{"id":3320,"date":"2014-11-14T21:22:15","date_gmt":"2014-11-14T21:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=3320"},"modified":"2014-11-16T21:24:56","modified_gmt":"2014-11-16T21:24:56","slug":"be-careful-of-the-leadership-bug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/be-careful-of-the-leadership-bug\/","title":{"rendered":"Be careful of the leadership bug…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nohria and Khurana\u2019s Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice \u201chas one purpose-to stimulate serious scholarly research on leadership.\u201d[1]<\/a>\u00a0This book seeks to understand why \u201cleadership\u201d development is often ineffective, and what factors contribute to strong versus poor leadership in organizations. Some difficult questions are approached, such as \u201cWill leadership largely be seen as a means of getting ahead, of gaining power, rather than of being understood as a serious professional calling with social responsibilities?\u201d[2]<\/a>\u00a0Leadership seems to be the new buzzword. Most leadership training is geared towards transforming one\u2019s ability to be effective in their work, life, and spirituality. There are thousands of popular books written on the subject. With so much activity around leadership, it would seem to be an easy subject to master. Yet, despite so much focus poor leaders plague organizations. \u00a0I’m not sure that I want to catch the leadership bug from just anyone…<\/p>\n

Over the course of my own life and career, some amazing leaders have influenced me significantly. \u00a0I\u2019ve also encountered some horrible leaders who completed extensive leadership training, yet still couldn\u2019t lead. \u00a0If I compare the good versus bad leaders that I\u2019ve encountered, the difference is between those who focus on making the world a better place versus those who focus on looking good, getting promoted, or pushing their own personal agendas. In other words, the good leaders care about others and the bad leaders care about themselves. I\u2019ve seen much damage done to organizations, teams and individuals when poor leaders are given power and placed in roles to manage people and resources. \u201cIt is ironic that the significance of leadership to important organizational outcomes may need to be addressed in scholarly research at precisely the time when society at large is viewing the unprecedented organizational failures that have occurred as irrefutable evidence of leadership failures.\u201d[3]<\/a> Christian organizations are not immune. Failure of a leader can have widespread impact and risk the very nature of the organization\u2019s mission and success. The recent Mars Hill debacle is one of many that have hit the news recently.[4]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0I appreciate Nohria and Khurana\u2019s statement that \u201cLeadership is accepting responsibility to create conditions that enable others to achieve shared purpose in the face of uncertainty.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

As a consultant, I\u2019ve been in many organizations with both good and bad leaders.\u00a0Leadership health\u00a0is typically evident within the first week of consulting\u00a0with an organization. Indicators are things like lack of innovation, micromanagement, and unengaged workers. I often see insecurity by those in leadership roles, which is expressed by a lack of acceptance to new ideas, constant pressure on their teams to make themselves or their department \u201clook good\u201d, and limited partnership and collaboration with other functional units within the organization. It is also obvious when one has \u201cbook\u201d learning versus real experience. The good leaders that I\u2019ve encountered don\u2019t feel threatened by knowledge or ideas, rather they help to fuel them and to empower others to get work done or accomplish goals. They are humble, yet able to be firm when necessary. They treat their teams well and focus on doing a good job for the organization, even if it means giving up some of their resources to help the greater good. They know when to fight battles, and when to gracefully bow out. They aren’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers if for the greater good of the organization. \u00a0They demonstrate that they care about and appreciate their workers, yet they aren’t afraid to discipline or fire when necessary. \u00a0They empower others and create an environment that accepts change, is innovative, and continuously improves. This being said, there isn\u2019t a one size fits all model for good versus bad leaders. \u00a0I\u2019ve seen some pretty negative leaders, and they seem to come in all shapes and sizes. \u00a0Some seem really great on first impression, but the indicator of their ability can be seen in the way their teams get work done and accomplish goals. \u00a0 The Christian community is not immune. If there are signs of operational dysfunction or poor environment, there is typically one or more \u201cleaders\u201d that are in the wrong seat on the wrong bus. I\u2019ve seen church leaders who treat their workers poorly (often with a smile), yet wonder why they can\u2019t get their team to develop innovative ways to minister. Alternatively, there are some incredible leaders with a heart for others. These are the leaders that people want to work for, and the leaders that set a positive tone that allows the organization to function appropriately and effectively for a sustained period.<\/p>\n

I like Nohria and Khurana\u2019s approach towards leadership development. I believe the structure that they recommend can take a person with a good heart and appropriate priorities, and teach them how to be more effective and influential. \u201cTeaching leaders and followers to process and reflect, as opposed to developing a particular style or behavior, will become more the norm than the exception.\u201d[6]<\/a> In their research, they spoke with leaders from some of the most innovative companies in the world. Each talked about the need to constantly follow-up on wins and failures, and to analyze how leadership development looks within their organization. There is much additional research to be done on leadership development, and many questions are yet unanswered. There isn\u2019t a single book or program that can make a person a \u201cgood leader\u201d. Yet, being a good leader is something we must work towards. Genuinely\u00a0caring for others and understanding our purpose within the world will position our thought patterns and attitudes to become more effective in our personal leadership development. Real growth occurs when the focus isn\u2019t on oneself. \u00a0As John 3:30 (ESV) states, \u201cHe must increase, but I must decrease\u201d.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice (Kindle Location 77). Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice (Kindle Locations 112-113). Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice (Kindle Locations 169-170). Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> http:\/\/www.christianpost.com\/news\/mars-hill-church-on-course-to-dissolve-by-end-of-year-local-congregations-make-decisions-on-future-129528\/<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice (Kindle Locations 6452-6453). Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice (Kindle Locations 9388-9389). Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nohria and Khurana\u2019s Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice \u201chas one purpose-to stimulate serious scholarly research on leadership.\u201d[1]\u00a0This book seeks to understand why \u201cleadership\u201d development is often ineffective, and what factors contribute to strong versus poor leadership in organizations. Some difficult questions are approached, such as \u201cWill leadership largely be seen as a means of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[482,2,35,579,195,483],"class_list":["post-3320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dawnel","tag-dminlgp","tag-leadership","tag-leadership-development","tag-nohria","tag-volzke","cohort-lgp5"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3320"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3326,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3320\/revisions\/3326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}