News

The course LD 101 is a good overview of Leadership. Dr. Irving discusses Christian Leadership in Unit 1 and provides a framework for Leadership Ministry in Unit 2. I found these segments very enlightening and inspiring. Briefly, I will discuss the example of Christ as a Servant Leader and where Christian Leaders should draw the power from to be servant leaders themselves. I will also discuss what leaders focus on for effective leadership and the qualities of the servant leader.

In Philippians 2:1-11

Jesus released His reputation, He emptied Himself,

He took on the form of a servant,

He took on the likeness of men, embracing humanity,

He humbled Himself in submission to His Father,

and was obedient to the point of death.

Jesus is the example the model believers ought to follow. Believers are called to have the same attitude of Christ. The attitude of releasing reputations and emptying ourselves in service to God and one another. The attitude of taking the lower position of a servant. The attitude of loving people not from afar but coming close, embracing the humanity around us. The attitude of humility, seeking His agenda and becoming servants of that agenda. The attitude of obedience, surrendering carnal motives to bring God glory, to make His Kingdom the priority in our lives.

Jesus is not only our example but the means through which the believer will be empowered to become the Leader they are called to be. We need the work of Jesus on our behalf to produce in us the fruit required of leadership. This is gospel-oriented leadership. Jesus is our example and also enabler. We draw upon the resources of Christ and serve others because He first serves us. We embrace humanity because He first embraced us. We humble ourselves because He humbled Himself and was obedient to the point of death. Jesus is both the model and means of service.

The Servant Leader will:

·      Have the Mindset of Christ

·      Have the Attitude of Christ

·      Draw upon the Power of Christ

Moving onto the discussion of the focus of Servant Leadership, Dr. Irving answers 3 important questions. What is the focus for the “what” of leadership? What is the focus for the “how” of leadership? What is the focus for the “why” of leadership? The “what” of leadership is centered around Goals. The “how” of leadership is focused on Followers. And the “why” of leadership is focused on Purpose. In other words, leaders pursue excellence by orienting around goals, focusing on followers, and motivating through purpose. In goal-path leadership the 4 key variables are to first clearly define goals, second to clarify the path towards achieving those goals, thirdly to remove any obstacles from the path, and fourthly to provide support for followers along the way. The leader provides guidance and psychological structure, is directive, supportive, participative, and helpful. The servant leader is focused on the people whom they lead. They focus on the growth of their followers. Servant leadership is follower oriented. Now the discussion transitions to the “why” aspect of leadership. Why is the work important? Why does it matter? People want to know that what they do has significance and meaning. They want to feel that there is value in what they are spending their time doing. For leaders to intrinsically motivate followers they must be good at relating the goals, the path, to meaning and purpose. This approach to leadership is also knows as meaning-centered leadership.

Dr. Irving discusses, at good length, the qualities of the Servant Leader. He quotes several authors in the discussion of the leadership traits of servant leaders. One of the authors is Jim Laub. Jim Laub provides 6 primary behaviors associated with servant leaders. Those are:

1.       servant leaders value people

2.       servant leaders develop people

3.       servant leaders build community

4.       servant leaders build authenticity

5.       servant leaders provide leadership, but they don’t just stay there

6.       they also share leadership

The importance of people is at the heart of the servant leader as discussed earlier. Another resource Dr. Irving references is in the U.S. News & World Report, where author Gergen noted the following:

“Increasingly, the best leaders are those

who don’t order but persuade;

[they] don’t dictate but draw out;

[they] don’t squeeze but grow the people around them.

Dr. Irving points out the behaviors of servant leaders:

·      they are considering the needs of followers

·      putting follower interest above their own interest as a leader

·      above even the organization’s interest as a whole

He continues to discuss more in depth the qualities of Leadership. He, along with coauthor Gail Longbotham, developed the 9 Qualities of Leadership. These 9 qualities of leadership are clustered into 3 groups as follows:

Cluster One: Beginning with Authentic Leaders

·      modeling what matters

·      engaging in honest self-evaluation

·      fostering collaboration

Cluster Two: Understanding the Priority of People

·      valuing and appreciating

·      creating the place for individuality

·      understanding relational skills

Cluster Three: Navigating toward Effectiveness

·      communicating with clarity

·      supporting and resourcing

·      providing accountability

Without going into too much detail, the first cluster involves the authenticity of the leader where there is personal growth through self-reflection and introspection. There is clearly expressed and consistently demonstrated values by the leader and they foster collaboration through encouraging followers to work together versus competing against each other. In the Second cluster the leader understands the value of the followers. Appreciation and acknowledgment is communicated authentically and connected to reality. The leader exercises effective critical relational skills. Skills like empathetic communication, authentic listening, commitment to fairness and equality, creating a sense of safety and security for followers, caring and kind, and being approachable. In the Third cluster the leader is one who communicates effectively in a variety of contexts and through various channels. A leader that removes barriers and builds necessary bridges so that followers thrive in their responsibilities. And lastly a leader that holds followers accountable with the emphasis on developing people and not ordering them around.

So the Servant Leader models Christ and draws the power to do so from Christ. The Servant Leader focuses on goals and followers and is able to motivate by linking meaning, significance, and purpose to the work or service performed. The Servant Leader is about people. They foster growth, open and authentic empathetic communication, while modeling values. Dr. Irving has shown through research and Biblical principles that Servant Leadership is the most effective leadership today as it was 2000 years ago with the ultimate Servant Leader Jesus Christ.