In management education and training in the last one century, much has been said, discussed and studied about leadership. Theories have evolved and been proposed regarding leadership and the various types of leadership, by various management gurus. In my training in Professional Social Work also we came across such theories in connection with Organisational Development and Organisational Behaviour.
Generally, the distinction accepted between the two concepts - management and leadership - is that the former seeks efficient utilisation of resources - huMan, Money, Material and Methods - for maximum output or maximisation of profit; whereas the former is more about putting people in the right relationships (place, position, persons) so that the organisation is effective in attaining its purposes. It is good that the Leader has managerial skills, but it is not a must to be a good leader; whereas, for a manager to be really effective, it is important that s/he possess leadership qualities.
Leadership implies envisioning/vision setting, guiding, challenging, inspiring, correcting, involving and including people. It implies dreaming and setting people afire. The ideal leader, is an enlightened one (buddha), who has the inner light, and who is able to spread the light around. Jesus was one such rare leader who had the courage to claim that he was the light, and the path, those who walked in him will reach the goal (the utlimate self, whom he named Father).
Bass (1985, 1991) lists four dimensions of transformation leadership, namely, charisma , inspiration, intellectual stimulation and individualised consideration. Though I don't intend to examine these four aspects, when the combination of 'transformation' and 'leadership' is presented, the first name that comes to me is that of Jesus, who laid the foundations for the world's largest and the most organised organisation, the Catholic Church, the predominant variant of the institutionalised version of the organisation he initiated two thousand years ago.
To me, Jesus is the one in whom we can find almost all of the ideals the modern organisations would expect or require from a leader. Perhaps, a person following Islam may find many leadership traists in Prophet Muhammed, or someone in Hindu religous tradition may
VISION: Jesus makes his first public appearance with a clear vision of Kingodm of God (Mk 2:14-15; Jn 18:36; Lk 17:21). Now a days, in good governance or in sustainable democracy discussions, what we speak about is 'rule of law'. Jesus' ideal is 'Rule of God', God reigns, God's rules are the rules in the Kingodm, rather God (read, goodness itself) is the rule. Jesus gave that rule the name 'love' for your neighbour, service/help for anyone found to be around you in some need (Lk 10:25-37) - irrespective of your love-hate, like-dislike, affiliations. That was a radical thought for well being.
MISSION: Jesus is seen to be keenly aware and articulate of his mission with respect to the vision he has before him. As a young boy, he shows this clarity to his parents, 'Am I not to be in my father's house?'. He appears in the public with the announcment of his mission, termed Nazareth Manifesto. It is a misssion of announcing the goodnews of wellbeing to all through liberating them from social, physical and spiritual oppression, suppression and infirmities.' (Lk 4:16). And he literally goes about doing that (Act 10:39)
BUILDING UP SECOND LINE OF LEADERSHP
Very often new organisations get stunted as there is no one guide them, once the first level of leadership is gone. Hence the importance of identifying and developing second line of leadership. This we find in Jesus from the very beginning of the launch of his mission. He identifies, invites, inducts, grooms and evaluates his second line, that when he disappears in an apparently untimley manner, there is a group of leaders equipped to build the edifice of a great organisation (Lk 6:12-15).
STRATEGY of ACCOMPANYING
The basic strategy of this peripatetic teacher is that of accompanying - they accompany him, he accomapnies them.
A Bible story is very revealing in this dynamcis (Lk 21:) : we have an instance narrated in which 2 of the disciples going away from Jerusalem, the epicentre of troubles for Jesus culminating in his death. They are dejected, desperate - But Jesus, who has come back to life from death, approaches them, join them in the journey, and in the process of their converation, they feel the warmth and light, leading them to invite him to stay over with them. As they gather for supper, they recognize their Guru, and emboldened and energized, they rush back to Jerusalem to share their joy.
We see Jesus walking across the towns and cities with his disciples in company, making them imbibe his vision through his conversations and actions.
"I have called you friends" is how he refers to his disciples. They have the freedom to ask questions and clarify his positions.
The articulation of the two, is what a visionary leader should be able to do with his team: "Didn't our hearts burn within when he was explaining the scripture to us?" - providing inspiration to follow the path. Two dejected minds are set aflame, and from a kind of 'retreat' they are resolutely back in the track.
MODELLING - Walk the Talk*
Jesus was perhaps the first leader to claim that it was enough for the disciples to follow him to realise the truth "Follow me" (Jn 21: 23), "Do as I have done" (Jn 13.15), "I am the truth and the way" (Jn. 14:6). Setting oneself at the height of what is expected is what a leader should do.
High energy level - Being a model to the followers or team-mates also implies high levels of energy. You just don't get tired or refuse to get tired. Your work keeps you going, in spite of all odds: 'My food is to do the will of my father' (Jn 5:29) and "when it is the day, I must accomplish the works of him who sent me" (Jn 9:4)
Compassion - While setting high standards for himself, he did not miss the misery of those who came to him and his followers, he was compassionate to them. And hence people couldn't but agree that 'He does all things well' (Mark 7:37).
Truth - He had gained insight into truth, and considered it his task to bear witness to the truth as he had discovered it. "For this I was born, to bear withness to truth" (Jn 18:37). He gained this through continuous critical self reflection, for which he found time. "And when it was evening, he dismissed them and went up on the mountain to pray, and he was there alone" ... (Mtt 14:23).
