The Seven Faces of Servant Leadership

The 7 Faces of Leadership

Most people can manage when things go well, but true leadership is the way they deal with people when times are tough. Our expectations are often unrealistic and not centered on what leadership really is. Too often people confuse a strong-willed personality of an effective leader. Leadership is not volitional, but with a strong sense of purpose and compassion. Too many people for many organizations replace volitional and ethical leaders do not see the distinction, because the people who put them in power does not know the difference. Effective leadership requires equipping people to live with competence and confidence.

Characteristics of effective leadership are numerous and varied, not to mention subtle, as the mind and heart themselves. No list can ever be complete, nor will it be the most suitable for each individual reader. The Bible gives some understanding of the essential characteristics of effective leadership in I Corinthians, Ephesians and 2 Timothy, as humility, integrity, focus, courage, discipline, compassion, and encouragement. The following paragraphs will put these features in an organizational context.

The Humble Leader

"Be completely humble and gentle patience, forbearing one another in love." (Ephesians 4:2)

Humility is not only our relationship with God, but also on our relationship with other people. The reports are based on listening to the Word of God and each other. The relationship between leader and follower is only as good as their listening skills. The effective leader is not just a force of personality and power games, but relationship-oriented, focused on building and mentoring.

From the organizational context and leader of the humble invite comments and turn failures into lessons. "The leader who is poor in spirit recognizes that many people know more than he or she does and, as such, shows respect to everyone." (Winston 2002) Humility is the acceptance of our human limitations, combined with the desire to do something about it - I can not do it alone so I get help from others. This is the essence of leadership.

The Honest Leader

"Each of you must put off falsehood and speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." (Ephesians 4:25)

Honesty is achieved through Discretion and truthfulness. Discretion keeps our minds and focus on sound judgment and careful attention, and I thought about what is happening. Will carefully choose our words, attitudes and actions to be right for every situation, thus avoiding the words and actions that could lead to negative consequences. Truth is to be straight with others and do what is right.

"And 'after that we contemplated our actions, measure how they align with our values, intentions, and words that are most likely to contribute to the integrity of the world." (Sherman, 2003) Discretion and truthfulness will allow leaders to gain the confidence to be precise with facts and situations. This is not just honesty, or to act in accordance with a coherent set of values. This also means the integrity in the sense of solidity, completeness and unity. Align our personalities with our values ​​and not compromising ourselves is the spirit of leadership.

The Focused Leader

Leaders must be willing to carefully explore their own values ​​and how they can move their organization towards a vision that is unwavering. Effective leaders lead with a goal rather than "run like a man running aimlessly" (1 Corinthians 9:26-27). From the biblical sense this means that we live for His purpose, not ours. As Christians, we recognize that our need of Christ will take us beyond our failures so that we can grow more and more effective for our Lord. How to grow in Christ, we become aware of our helplessness and inadequacy as human beings.

From an organizational standpoint, "Leaders must constantly put the vision and mission (in terms of the objective) in front of followers." (Winston, 2002) The followers must understand the organization's vision and know their role in support of the mission. They must know their purpose and how it contributes to organizational success, this is the soul of leadership.

The courageous leader and disciplined

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7)

The objective of the servant leader must be to do the will of God Otherwise it will be too afraid to go beyond our comfort zones to do something meaningful. When we are dependent on the Holy Spirit, then our confidence becomes rooted in Christ and employees to work through us. So I'm not self-driven, but Christ led, resulting in our desire to be in total abandonment to the will of God as a driving force for our existence. When we are aware that we are not responsible for the results of our leadership, but only obedience to His call, then we can continue to press to serve him without fear of failure.

Malphurs (2003) refers to the courage as "the strength to lead in these difficult circumstances, which means that they are strong and courageous leaders are unlikely to quit." This kind of courage is shown in an organization when a leader is willing to admit his mistake, when she is willing to fight for his beliefs, or when he has to challenge others.

