Perfect Leadership?
Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals
to achieve a common goal
-Peter G. Northouse-
Every five years, our denomination holds leadership elections at the synodal level called the Synodal Assembly, which has 11 positions for Pastors, Elders, and Deacons. The 11 selected individuals will lead our denomination for five years. Our denomination includes 344 local churches spread in the cities and 280 local church branches that are usually located in areas that are still difficult to reach, such as inland, remote, or state borders. One of the authorities of our Synodal Assembly is to carry out the transfer process for pastors from one local church to another. This authority is seen as a great power possessed by the leaders of our denominations. That is why, before the process of selecting a new leader, I feel that the atmosphere becomes more tense than usual. Many camps or groups that support people who are interested in occupying leadership positions have carried out various promotional actions to many people in our denomination, either openly or covertly, to choose the candidate they support to be one of the 11 people who will become the next Synod Assembly.
Learning from the five-year process, I thought, why in the church are there people who offer themselves to become leaders? What are the advantages of being a leader in denominations? Does not being the leader of a denomination have much greater duties and responsibilities than being a leader in a local church? Several people told me that I should prepare myself to become a leader in the future. However, I responded by saying that it would be better to choose someone else instead of me. Instead of wanting to propose myself as the leader of a denomination, just imagining it makes me feel like I have quite a heavy burden.
In my view, being a leader does not depend on position or title. However, becoming a leader can even be achieved through simple things. Therefore, the most important aspect of leadership in my opinion is not power but how to make our lives have a constructive impact on many people. Peter Northouse’s writing helped me to deepen my understanding of the nature and meaning of leadership. According to Northouse, “Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.”[1] Leadership also involves influence and giving attention to common goals. Northouse says, “Leaders direct their energies toward individuals who are trying to achieve something together. By common, we mean that the leaders and followers have a mutual purpose.”[2] His statement increasingly emphasizes the meaning of leadership according to previous studies carried out in other research, which explains leadership as “a process of social influence to guide, structure, and/or facilitate behaviors, activities, and/or relationships towards the achievement of shared aims.”[3] Another research also resonate with Northouse’s writing, which says, “Leadership involves the substance of management in which the shaping of ideas, values, perceptions, and feelings is central, where the goal is to maintain, revise, or strengthen ideas, beliefs, morals, virtues, and understandings.”[4]
In this book, Northouse mentions and describes several models of leadership. In my opinion, these models give bunches of inspiration and clear definitions of how to be an effective leader. The first model is what he calls “Transformational Leadership.” According to Northouse, “transformational leadership is the process whereby a person engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower. This type of leader is attentive to the needs and motives of followers and tries to help followers reach their fullest potential.”[5] In my opinion, the characteristics of a transformational leader are an important element in church leadership to be able to influence church members to remain optimistic and strive to give the best they can in various aspects of their lives.
The second model is “Authentic Leadership.” Northouse describes authentic leadership as about the authenticity of leaders and their leadership.[6] There are several behaviors involved in authentic leadership, namely, self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency. Northouse insists that over a lifetime, authentic leaders learn and develop each of these four types of behavior.[7] This definition reminds me of Simon Walker’s writing. He writes, that leadership is fundamentally “about who you are, not what you know or what skills you have.”[8] Walker also emphasizes that “freedom comes when we start to allow people to see not only the glossy image but the mess as well.”[9] In my perspective, being authentic means letting go of the ego, which has led us to prioritize maintaining a certain image rather than truly serving others.
The third model is “Servant Leadership.” Northouse emphasizes servant leadership that “leaders be attentive to the concerns of their followers, empathize with them, and nurture them. Servant leaders put followers first, empower them, and help them develop their full personal capacities.”[10] In my view, the characteristics of servant leadership have a strong emphasis on leadership, like a shepherd that Lord Jesus modeled for his followers. This is not an easy task because a leader usually requires more respect. But servant leadership teaches a very noble value of divine leadership.
The fourth model is “Adaptive Leadership.” According to Northouse, adaptive leadership “is about how leaders encourage people to adapt—to face and deal with problems, challenges, and changes. Adaptive leadership focuses on the adaptations required of people in response to changing environments.”[11] In my view, many leaders maintain their comfort zones and the status quo. They are not sensitive to changing times, which require the church to respond to the challenges of the times. The pandemic reminds us that the situation can change drastically at any time. Adaptive leadership reminds us how important it is to always rely on God’s wisdom and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that leadership can help many people to adapt and overcome the struggles that arise.
The final model is “Inclusive Leadership.” Northouse explains that “inclusive leadership behaviors to ensure the fair treatment of all group members, make everyone feel comfortable and supported, and share decision-making are considered to facilitate perceptions of belongingness. At the same time, leader behaviors to solicit different perspectives and approaches and fully incorporate members’ knowledge, skills, and abilities into the group’s work help to facilitate feelings of uniqueness.”[12] Currently, cultural encounters are necessary. Therefore, exclusive, sectarian, and racist attitudes were no longer relevant. An inclusive leader must be ready for and embrace diversity so that many people feel that their dignity is equal to that of other people. Such leadership helps churches realize the true meaning of Christ’s love.
