Month: October 2018

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Response to Ruiz Rivera – Light From Many Lamps II: This, too, shall pass away

Light From Many Lamps II: This, too, shall pass away

Ruiz,

I appreciated your thoughts on the story from Light from Many Lamps with the history of the motto, “This, too, shall pass away.” The reminder that all things in this life – good, bad and ugly – are temporary is a truth which can help us grow, endure hardship, and persevere through tough circumstances.

I love your attitude about challenging yourself, setting big goals and not being afraid to dream. Taking on this MA Lead program has definitely been a challenge for me and I hear you when you express your desire to grow so that you can make a great impact on society. That is an honourable goal!

I would certainly agree with you that life can end up a little less than rewarding when we achieve goals which we believed would be fulfilling and meaningful. As a follower of Jesus, I’m reminded that in many ways this world and the life I live here will never fully satisfy the deepest desires inside of me, regardless of what kind of academic achievement or career success or financial gain I’m able to find. There will always be something beyond the limits of what I’ve achieved which will continue to pull me forward.

So, in some ways, the motto reminds us that all things shall pass away and, yet, perhaps this is an expression of a deeper desire for something eternal, something everlasting, something which will never, ever pass away. I have found that the ability to fix my eyes and my heart on those things are what allow me to find meaning, purpose, hope and fulfillment.

You have many people cheering you on in this journey of discovery!

 

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Response to ccbeau – Light of Many Lamps – Part 2

Light of Many Lamps – Part 2

Christina,

I’m really touched by how this story in Light from Many Lamps has had such an impact in your life. It’s obvious that you have taken Arnold Bennett’s words to heart and you are evaluating your own habits and desires in light of the encouragement that the gift of today is all we really have.

Social media is such a new technology and our time with it has been so short. I remember my life before the internet, I remember life without social media, I remember life without a computer in our home. But for my kids, life has never not included the ability to access information and social platforms at their fingertips. As we continue to navigate how our world has changed because of social media the impact can be measured on global and individual scales.

Your post also helped to give me a moment to pause and give thanks to God for the gift of today. I’m sitting in my living room with one of my dogs sleeping at my feet. I’ve made myself a tea and the house is quiet before my wife and children wake up. Mornings have turned chilly so I’ve got a fire going but I’m not sure if that’s encouraging me to keep working or to grab a blanket a curl up on the couch! Either way, today is a gift. This moment is a gift. The opportunity to be learning together alongside you and others is an incredible gift.

Thank you for the reminder and the vulnerability in your post. It is very appreciated.

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Response to jsonhealer – Rank, Talk, Write – The Nicomachean ethics of Aristotle

Rev. Martin,

Your post is a great summary of a book that, I will admit, I was too intimidated to tackle when I saw it on the reading list. Thank you and well done!

You’ve got a great ability to distill lots of information down to a core idea and how you’ve highlighted that the “greater good” is both in the action and in the outcome is very helpful.

Learning to ask myself and those I lead, “What’s the purpose?” has helped evaluate outcomes as well as actions in our work. From meetings with staff to ideas for new events or programs, understanding the purpose helps us to achieve this greater good but in the current task in front of us and in the longer term outcome we are seeking together.

As far as your question, as a pastor this greater good can take on many descriptions. I have found it helpful to pray the Lord’s prayer for my work and for those I am leading. The reminder of “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” helps keeps that much greater good front and centre as we are doing our work together.

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Response to Monica Grace – Rank, Talk, Write Activity

Monica, I chose the same article to summarize for this assignment and I’m glad to see you enjoyed it as I did. I’m also glad to see we reached similar conclusions so you’re giving me confidence about what I wrote!

Like you, I’m in a ministry setting so I read your post through the lens of this course but also through the lens of not only my current job but really the whole of my life. I’m really grateful for Cahalan’s ability to clarify something I’ve known intuitively about my own work and those around me.

As far as your question, it’s a good one. Should we assume that everyone who enters into some kind of vocational practice has the potential to reach this stage of expertise and unknowing? I’m not sure that’s true. It’s certainly not what I’ve seen from everyone around me who has gone in to vocational ministry.

