Key Elements of Successful Leadership
John Quincy Adams provided one of my favorite quotes on leadership; “If your
actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a
leader.” In its most basic form leadership refers to influence. Though leaders often help
us to accomplish more, poor leadership can also be the source of extreme frustration.
The importance of good leadership is apparent on a college campus. Many organizations
run smoothly and efficiently while others are mired in chaos and confusion; the
difference is leadership. The college setting provides many opportunities for the
development of leadership expertise. I believe three common factors exist in all
successful leadership; a focus on people, clear communication, and character.
A good leader understands that he or she cannot accomplish anything without the
support of followers. The best way to develop this support is by showing love, dignity,
and respect to the people being led. The secular manager can apply the principles of this
model, but only a Christian can understand the reasoning behind it. A proper perspective
recognizes that “all people have inherent value by virtue of being created in the image of God, and thus [have] an inherent right to develop to their fullest potential.” (Hind, 20) Instead of using people in order to accomplish goals, Christian leaders should accomplish goals in order to develop people.
I often get involved in leadership roles for self-promotion and increased status.
However, the Scriptural model of leadership is much different. Jesus is the ultimate
example of what is oft labeled servant leadership. Servant leadership is the submission of the leader’s ego and will in order to meet...
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...rinciples in the
pursuit of Christlike leadership. Above all I must realize that leadership is not about
personal glory, but it is about the mission that God has given me, and the people that I am responsible to lead.
Works Cited:
Brown, Bill “Three Perspectives on Leadership”
4/16/2004 Speech given to Organizational Leadership class
Dubrin, Andrew J. Leadership: Research Findings, Practice and Skills 2nd Edition
Houghton Mifflin Company, Princton, NJ, 1998
Hind, James F. The Heart & Soul of Effective Management (1989)
Victor Books, Wheaton, Ill.
Lewis, Jone Johnson “Leadership Quotes” © 1995-2003
http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_leadership.html
Maxwell, John C. The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader (1999)
Thomas Nelson Publishers, New York, NY
Swindoll, Charles R. Hand Me Another Brick (1978)
Thomas Nelson Publishers, New York, NY
Servant leadership, as defined by Spears (2010) “Servant leadership seeks to involve others in decision making, is strongly based in ethical and caring behavior, and enhances the growth of workers while improving the caring and quality of organizational life”. Spears (2010) goes on to describe ten pillars of servant leadership: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community. Listening is not only listening with purpose to the employee but also communicating the views and goals of the organization to the employee. Empathy is about understanding and accepting employees as well as recognizing employee efforts. Healing aids in helping employees on an emotional level, employees go through turbulent times throughout their career; therefor the servant leader is a liaison within the relationship. Awareness, self-awareness strengthens the leader values and ethics, awareness aids the leader in looking at problems from a more integrated approach. Persuasion is seeking to convince rather than coerce employees or persuading employees rather than using an authoritarian approach. Conceptualization is looking beyond day-to-day problems and dreaming big, while day-to-day operations are important for the organization, leaders must keep their eye on the bigger
The Servant Leader discusses the importance of leaders who adopt a service oriented attitude in which they care for the needs of others before their own. A servant leader need not be an actual servant or have ever been a servant to become a servant leader. Rather, a servant leader is born with or adopts an “others first” disposition. Climbing through the ranks may help to create a servant leader, though it is not necessary. When leaders choose to see that the needs of their followers or their organizations are the highest priority they become servants.
In addition to confirming the theological core of servant leadership, the project will seek to build unity and a culture of teamwork which will enhance discipleship, commitment to serving and an overall healthy environment where the heart of Christ is manifested for the world to see God incarnate through the church. Healthy leaders are important for this project because healthy leaders will foster teamwork, unity and greater fellowship. As a result, of teamwork and unity healthy leaders will establish a culture which will aid in developing future servant leaders.
Servant leadership is both a leadership philosophy and set of leadership practices. Traditional leadership generally involves the
There are different traits associated with leaderships; many researchers have come to the conclusion that leaders will have certain attribute that will make them unique. Stogdill’s on his several surveys came up with 10 positive traits of leadership Northhouse (2013, p.21). After several researches, a list of traits that are central to leadership qualities are the self-confidence of a leader, how intelligent he or she is, how determined they are to achieve to their personal/organisational goal, how much integrity they have and how sociable are they Northhouse (2013, p.23). This is not to say that these are the only traits that are identified with a leader.
