I’m the leader, which way did they go?
Gone are the days that we, like in the old science fiction movies, enter and say, “take me to your leader.” I
n those circumstances the leader is seen as the one that has all the answers and is the ultimate authority. Did this model really exist or was it that we wanted a leader that gave us peace of mind and knew the answers to our future? “Leadership involves creating opportunity from a seemingly intractable setting that, if otherwise left to its own resolution, confines us to an inferior equilibrium. “[1] Leading is not done is a vacuum rather with real teams that do not always understand nor agree with the direction that a one is leading.
“Leadership means far more than just getting ahead and gaining and keeping power”, [2] Leaders often see themselves as the one that sets the tone and direction of the group. Too often when someone is pushed into leadership, a misunderstanding occurs that they have to do everything or need to “lead like the French revolutionary Comte de Mirabeau, “There goes the mob, and I must follow them, for I am their leader.” [3] Pushing someone into leadership without proper training serves no purpose other than promoting egos.
The soft and hard leadership models mentioned within Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice. Are methods of structuring power and how to work with those that you lead. How we handle that power and how we motivate others lays the foundation for how we lead. “If one thinks of power as including both the hard power of coercion and the soft power of attraction, leadership and power are inextricably intertwined. Leadership involves power, though not all power relationships are instances of leadership.” [4] How does each of us lead? Are we leaders that love, have a deep relationship with tho
se that we are responsible for or do we simply see leaders as a product we are producing? True leaders have to be deeply involved with those they lead. A relationship necessitates a follower being willing to be led. “One can do that in three main ways. You can coerce them with threats; you can induce them with payments; or you can attract or co-opt them.” [5]
In China there are many examples of leaders like Confucius, Kublai Khan, many Emperors, and Mao zi dong. China has a history of being ruled by hard leaders. The emperors ruled over a distinct class system. The common people knew the finality of your life if you defied those in leadership over you. When communism took over and offered equality to all, the class system was dissolved and women are liberated of past societal roles. However, those that began to lead did so in a similar model not of communism but of socialism. Leaders set themselves up as ultimate rulers similar to models like the Emperors of the past. “Leadership is a social relationship with three key components—leaders, followers, and the contexts in which they interact. One cannot lead without power”.[6] Many leaders lacked training and turned into the type of harsh leader that that they rose up against in the first place.
When church leadership began to develop, naturally those in leadership gravitated to emulate the models before them. In China, if you are the boss everyone has to listen to you. If you are a teacher, the students need to hear and respect you and your authority. It is a top down leadership model that has been ingrained in the society for thousands of years. Confucius saw some as more important that others “What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.” [7] This teaches individuals in leadership to think they are superior and know what is right; not seeking help from others. “The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions.”[8] So in the context of the Chinese church, leaders have mistakenly come to think of themselves as the boss. There is a belief that if the pastor is called by God to do His work then what the pastor says is law.
Training within this context has layers that have to be understood. When leading and training those from other cultures, we have to be sensitive to perceived western dominance. In China, we also need to be sensitive to a culture that is trained to sometimes let someone lead unquestionably. This can be dangerous and stifling to growth if the person leading is not sensitive to cultural cues and common cross cultural misunderstandings. When working overseas often times the way a westerner does ministry creates model for local people to do ministry.
The positive side of soft leadership should not be manipulation rather seeking to empower individuals to understand their context and seek solutions that benefit all. Nelson Mandela is quoted as saying “A leader . . . is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.”[9] What a beautiful model of leadership. Casting a vision and letting people set a course for solutions while making sure no one is left behind.
Leading a team especially one made up of both westerners and Asians can be complicated. “Leadership in different situations, and both goals and initiatives can originate among followers.”[10] Soft leadership when done correctly pushes and encourages individuals to discover the leadership abilities within themselves. Leading while recognizing the cultural dynamics at play on any team, helps us see where each of us are going. The words we use and the relationships built are key to helping see the potentials of those God bring our way.
[1] Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana, eds., Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: an Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership, ed. Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana (Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Review Press, 2010), accessed at https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/handbook-of-leadership/9781422157114/e9781422157114_c12.html
[2] https://www.forbes.com/2010/08/23/handbook-leadership-theory-practice-leadership-managing-harvard.html#607c31983702. Accessed December 6, 2017
[3] Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana, eds., Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: an Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership, ed. Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana (Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Review Press, 2010), accessed at https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/handbook-of-leadership/9781422157114/e9781422157114_c12.html
[4] Ibid
[5] Ibid
[6] Ibid
[7] Confucius. James Legge. Confucian Analects, The Great Learning & The Doctrine of the Mean. Newburyport: Dover Publications, 2013.
[8] Ibid
[9] Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana, eds., Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: an Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership, ed. Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana (Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Review Press, 2010). https://www.safaribooksonline.com/a/handbook-of-leadership/11083699/ch_21
[10] Ibid, chapter 12
About the Author
Greg
Greg has a wife and 3 children. He has lived and work in Asia for over 12 years. He is currently the Asia Director of Imanna Laboratories, which tests and inspects marine products seeking US Coast Guard certification. His company Is also involved in teaching and leadership development.4 responses to “I’m the leader, which way did they go?”
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Good post, Greg, on soft power.
I really appreciated your reminder that we follow one who is portrayed as the Shepherd of the sheep. It is an appropriately soft image of leadership that is in stark juxtaposition with hard power images we have of leadership which you contend with in China.
The pastoral image of a shepherd is so stripped-down, organic, and humble. As one searches for metaphors for leadership, shepherds generally aren’t the first thought one has. Do you see examples of Chinese pastors willing to emulate this Shepherd?
I have so appreciated your posts this fall as a leader who lives and works in China. Your perspective has added so much, and I look forward to your ongoing leadership journey. Merry Christmas to you and to your family; may you know Christ’s peace in your home and as you serve.
Hi Greg,
Great title! How many times have we both felt like this? More often than I admit…
We need you in this Cohort. You are quiet at times, but when you speak, I listen. Thanks for seeing this semester through.
Great post Greg. Like Jay, I truly appreciate hearing your perspective from the other side of the globe. It is so necessary for us to see points of view that normal life may not allow us to see. I appreciated your post, especially this evening because of our evening services at church. This evening one of the men in the congregation, who is learning to teach more actively in worship, was leading the discussion following a video series we have been working through. In our congregation, we have one older woman who on most nights, has a number of opinions she likes to share, and is normally a little eccentric, but rational. Unfortunately, tonight was not one of those nights. She did not like the topic, so she kept making her questions more aggressive throughout the night. Finally the wife of the brother that was preaching (she was sitting in the pew in front of me), leaned back and said, “Save my husband.” Tonight my leadership started out on the back pew, but conflict forced me to keep my promise that I would never leave a man learning to teach to be “eaten by the dogs.” I pulled out a couple scriptures and helped to calm the discussion. I have a better relationship with the older woman and tend to understand the approached needed to calm her down. I imagine that it does not matter what country you are in, leadership still requires that leader understands those he leads. What kind of differences do you suppose may be different in leadership as a result to cultural differences?
Greg, You find the best quotes. I’m saving at least two of these form this post. your context is interesting, because it seems that one’s power could much more easily be abused.