Hard to believe this is the last of Jason\u2019s books for us to read this semester. These last few months have flown by. We\u2019ve been taken down this journey teaching us how to read books, we were introduced to ethnography, a crash course in theology and social theory, and we now close the semester with a Harvard colloquium on leadership.<\/p>\n
In our last chat Jason challenged us \u201cwhen reading your books for me and your own research ask some key questions which are…what kind of human being is this leadership book saying I should be, what is this book saying life should be about and like? Why is that?\u201d After Jason\u2019s challenge I went back to the table of contents of Nohria and Khurana\u2019s Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice<\/em> and tried to think through the social theory of each section.<\/p>\n Section One \u201cThe Impact of Leadership: Performance and Meaning\u201d tends to focus on maximizing performance. Having graduated from Baylor Business School and growing up with a Dad that was successful in the corporate world this is the view of leadership I have often held. \u201cHow does leadership impact performance?\u201d It is a question that can\u2019t be ignored but it also places a high value on \u201cwhat we do,\u201d sometimes to the detriment of \u201cwho we are.\u201d<\/p>\n Chapter 2 titled When Does Leadership Matter?<\/em> starts by asking the question \u201cDoes it matter who the CEO is?[1]<\/a>\u201d After numerous studies and interviews it is determined \u201cthat who the CEO of an organization is, matters.[2]<\/a>\u201d However, they were able to quantify the significance and say \u201cthe CEO effects account for 14.7 percent of the variance in company performance\u2026[3]<\/a>\u201d There is no doubt that performance matters but I have found when a person places too much significance on performance their relationships struggle and the things I place of most importance tend to take a back seat. (i.e. Faith, Family, Relationships, etc.) When leadership places too much emphasis on performance and results, I believe we start viewing people as a commodity.<\/p>\n In comparison, because of my theology, I was most drawn to Section Five \u201cThe Development of Leaders: Knowing, Doing, and Being.\u201d The idea of developing those around us, pursing authentic leadership development, and multiplying ourselves goes with my view of what the Bible is calling us to. In Chapter 24, Leadership Development Interventions <\/em>it says, \u201cwhen deployed in a comprehensive manner with a commitment to the long term, leadership development initiatives can and should play a critical role in developing the bench of leadership talent of an organization.[4]<\/a>\u201d I\u2019m drawn to leadership development because it seems to go hand in hand with Jesus\u2019 instruction to us about making disciples. Performance and results matter but leadership development recognizes that people and relationships are the priority.<\/p>\n I enjoyed reading section by section and chapter by chapter thinking, \u201cwhat kind of human being is this leadership book saying I should be, what is this book saying life should be about and like? Why is that?\u201d My leadership practices should be directly connected to my theology of people, not just adhering to the latest leadership trends.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana, eds.,\u00a0Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: an Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership<\/em>\u00a0(Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press, 2010), 27.<\/p>\n
\n