One encouragement that I would take to heart from your question is the role of mentors for beginners and novices. I’m asking myself how I can be a better mentor for those who are at early stages in their practice.

Thanks again for your summary and your great thoughts in response to this article.

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Servant Leadership Characteristics in Team Leadership – Unit 5, Learning Activity 2

Servant leaders who are given the responsibility to lead a team need to consider how to most effectively serve and lead when working together on projects in a group.

Spears’ ten characteristics (2010) can be seen as over-arching character descriptions of an effective servant leader and can also be taken as instructive directions and strategies for a particular situation. The habit of character, as described by Hillman (1996, as cited in Spears, 2010), points to these characteristics being both situational and longer term.

When it comes to a specific group project being led by a team leader in an organization, some of these characteristics can be used effectively to help the team succeed.

Listening
Leaders must be able to clearly identify the goals and results which are being requested in a project. The ability to ask questions, seek clarity and listen to the “said and unsaid” (Spears, 2010, p. 27) communication of what will make a project successful is key for the leader.

This equips the leader to then communicate clearly to those they are leading. In the same way that a leader must listen well to what is being asked of them, the leader must also listen well to what is being offered by the followers.

The specific talents, abilities, experience and resources which different members of the team are able to offer the leader need to be heard, recognized and encouraged for the group to be successful together.

Awareness
The power dynamic of a leadership position requires self-awareness so that a leader doesn’t obstruct or interfere in the work a team is doing together. Understanding how requests are heard by followers when asked by a leader, for example,  will impact how the leader makes the request.

Awareness also helps to facilitate leadership decisions from the Hill Model for Team Leadership, as explained by Northouse (2018). Whether a leader needs to monitor or take action, whether intervention is needed by task or relationship, and whether internal or external intervention is needed are all challenges which can be navigated by a leader with a high level of awareness.

Persuasion
By listening to followers on the team, the leader is then able to persuade the team as they work together to achieve the common goal. A servant leader is not in a position to simply do the will of the rest of the team but to serve each person on the team by helping them come to the most effective solution to the problem they are facing.

Persuasion can easily become dictatorial and driven by power so the leader needs to understand their role clearly and develop skills which allow them to be persuasive rather than manipulative. As Spears says, persuasion “offers one of the clearest distinctions between the traditional authoritarian model and that of servant leadership” (Spears, 2010, p. 28).

Question
Have you experienced being a follower on a team where a leader clearly struggled with one of the ten characteristics of servant leadership from Spears? How did that impact you and the team you were a part of?

Reference
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Spears, Larry C. (2010) Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, Vol. 1 Iss. 1, 2010, 25-30. Retrieved from https://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/jvl/vol1_iss1/Spears_Final.pdf

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Critical Functions of Team Effectiveness – Unit 5, Learning Activity 1

Team leadership and the effectiveness of teams has been an area of focus for me since most of my leadership experience has been within the context of teams. Team leadership effectiveness can bring joy and pain to everyone involved!

According to Northouse (2018), the two critical functions of team effectiveness are performance and development. Nadler (1998, as cited in Northouse, 2018) expands on these two functions with performance referring to the quality of work produced by the team and development referring to the growth among and within the team itself.

Components of effective team leadership are found through answers to these six questions asked by Hackman (2012, as cited in Northouse, 2018, p. 375):

  1. It is a real team?
  2. Does it have a compelling purpose?
  3. Does it have the right people?
  4. Are the norms of conduct clear?
  5. Is there support from the organizational context?
  6. Is there team-focused coaching?

As these questions are answered, more questions answered affirmatively is an indicator of higher team leadership effectiveness.

Larson & LaFasto (1989, as cited in Northouse, 2018) identified eight characteristics “consistently associated with team excellence” (Northouse, 2018, p. 376). Team leadership at its most excellent is characterized by:

  1. Clear, elevating goal
  2. Results-Driven Structure
  3. Competent Team Members
  4. Unified Commitment
  5. Collaborative Climate
  6. Standards of Excellence
  7. External Support and Recognition
  8. Principled Leadership

I have the privilege of currently working as part of a team with a compelling purpose and clear, elevating goal of becoming a regional church of 10,000 meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of people in Jesus’ name.