COMMUNICATION - INSTRUCTIONS
The ability to articulate the organisational vision and convey the same to the various stakeholders is a primary task and expect skill of a leader. Jesus is an effective communicator, who is able to present the vision in the idioms of his audience.
In training his second line leaders too he is very articulate as to the content, the target groups the places to go and the method of communication (Lk 10:1-10).
CORRECTION
As an effective leader, he is able to correct his band, to sharpen them to fit to the mission. When their stand goes against his, he is prompt in addressing them, "It shall not be thus among you...", "Let the children come to me. Do not prevent them." (Mtt 19:13-15 - when children were being denied access to him by his core team); or even to the extent of reprimanding Peter strongly, "Get behind me Satan. Your thinking is not that of God, but of men." (Mk 8:33) and critically questioning them when they were found vulnerable in adverse situations, "Where was your faith" (Lk 8:25).
INCLUSION
Jesus' shows the ability to take everyone along, with his policy of inclusion "He who is not against you is for you"(Mk 9:39). In the management situational analysis of friends-foes-fence-sitter, the good leader is the one who is able to take in the fence-sitter to your fold and neutralize the foes. But Jesus also makes a shrewd and subtle distinction between 'those who are not against you', and 'those who are not with you' (Mtt 12: 30).
Jesus shows this by reaching out those who were vulnerable, outcastes, those who were in the fringes and including all of them in his wider network of goodnews - the Samaritans, the tax-collectors, the women (Lk 8:2-3), those branded as 'sinners', un-touchables (leprosy victims), and children. His famous statement, "Let the children come to me," is not necessarily a response to one instance, but rather indicative of his stance of inclusion of the weaker, the voiceless and the vulnerable.
FEED BACK
As a public figure, and a master with a band of dedicated followers, though highly self-reflective, Jesus, still finds the method of receiving feedback important. At that stage of public acclaim, it is easy for one to get addicted to the adulation, and feel self-important and become blind. But Jesus takes time out to sit with his intimate band of followers to make a self-assessment: "Who do the people say I am", when that is received, he is willing to probe further, with themselves: "Who do you say I am?". He finds his self perception matching that of his followers perception about him (Mtt 16:13-20).
In the classic Johari window analysis, we come across the open, hidden, blind and unknown areas of human personality. The healthier ones are those who are able to increase their open area, through continous self reflection and feedback. It requires creating an organisational environment in which it is possible to give feed back and also receive it.
He finds time to collect his band sent on the mission and make them report (Lk 10:17) the experience. For this, from the daily chores organiations have to find time, make time - Come away to a lonely place (Mk 6:31).
DEFENDING - SUPPORTING - DELEGATING
Jesus is able to delegate authority, and empower them with powerful reinforcements. Whoever hears you, hears me! (Lk 10:16). They had the power to represent him.
He is also there to defend and protect them, when trouble brews. For those come to apprehend him, he asks to let his disciples go. "Let them go." (Jn 18:8 ). When they falter with the conventional standards, he is there to defend them and point out the triviality of many such practices (Mtt 12:1-8; Mtt 15:2)
FELLOWSHIP AND CELEBRATION
As an accompanying leader, he is careful to find times for fellowship with his band 'away from the madding crowd', enjoying a meal together, cooking for them, taking them along for invited feasts...He is all for enjoying the good things for life, while fasting and penance may be required, it doesn't prevent them from feasting and enjoying (Jn 21:9-13; Mtt 9:15; Jn 4:1-9).
An organisational health requires such coming together to spend time enjoying the fellowship.
SERVANT MODEL
Jesus' model of leadership has been brought into management discussion by Robert Greenleaf (1970), 'christening' it as 'servant leadership'. According to him, "the servant leader is a servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve first...it is a philosophy and set of practices that enrich the lives of individuals, build better organisations and ultimately create a more just and caring world."
Perhaps, this is the most radical aspect of Jesus' leadership way, made clear by his statement that he had "come not to be served, but to serve and give up his life as ransom for many"(Mtt 20:28). Jesus' law of love in practice is service.
"If I as your teacher and lord, washed your feet, you too must be willing to do that." (Jn 13:14)
Whoever is the leader among you, let him be the server (Lk 22:26). It also provides anyone an opportunity to grow in leadership and greatness (Jesus-style), by being on the look-out to extend oneself in service to others, and thus make the world around him/her a better place.
Gonsalves, describes how Gandhi arrived at this thinking plane through his exposure to the sufferings of indentured Indian labourers in South Africa, leading him to dedicate his life and activities as a 'service' to the Indians. That was his channel to leadership of the nation.
ORGANISATIONAL LEADERSHIP - LISTENING AS A SERVICE
It may be of interest to note that in Sanskrit one of the words used for service is 'shushroosha' (शुश्रूषा). The dictionary gives it a second meaning as 'the desire to listen to' (श्रोतुं इच्छ ), an etymological derivative. However, it appears a befitting meaning in the organisational context (or any human relations context) for service. Willingness and ability to listen to what others say is a great virtue the leader should possess. Many issues are sorted out, just by giving a listening ear to others; and many others by responding positively to them. A true leader's ability is in also 'listening to what is not being said' - listening to non-verbal communication, including silence as well. We speak about 'learning organisations' in terms of growing and not stagnating; I think a learning organisation is also a 'listening organisation', where people can and have a voice, and that is listened to and responded to.
*Interestingly, as I make these notes, today, we read the announcement of 'Walk the Talk Doha' to be held on November 19 to promote fitness.
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