{"id":6355,"date":"2015-11-05T15:29:45","date_gmt":"2015-11-05T23:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=6355"},"modified":"2015-11-05T15:36:35","modified_gmt":"2015-11-05T23:36:35","slug":"leading-for-the-sake-of-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/leading-for-the-sake-of-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading for the Sake of One"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nohria and Khurana have sought to envelope us in the scholastic, practical and purposeful aspect of leadership and challenge us to live with meaning. This type of leadership requires us to delve into mindset of our audience and seek to communicate effectively and purposefully. \u201cLeaders are the source of institutional values which, in turn, condition the actions of organizational members.\u201d[1]<\/a> Leadership caries consequence. We are men and women of influence with every word, action and decision. We all are positioned as leaders; however, the effectiveness of our leadership is always measured by the transformation of our followers. Nohria and Khurana suggest, \u201cUltimately, one of the most important reasons to study leadership is to enable the development of leaders.\u201d[2]<\/a> Leadership is one\u2019s theology \u2013 it is the belief that directs one\u2019s interaction and ability to lead a life of meaning. With this in mind, how do we measure the success of a leader? Is it ethical or practical to try to place statistics on one\u2019s influence? I would venture to say yes.<\/p>\n

We must be able to gain insight into one\u2019s ability to gain the attraction and agreement of followers. One\u2019s leadership is dependent on one\u2019s relationship. Are lives transformed? Are followers experiencing meaning and value in their work? This type of measurement works on the position of comparative analysis. If THIS occurs than THAT with happen. Leadership enables us to understand how our lives are intertwined and how our decisions affect those around us. However, how do we assess meaning? Is it measurable?<\/p>\n

I remember attending a conference a few years ago, where the keynote speaker compared the structure of the church to business. This man led a church of thousands; however, his leadership was steeped in his understanding and background in for-profit business. He understood that anything worth doing was worth doing well and challenged us in respect to our own ministries. He posed the question, \u201cWhen did we start to believe that God is offended by excellence?\u201d We all sat and mulled over his words. He was right. In a room full of one hundred pastors and leaders who were passionate to make God known, we feared doing it well. That is why economics must play its part in sustaining an organizational structure and financially supporting the mission. \u201cA leader cannot continue to infuse meaning over time unless the organization can survive, and since survival depends on some minimal level of performance, a focus on meaning cannot be maintained to the complete exclusion of a focus on performance.\u201d[3]<\/a> Can our ministries survive? Are we leading others responsibly? The authors also suggest that, \u201c\u2026what makes a leader is not that they have special or exemplary attributes relative to others, but that they are able to fulfill vital functions that help meet their followers\u2019 needs for meaning, social order, group identity, and goal accomplishment.\u201d[4]<\/a> Are we meeting our followers\u2019 needs for meaning? Leadership is not simply an exercise of hopeful change, but of intentional purpose. It challenges us to lead for the sake of one person being transformed.<\/p>\n

Who has God placed in your path? How will your interaction with one affect your influence with thousands? Meaningful leadership occurs when we treat those around us with worth and meaning. It requires us to see past differences and communicate for the sake of change. Cross-cultural and globalized leadership must be able to assess cultural needs and comprehend cultural behavior. It requires us to engage with culture and present the gospel in tangible ways that can be understood and replicated within one\u2019s own nation, language, traditions, and characteristics. The gospel must always be protected, but the presentation must always be innovative. \u201cThe power of leaders depends upon the followers\u2019 objectives that are embedded in their culture.\u201d[5]<\/a> Are we listening to the distinctiveness of culture or peddling an Americanized gospel?<\/p>\n

The measurement of leadership is in receptivity \u2013 is the message heard, is it accepted, is it relevant? We must always seek to ask ourselves these questions and be ready for the answers. David Kinnaman, author and president of Barna Research Group reveals, \u201c59% of young people with a Christian background report that they had or have dropped out of attending church after going to church regularly\u2026and nearly two-fifths (38%) say they have gone through a period when they significantly doubted their faith.\u201d[6]<\/a> Are we listening? How can we claim good leadership when we\u2019re losing followers? How can we claim to be good leaders when we\u2019re ignoring those who are walking away? We must listen and respond. The authors suggest, \u201cLeadership like power, is a relationship, and followers also have the power both to resist and to lead. Followers empower leaders as well as vice versa.\u201d[7]<\/a> Jesus Christ is the representation of good leadership. His values and His life answered the question of humanity. His influence was not contrived, but conducive to His audience. I want to conclude with a testimony from one of His followers \u2013 a man who chose not to resist, but to lead.<\/p>\n

The jagged stones pierced against his body and blood ran down his temple, yet he reached out with batted breath and spoke one final word, \u201cGod I\u2019ll see you in a minute. But I have one last prayer<\/strong> on this planet. I pray for the men who are murdering me. Make sure you forgive them. Don\u2019t hold this against them.\u201d[8]<\/a> Saul\u2019s eyes focused solely on this man\u2019s prayer \u2013 a prayer that would forever change his life. A prayer that would transform Paul into the greatest of followers. Stephen\u2019s martyrdom led to Paul\u2019s mission. \u00a0Are we living with one last prayer? Are we living with one last purpose? Are we leading so that others will follow?<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana,\u00a0Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: An Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership<\/em>\u00a0(Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press, 2010), 65.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana,\u00a0Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: An Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership<\/em>\u00a0(Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press, 2010), 21.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana,\u00a0Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: An Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership<\/em>\u00a0(Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press, 2010), 97.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana,\u00a0Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: An Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership<\/em>\u00a0(Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press, 2010), 15.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana,\u00a0Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: An Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership<\/em>\u00a0(Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press, 2010), 313.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> David Kinnaman and Aly Hawkins,\u00a0You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church– and Rethinking Faith<\/em>\u00a0(Grand Rapids, Mich.: BakerBooks, 2011), 23.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana,\u00a0Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: An Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership<\/em>\u00a0(Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press, 2010), 311.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Judah Smith,\u00a0Life Is –: God’s Illogical Love Will Change Your Existence<\/em>\u00a0(Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2015), 51.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nohria and Khurana have sought to envelope us in the scholastic, practical and purposeful aspect of leadership and challenge us to live with meaning. This type of leadership requires us to delve into mindset of our audience and seek to communicate effectively and purposefully. \u201cLeaders are the source of institutional values which, in turn, condition […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"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":[35,195],"class_list":["post-6355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-leadership","tag-nohria","cohort-lgp6"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6355","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\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6355"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6358,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6355\/revisions\/6358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}