Servant leadership is both a leadership philosophy and set of leadership practices. Traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid.” By comparison, the servant-leader shares power puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible (Northouse, 2013). One person I feel is a great example of a servant leader is mother Teresa. Mother Teresa, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was born August 26, 1910 in what is today Skopje, Macedonia. At the age of 12, she began showing interest in the life of missionaries and felt that she was being called to a life of serving God. By the time she was 18 she had left home and joined the Sisters of Loreto, never to see her mother or sister again. Though based out of Ireland, the Sisters of Loreto had a mission in Calcutta, India, where Mother Teresa spent most of her life serving as a teacher and helping the poor. Upon taking her first vows as a nun in 1931, she chose the name Teresa after the patron saint of missionaries.
Furthermore, this principle underscores the ability of the leader’s power to engage employees, as opposed to leading through the authority of the leader. Moreover, organizational objectives are achieved when leaders build connections with all stakeholders as they serve, motivate and inspire when nurturing service and values among the workforce. When “Servant Leadership” is authentic, the tangible outcomes are prevalent as the creative, innovative potential of the follower’s increases, resulting in maximized productivity, performance and loyalty (Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 2017). The most significant act of “Servant Leadership” is demonstrated in Mark 10:45 “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (ESV) and it’s this verse that underscores servant leadership in” Philippians 2:4 that states “Let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also for the interest of others”
According to Bolman and Deal (2008), the idea of leadership is not quite straightforward, and there is a debate as to what effective leadership is. However, the authors offer a few elements that define leadership from different viewpoints. Just like many elements within the symbolic frame, leadership is not something tangible nor can it be simply assigned (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Unlike authorities, leaders are not necessarily appointed and do not have to hold an official managerial position (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Instead, leaders are created through relationships with people and their perceptions of the person as a leader (Bolman & Deal, 2008). However, not only leaders could be in the authority
Leadership is a dynamic and interesting topic. There have been hundreds of studies done on the subject, and many seek to find out why some leadership styles are better than others. Other studies attempt to look into the personality traits of certain leaders to find any defining characteristics that makes them stand out among their peers. The information gathered here is from all over the world, and from multiple disciplines. In all of these studies, common themes begin to arise from the data. Coaches, managers, team leaders and experts in the field of study, all agree that these main three topics are crucial for effectively leading any group of people. Building trust, communicating effectively, and looking towards
Servant-leadership is a way of life that evolves and matures with the passage of time. This way of life transforms spiritual people, with strong and stable emotions, into someone who has a deep understanding of truth and the world around them.
“First, there is the call to be a Christian. Second, for each individual there is a specific call—a defining purpose or mission, a reason for being. Every individual is called of God to respond through service in the world. Third, there is the call that we face each day in response to the multiple demands on our lives—our immediate duties and responsibilities” (Smith, ...
The attributes a leader should possess is effective communication, respect, dedication, goal-oriented, credibility, and approachable.
“Transformational leaders focus on followers, motivating them to high levels of performance, and in the process, help followers develop their own leadership potential” (Ronald, 2009). There are several key component of the transformational styles: Idealized Influence, Inspirational motivation and Intellectual stimulation. There are more key components but for me the ones that I mentioned are the most important. A leader who idealized influence is the one that serves as an ideal role model for followers, the one who does the right thing and influence his followers. Inspirational motivation
A good leader is hard to find, especially when living in a world that seems to prize individuals who do not embody the three characteristics that define an exceptional leader. Each of these characteristics can be developed and are not automatically given to a certain group of people, however they do require hard word and a desire to better yourself. A good listener, thoughtful individual, and humble person are all traits that I value most in a leader and use to define good leadership.
Servant leadership, having experienced it personally in my religious organization that despite the fact that leaders have to lead by examples, the challenges is when followers or committee members produce less result overtime. Followers or committee members in church often believes that to be a leader and a servant at the same time, they can step in and complete most of the on-going church programs or tasks. Therefore, being aware of this attitude by followers or committee members, team leadership could be apply team leadership to supplement servant leadership that facing this kind of