Northouse’s five leadership models made me realize that the process of becoming a leader requires a long time and effort. Through Northouse, I learned that effective leadership values are an important need for every leader, including church leaders.
[1] Peter G Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Ninth Edition, (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2022), 6.
[2] Northouse, Leadership.
[3] Richard Bolden et al, Exploring Leadership: Individual, Organizational, and Societal Perspectives (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), 41.
[4] Mats Alvesson and Andre Spicer, “Critical Perspectives on Leadership,” in The Oxford Handbook of Leadership and Organizations, ed. David V. Day (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), 42.
[5] Northouse, Leadership, 186.
[6] Ibid, 221.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Simon P. Walker, Leading out of Who You Are: Discovering the Secret of Undefended Leadership, (London, UK: Piquant Edition Ltd. 2007), 5.
[9] Walker, Leading Out of Who You Are, 33.
[10] Northouse, Leadership, 253.
[11] Ibid, 285.
[12] Ibid, 331.
About the Author
Dinka Utomo
Dinka Nehemia Utomo is an ordained pastor of the Protestant Church in the Western part of Indonesia (Gereja Protestan di Indonesia bagian Barat or GPIB). He has served for more than 15 years. The first five years of his ministry were in the remote area of East Kalimantan, including people from the indigenous Dayak tribe in the small villages in the middle of the forest, frequently reached using small boats down the river. For more than 15 years, Dinka has served several GPIB congregations in several cities in Indonesia. He has always had a passion for equipping Christian families, teaching and guiding them to build equal relations between husband and wife, maintaining commitment, love, and loyalty, creating a healthy and constructive Christian family atmosphere, and rejecting all forms of violence and sexual violence. Dinka's beloved wife, Verra, is also a GPIB pastor. They have two blessed children. Dinka and his wife and children love to spend quality family time, such as lunch or dinner, and vacation to exotic places.7 responses to “Perfect Leadership?”
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Hi Dinka,
I enjoyed your post and your view, “In my view, being a leader does not depend on position or title. However, becoming a leader can even be achieved through simple things. Therefore, the most important aspect of leadership in my opinion is not power but how to make our lives have a constructive impact on many people.” The five models of leadership that you picked were my favorites too. These five seem to go hand in hand. In our current church climate it seems that adaptive and inclusive leadership styles are really key. What strategies are you considering in your church context that will move others to adapt to changing times and increase inclusivity? Are there any “simple things” related to these two leadership models?
Hi Jenny! Thank you for asking! It’s a very good question.
I agree with you about leadership not being determined by a person’s position, but rather it is a person’s ability and skills to exert influence on other people.
A small and simple example of influencing other people to adapt to change and to have an inclusive attitude amidst existing diversity is by making myself a real example in my presence. Adapting to the world of digital technology, my services must also be able to meet the social media needs of the younger generation. In using social media, the principle I use is to embrace other people as much as possible and treat them equally regardless of their background.
You Said: Currently, cultural encounters are necessary. Therefore, exclusive, sectarian, and racist attitudes were no longer relevant. An inclusive leader must be ready for and embrace diversity so that many people feel that their dignity is equal to that of other people. Such leadership helps churches realize the true meaning of Christ’s love.
Dinka, this is exactly right! I think this is true for all humanity especially when it comes to theological differences and religious differences! We all get so caught up in needing to be with those like us, we miss an opportunity for us to recognize the imago dei of each human!
Hi Janna! Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it!
I agree that God placed his image on the humans he had created. Thus, two important tasks must be performed. First, we reveal God’s image through words and actions so that many people feel God’s presence in our lives. Second, we view and treat other people as we love the God we worship.
Dinka,
Thank you for sharing the process that your Denomination follows to select leaders. I can only imagine how tense it can get in the time frame surrounding the process. You wrote: “In my view, many leaders maintain their comfort zones and the status quo. They are not sensitive to changing times, which require the church to respond to the challenges of the times. The pandemic reminds us that the situation can change drastically at any time.” This is so very true. As leaders it can be so easy to remain stagnant and disguise it as a smooth point in our leadership journey. It should be our goal to be in a state of constant growth and development.
Hi Jonita! Thank you for your comment, I appreciate it!
I resonate with your opinion. Self-oriented leaders tend to maintain the status quo and refuse to adapt to changing times that can occur quickly. On the other hand, leaders oriented towards mutual progress can adapt to changing times and influence as many people as possible to move forward for the common good.
Dinka, your post is so rich! So I tried to reply with as much richness.
Your exploration of leadership within your denomination and your reflection on Peter Northouse’s models of leadership are insightful. The process of leadership selection and the tensions that arise during elections in your denomination are quite common in many organizations. Dinka, your perspective on leadership as a process of influencing a group to achieve common goals aligns with Northouse’s definition.
You’ve highlighted the importance of various leadership models, such as transformational, authentic, servant, adaptive, and inclusive leadership, and their relevance to church leadership. Your emphasis on authenticity, servant leadership, and adaptability resonates well with the values and principles often associated with effective spiritual leadership.
Further, your thoughtful analysis demonstrates your commitment to understanding and applying leadership principles in both religious and secular contexts. Leadership indeed requires continuous learning and personal growth. Thank you for sharing your valuable insights.