Courageous leaders routinely achieve extraordinary results from their followers because they are afraid to do what is right. This is evident in Paul's letter regarding discipline in 1 Corinthians 8:13, "if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so I will not fall." Transport who you are, your goals and what you are going to have a significant impact on follower performance and attitudes. Discipline subsidiary, according to Winston (2002), "draws people closer to you, while the rules uncontrolled urges them on." Leaders and followers are two sides of one coin and the actions of another impact. The courage and discipline are the keys of leadership.

The compassionate leader

The compassionate leader is rooted and grounded in the spiritual disciplines of the faith. "Put on the whole armor of God so that you can take a stand against the wiles of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11). With the power of the Holy Spirit and belief of faith in Christ, when he is shaping his image with the love, we become a strong structure with the foundation of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit who gives the realization that our best for the glory of God

"The loyalty and devotion to duty and grow out of trust and knowledge of the protection afforded by the employment relationship." (Winston, 2002) Compassionate leadership is acting in the interest of his followers, your peers, and your organization . This is the boss for which employees are willing to work their hardest. Employees can feel his support for them and are forced to give their full support in return. This manager brings out the best in his subordinates from his own example. There is often a line of people waiting to get into this category. This is the heart of leadership.

The Leaders Encouraging

"Make every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace is one body and one Spirit -. How were you called to one hope when you were called." (Ephesians 4:3-4)

The effective leader is not just a force of personality and power games. The servant leader is not power controllers who want the lives of others, when the Lord is in control. Effective leaders must be relationship oriented, focused on building and mentoring others.

In an organizational framework, encouraging a leader is a motivator. "Leadership is the ability to motivate and manage both." (Miller, 1995) The ability of a leader to motivate revolves around its ability to harness the power and influence within the organization, peer review, and more followers. The influence involves the movement of people to change their way of thinking and ultimately their behavior. Power is the ability to exert control over another person, thing or event. "The power and influence are intertwined in the process of leadership. Most of the cases, leaders use both depending on the situation and people involved." (Malphurs, 2003) Leaders sometimes use the power to influence followers. Power itself is amoral. However, the power use (abuse or neglect) determines how leaders influence others. The proper use of that power is encouraging, it is the igniter of leadership.

The Call to Servant Leadership

In Matthew 5 Jesus makes us aware of what God expects from Christian leaders and not only that, but by all Christians. Effective leaders are required to set a good example. If our actions because our followers to fail because they followed our example, as in 1 Corinthians 8:13 So we should avoid these things, because "... those who indulge become increasingly wicked." (2 Timothy 2:15) Everything we do as leaders is under scrutiny by our followers. In the Beatitudes, Jesus gives very specific characteristics: humility, compassion, kindness, justice, compassion, honesty and perseverance.

In organizations, as well as in the Christian community, there are times when leaders fall away from these properties through the loss of personal or personal sin. Creation and development of these features is not something you just learn from a book or listen to a sermon. Do not drag on us in the middle of the night. Not automatically, accidentally or suddenly. This is a process that comes from living in it. It's a slow process. Many do not realize it until others point it out. Effective leadership is not permanent, once formed. It requires our appreciation and constant practice.

References

Fields, Bea (2005). The Ten Pillars of Leadership and Business Development. Retrieved electronically. http://www.art-of-leadership.com/index.html

Holy Bible (1985). King James Version Study Bible. Zondervan, Grand Rapids Michigan

Malphurs, Aubrey (2003) have a dominant position: the nature of authentic Christian Leadership. Baker Books. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Miller, Calvin (1995). The Empowered Leader: 10 Keys to Servant Leadership. Broadman and Holman Publishers. Nashville, Tennessee.

Sherman, Stratford (2003). Rethinking Integrity. Leader Leader, No. 28

Winston, Bruce (2002). Be a Leader for God's sake, Regent University, School of Leadership Studies. Virginia Beach, Virginia ....