Successful Leadership

Successful Leadership

The sixth president of the United States of America, John Quincy Adams said of leadership, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." (Wisdomquotes.com) The dictionary defines leader as, “a person who rules or guides or inspires others”. (WorldNet, dictionary.com) At its most basic level leadership is one’s ability to inspire and influence. Though leaders often lead others to accomplish more, poor leadership can be the source of extreme frustration and lead to subpar performance. The success of the workplace is contingent on good leadership. Many organizations are run smoothly and efficiently while others are swamped down in chaos and confusion. The difference is leadership. The workplace is an excellent setting that provides countless opportunities for the development and improvement of leadership skills. I believe successful leadership can be narrowed down to three essential factors in the workplace; concentration on people, clear communication, and leadership character.

PEOPLE

A good leader understands that he or she cannot accomplish anything without the support of followers. Leaders rally the support of their followers. MacMillan states in his book, The Performance Factor, “Leaders who must rely on positional authority and autocratic style to achieve their ends seldom see the levels of performance shown to leaders who see their role as one of service and support.” (MacMillan, 20) The best way to rally support and the best efforts of the people being led is by showing love, dignity, and respect. The secular leader can apply the principles of this model, but only a Christian can understand the reasoning behind it. A leader recognizes and is oriented to the fact 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) Christian leaders are compelled to achieve goals in order to grow and develop others as well as themselves. The goal isn’t the goal; instead it is the journey and the transformation that takes place inside

Servant leaders operate on the assumption that their own personal goals are not the primary to the goals of their followers. Instead, a leader’s ambition is to help their followers reach their goals. A good leader looks out for the interests of others as an act of love. Scott Peck says, “I define love thus: The will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.” (Peck, 81) The leader also benefits from helping others through an indirect means. “When one has successfully extended one’s limits, one has then grown into a larger state of being. The act of loving is an act of self-evolution even when the purpose of the act is someone else’s growth”. (Peck, 82)

More often than not managers get involved in leadership roles for self-interests that include status and wealth. However, in Scripture the model of leadership is vastly different. The ultimate example of leadership is Jesus’ servant leadership. Servant leadership is the submission of the leader's ego and will in order to meet the needs of the followers. Scripture says, “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:43-45)

Followers must know how much you care before they will care how much you know. A leader empathizes with others and makes every effort to understand and gain trust. Throughout the New Testament Jesus Christ used compassion to communicate love for others in his message, instead of focusing on title, authority, or other types of position power. According to James Hind, "The corporate culture of Christ was built around concern for and care for others, not Himself. He immersed His self-regard and promoted humility of the heart. This gave Him an overwhelming and compelling appeal. This theme, putting your own self- importance aside and serving others, is the vital center of Jesus teachings."

Though traditionally money, power, prestige, and recognition define success, Christ viewed service to others as the greatest accomplishment. By showing a genuine concern for people, Jesus was able to reach people and commission them to furthering His mission. The condition of the heart is the key issue because from the heart flows the thoughts and actions of the leader.

Leaders appreciate the value of people and do not treat them as problems to be solved rather they deal with the problem itself. It is for the very