Leaders and leadership

Running Head: LEADERS AND LEADERSHIP Leaders and Leadership Leadership has been explained as a process of influence by Blanchard and Hodges who have also stated that leading like Jesus is a transformational journey. The idea is that such a leadership begins with personal leadership and then a transformational cycle would begin for the followers. Therefore a biblical foundation would be necessary and this is the concept of servant leadership (Blanchard, and Hodges, 2005, p. 84). Before leading like Him one however needs to seek the Kingdom of God first and then set the right example for others.
One needs to receive a strong affirmation of his or her personhood in order to gain the confidence and security about his or her identity in order to lead others. This involved operation out of a sense of calling and not self drive or willingness. God had called for Jesus to instill righteous views in people. This is also transformational leadership according to Ford (Ford, 1991, p. 60). This would compel others to respond. Effective leadership involves transparency with respect to one’s individual life, family and even an institution one belongs. Leaders are inclined to form teams and such teams look for leaders and a leader like Jesus does not need followers. The leadership as modeled by Jesus was that of servant leadership. Jesus’ instructions are based upon a principle “ the one who rules’ should be the like the one who serves” (Ford, 1991, p. 153). Instead of building any organization, Jesus focused on the idea of collecting people with shared vision. He spent efforts on trust building.
A leader might face opposition from prominent places. Jesus experienced the same but never distanced his enemies and propagated love and harmony throughout. This showed his humility and integrity. Thus leaders cannot be dictators but should set righteous examples before others. This is unlike Hitler and Stalin who were dictators or extreme leaders without any character attributes to be followed. In fact one may call his leadership timeless and relevant even in modern times because he had all qualities one would expect from a perfect leader who maintains accountability in order to stay within boundaries and provide new direction and inspiration for an organization. Authority should be applied in order to motivate trust from people and make them follow their example (Tucker and Russel, 2004, p. 103).
Transformation leadership, as conceptualized by Burn involves four categories – “ idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration and inspirational motivation” (Hoehl, 2008, p. 25). The first element refers to individual charisma of the leader who can command respect from others and have a special gift of transforming others. Intellectual stimulation comprises allowing followers to question and encouraging them to find ways to solve their problems. This would bring out creative thinking and innovation. This would generate mentorship. The third element includes interpersonal relationship building with followers. This would propagate team building attempts and motivation. Coaching and teaching depends on the specific needs of disciples.
References
Blanchard, K. and Hodges, P. (2005), Lead Like Jesus – lessons for everyone from the greatest leadership role model of all time, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Hoehl, S. E. (2008), The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership and Student Educational Outcomes as Moderated by Verbal and Nonverbal Immediacy, ProQuest
Leighton F. (1991), Transforming Leadership: Jesus’ Way of Creating Vision, Shaping Values and Empowering Change, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1991
Tucker, B. A. and R. F. Russell (2004), The Influence of the Transformational Leader, Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies 10 ( 4), pp. 103-111