, which invites involvement and buy-in of the vision, while decreasing the likelihood of inter-team conflict. The true transformational leader inspires the team because they have achieved a high level of self-actualization, which allows them to encourage and recognize the achievements of others without feeling threatened. When followers are fortunate enough to be led by a transformational
Martins Luther’s vision for a future church where the bible was the standard for truth was blocked time and time again by bureaucracies within the church. Martin’s vision enabled him to lead the people through every huddle along the way. Luther’s use of influence changed the way I look at how I lead and influence others. How many times in the past did I face hurdles and gave up quickly. I must convey a vision for the future, one that will inspire my members to perceive a need for change. Therefore, I must use transformational leadership tools like “Idealized influence” and exhibit moral behavior to do the right thing to ensure I move my airmen from our current state to a better future state. Additionally, I need to use cognitive flexibility to incorporate different thinking strategies to “develop plans for different situations to be able to respond to change” (Crs 14 v6, LM06-2SG - 5). When I face hurdles, I must have many strategies to ensure my airmen will be able to get around obstacles to see the vision through. Furthermore, Martin Luther was so concerned for the truth and for the people of the Church that he was willing to risk his life for it. Though I most likely won’t have to risk my life, I must demonstrate ethical leadership by standing up for what is right. Status quo is the easy route for most leaders, but doing what is right sometimes comes with risk. Ethical traps like worry over image, loyalty syndrome, and ethical relativism can get into way (Crs 14 V6 LM01SG – 6). If I let my personal faith bias or worry over what people might think of me when doing what is right, then I will likely do nothing to bring about change. Additionally, Martin Luther had to rectify his vision against the bible to discern truth from a lie during his ethical dilemma to do what was right. Being a military leader, when I am faced with an ethical dilemma, I have to go to
Although written for church leadership, everyday church members would also benefit from understanding the concepts that Dawn is directing at God-empowered leaders. Ms. Dawn's work is predominantly scholarly, and she cites several other works at great length.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Satterlee Anita. (2013), Organizational Management and Leadership: A Christian Perspective. 2Ed. Synergistics International Inc. Raleigh, NC
Change is inevitable and bound to happen in all aspects of life including business. Although change is important in an organization, it can also be seen as a strength and weakness. Effective leadership is about mastering change. One must be willing to change in order to grow and be successful. This paper will compare and contrast Kotter and Kurt Lewin step in their change management models. Furthermore, it will elaborate on the concepts and explain whether these methods can be used at the same time. In addition, this paper will include a Christian worldview of the information discussed and how it relates to the change management models.
The rise of Christianity in western civilization is arguably among the most important memories in history. There is no denying what the spread of Christianity has done for the world, for better or worse. Its impact on western civilizations is unrivaled and unprecedented. Christianity slowly became something for many individuals to turn to; in times of hurt its provided comfort, in times of pleasure it has given thanks. The will and belief for salvation has driven individuals to be better, and to have a reference while in need. The rise of Christianity more than 2000 years ago provided necessary building blocks for the future. Without Christianity there would be no cathedrals, no monasteries, no music from one Johann Sebastian Bach, no paintings from Michelangelo, nor no philosophy from Saint Augustine (Backman 205). There are countless times in history, whether good or bad, that can be credited to
As a Christian the word of God will be in the forefront of every decision or task. Servant leadership emphasizes many biblical principles. As a leader each task should be undertaken
Bakewell, Ken. "A Christian Approach to Management and Work." n.d. librarianscf. 30 March 2011 .
What is Christianity and why has it been able to develop into a continuously growing and evolving religion?
The following essay will evaluate the importance of the journey that takes place from Systematic to Practical theology; this view will be explored through Ronelle Sonnenberg’s research done regarding ‘being together’ in a youth setting. This essay will first build on the basis of Practical Theology; furthermore addressing the importance of the community aspect within a youth setting; this will lead to the process that takes place between a Systematic stance, leading to a Practical theological stance.
The Catholic Church’s corruption during the late Middle Ages further enabled church reforms due to the ever-increasing view of the loss of credibility within the church by both the laity and clergy. Thus implementing the ideas of reform. Martin Luther is considered the father of the reformation where he instigated the challenging for the church, papal authority, and changed how the people were allowed to worship. Carlstadt and Zwingli, much like Luther, practiced Evangelical traditions, however, they expanded further than Luther in regards to doctrine and practice. John Calvin on the other hand challenged some of the Evangelical and Reformed Traditions by various religious changes politically and socially. Lindberg examines the Evangelical
...ps that usually seek to be empowered and motivated towards success during times of uncertainty. In light of the emergence of emotional intelligence in leadership, transformational style suits the modern workplace and organizations because it contributes to the development of a highly-motivated and productive workforce. The effectiveness of approach is also attributed to its ability to motivate followers to accomplish more than what they are expected.
A journal article titled Defining and Measuring Servant Leadership Behaviour in Organizations published in March 2008 compared various contemporary leadership models (transformational, authentic, spiritual and servant) and concluded that the servant leadership model extends the works of the other leadership approaches (Sendijaya, Sarros, Santora, 2008). This article also touches on the concept of spiritual leadership which is of interest to me because of my Christian