Replies: Business Leadership
Discussion: DJ
Discussion Thread: Biblical Leadership
What have you learned through the rough seasons/failures of life?
What is the difference between a man-centered approach to servant leadership and a God-
centered one?
What are some of the challenges of practically practicing servant leadership?
How does a biblical, covenantal perspective inform our understanding of servant leadership?
References
Blanchard, K. & Broadwell, R. (Eds.). (2018). Servant leadership in action: How you can
achieve great relationships and results. Berrett Koehler Publishers, Inc. ISBN: 9781523093960.
Crowther, S. (2018). Biblical servant leadership: An exploration of Leadership for the
Contemporary Context (Christian Faith Perspectives in Leadership and Business). Palgrave McMillian. ISBN: 9783319895680.
English Standard Version Bible. (2022). https://esv.org
Discussion 2: NM
Biblical Leadership Discussion Humility is Valuable in All Seasons
Humility is a valuable cornerstone in the ebbs and flows of life, as it is an important aspect of servitude and self-awareness for leaders (Crowther, 2018). It is effortless for individuals to relish in success, even to the point of arrogance. Failures however, especially after coming from a position of accomplishment, or perhaps, encountering a series of rough circumstances can remind a person quickly of their mortality and need for external support.
Tangible signs of success like wealth or titles are finite, but humbleness can be exercised in both good and less favorable seasons infinitely. Humbleness keeps a person grounded, connected, resilient, and in faith. This lesson can also been seen biblically, in the instances of Job (King James Bible, 2022).
Servant Leadership, Man-Centered versus Biblical Philosophies
Servant leadership is altruistic in nature and does align with Christian values of servitude, however, where the biblical variant branches off is in its God-centered values at its core. Biblically, when one is serving the Lord, in turn, one is loving their neighbor by following God’s will (Babyak, 2018).
Contemporary servant leadership from the man-centered perspective places the interests of others first such as the community, customers, or followers above those deemed as leaders. Although the man-centered theory is still virtuous in nature, the greater good of humanity is the focus (Crowther, 2018). From a biblical perspective, it is important that leaders root their vision in God’s purpose and authority (Babyak, 2018).
Challenges of Practicing Servant Leadership
Liao et al. (2021) denoted that Servant leadership research oftentimes focuses on the positive outcomes of followers and organizations, while foregoing the dynamics of the effects on servant leader behaviors. In the study conducted, the researchers found that leaders can become depleted from exercising these actions, as daily leader performance are fluid. For example, agreeableness, communication, and mindfulness may vary.
In all, it is shown that higher levels of experience, self-efficacy, moral self-concept are crucial to avoiding servant leader burnout. To decrease the likelihood of burnout for leaders, followers can be reminded to express gratitude, leaders can take breaks, and lastly, training can be implemented to support areas where certain skills are underdeveloped (Liao et al, 2021).
The Biblical Covenant and Servant Leadership
The covenant represents the mutual agreement that leaders and followers have to uphold within in their respectful positions. Leaders are trusted in their duties to provide purpose, direction, and implement operations toward visions that better the larger community (Blanchard and Broadwell, 2018). Followers also have a commitment to subscribe to the shared values placed, responsibilities, and regulatory guidelines enacted to make to organization effectively run. In Christianity, there is submission to God’s will in each role. Ultimately, God is the one that everyone is following (Babyak, 2018).
References
Babyak, A. (2018). Toward a Theory of Biblical Leadership. Journal of Biblical Integration in Business, 21(1), 60-66. https://cbfa-jbib.org/index.php/jbib/article/view/493/501
Blanchard, K. & Broadwell, R. (Eds.). (2018). Servant leadership in action: How you can achieve great relationships and results. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. ISBN: 9781523093960.
Crowther, S. (2018). Biblical servant leadership: An exploration of Leadership for the Contemporary Context: Christian Faith Perspectives in Leadership and Business. Palgrave McMillian. ISBN: 9783319895680.
King James Bible. (2022). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)
Liao, C., Lee, H. W., Johnson, R. E., & Lin, S. (. (2021). Serving you depletes me? A leader-centric examination of servant leadership behaviors. Journal of Management, 47(5), 1185-1218. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206320906883