Management And Leadership, A Christian Perspective: Business Analysis

This paper discusses three important elements of business communications as outlined in Chapter Five of the text-book, “Organizational Management and Leadership, A Christian Perspective” (Satterlee, 2009) and related to Chapters One and Two of the book “Resilient Leaders” (Dees, 2013). First, exceptional listening skills are essential for business leaders to enable effective responses during crises. Second, presentation substance, liken to competence, builds trust and credibility during stable times and times of crisis. Finally, leaders must understand the impact of their actions on organizational norms and on creating a corporate culture that encourages positive behaviors based on pure motives, especially during crises.

Key Words: listening, selfless service, substance, competence, norms, motives

Resilient Communications

The three concepts discussed in this paper are important because of their potential to impact on excellence in employees during stable times and maintaining a positive corporate culture and job satisfaction during crises. Listening is an essential skill, especially during

crises, because of its impact on stakeholders, peers, or employees. Similarly, the element of substance during presentations, or the demonstration of competence at any time, is essential to communicating credibility as well as being able to respond well during crises. Finally, leaders influence organizational norms by desiring to make a positive difference and serving as an example of having pure motives.
Three Concepts
Listening
Leaders are constantly involved in communications, and leaders who listen well, especially during a crisis, are more inclined to emerge from a crisis with increased trust in business relationships. The five key points to active listening include: paying attention, demonstrating that one is listening, providing feedback, deferring judgement, and responding appropriately (Satterlee, 2009, p. 136). The level at which a leader is able to do these things will be tested and demonstrated during a crisis, and savvy listening skills will position a leader to use a crisis as a teachable moment (Dees, 2013, p. 44). An article in Ivey Business Journal agrees that, “Setting up a culture of active listening requires CEOs to lead by example.” (Saxena, 2015, p. 3). Therefore, as leaders listen, they can positively influence the corporate culture and lead an organization through crises.
Substance
Whether providing a formal presentation or through informally communications during a crisis, business leaders must demonstrate substance, or competence. According to Satterlee, substance refers to “the speaker’s knowledge of the subject matter” (Satterlee, 2009, p. 140). Similarly, Dees placed competence in his definition of resilient leadership, “selfless service over time from a platform of character and competence” (Dees, 2013, p. 54). Dees also emphasized that with the importance of competence, character is the “trump card” (p. 76). Furthermore, an article in Leadership Excellence explained that “leadership competence primarily determines team performance.” (Hawkins, 2013). Therefore, in crises, deep rooted competence, coupled with foundational character will be invaluable to business leaders.
Norms
Leaders who know their employees individually and as a part of the organization have a keen awareness of norms and organizational culture.

An article in the Journal of Applied Psychology defines a norm as the “informal control structure that arises in teams to promote appropriate behaviors and sanction inappropriate behaviors” (Gonzalez-Mulé, DeGeest, McCormick, Seong, & Brown, 2014, p. 989). Hence, awareness of norms is valuable because it enables leaders to methodically set the example and influence norms during steady times then rely on those norms driving behavior during crises. If a leader is consistently committed to making a positive difference in their organization and demonstrating pure motives, employees should demonstrate similar character (Dees, 2013). Leaders influence norms by demonstrating desired norms, which will be key to navigating through

crises.
Conclusion
According to Dees, leadership is filled with “teachable moments”, and the three concepts presented in this paper influence a leader’s response during these moments (Dees, 2013, p. 39). First, well-honed listening skills enhance business relationships. Second, substance, or competence, builds trusting business relationships. Third, understanding the role of norms and the methods for influencing norms impact organizational culture. These elements work together to support leaders during normal operations as well as inevitable crises.