Competent team members, I’m very happy to say, surround me in the work I am currently doing. They help make our team better, they help me do better work and they help those we are leading.

I am also grateful to work in a team with a collaborative climate yet where there is also the desire for increased collaboration among our leadership team and across departments. As our organization grows this becomes more challenging but when it occurs the results are always better and the overall effectiveness of our team grows.

Principled leadership is the ability of the leader of a team to allow the team to work according to agreed upon principles, stepping in only when “one or more of the eight characteristics of team success are not being achieved” (Northouse, 2018, p. 379).

Zaccaro, Heinen, & Shuffler (2001, as cited in Northouse, 2018) identified four processes which influence team leadership. The cognitive process helps the team identify and understand problems. The motivational process helps the team achieve high performing goals. The affective process helps the team overcome obstacles and stressful situations. The process of coordination helps the team become more effective by matching skills to the correct roles and through change, adaptation and feedback as growth is experienced (Northouse, 2018).

When I joined the team in my current role the staff had just agreed to a five-year strategic plan. On its own, this plan was filled with objectives which were well beyond the reach, capability and skill set of the existing team of staff and volunteers.

Over the past five years, we have been led by a team leader who has encouraged, resourced, challenged and celebrated us as we’ve seen these seemingly out-of-reach goals come to reality. The collective work of our team became more and more encouraging as we saw some of these big, audacious goals come into focus and then to see them accomplished.

These accomplishments and successes then become fuel for the next challenge, the next big goal, the next dream which seems so far away. This motivational process becomes itself a way for the team to grow in ability and confidence as we work together and grow in effectiveness.

Reference
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

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Servant Leadership – Unit 4, Learning Activity 2

First introduced by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970 as a concept, servant leadership is understood to be distinct from other leadership theories because of the priority placed by the leader on serving and developing followers. Although there is “no consensus about a definition and theoretical framework of servant leadership” (Van Dierendock, 2011, p. 1229) there is an abundance of writing which identifies elements, strengths and weakness of servant leadership.

According to Van Dierendock (2011), there are ten essential elements identified by Spears (1995, as cited by Van Dierendock, 2011) which are considered to be essential to servant leadership. These are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment, and building community (Van Dierendock, 2011). Searle & Barbuto (2011) demonstrate how these ten essential elements work together to encourage growth of followers and a positive increase in job performance. Servant leaders facilitate “positive moral behavior in their followers” (Searle & Barbuto, 2011, p. 111).

Servant leadership is distinct from transformational leadership in that leaders are focused on desired outcomes seen in individual followers rather than in positive organizational outcomes. Van Dierendock (2011) affirms that “more satisfied, more committed, and better performing employees” (Van Dierendock, 2011, p. 1247) are produced within the framework of servant leadership which results in higher quality followers who help the leader become better. The hope is servant leadership results in positive organizational outcomes which would have broader societal impact (Smith, Montagno & Kuzmenko, 2004).

As a specific element of the servant leadership approach, awareness is concerned with an understanding of the well-being of the followers, “that each person deserves to be loved” (Van Dierendock, 2011, p. 1231). Emotional intelligence or self-awareness is more concerned with the leader’s understanding of oneself.

Modelled by Southwest Airlines’ president Colleen Barrett, awareness as a concept within servant leadership is exemplified when she says, “At the top of our pyramid in terms of the most important priority that we have is our employees… 85 percent of my time is spent on employees and on delivering proactive customer service to our employees” (KnowledgeAtWharton, 2008).

 

Reference
[KnowledgeAtWharton]. (2008, July 9). Southwest airlines’ Colleen Barrett on ‘Servant Leadership’. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TgR95vnM0c

Searle, T.P. and Barbuto, J.E. (2011). Servant Leadership, Hope, and Organizational Virtuousness: A Framework Exploring Positive Micro and Macro Behaviors and Performance Impact. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies 18(1), 107-117. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca/login?url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1548051810383863

Smith, B.N., Montagno, R.V. and Kuzmenko, T.N. (2004). Transformational and servant leadership: Content and contextual comparisons. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies 10(4), 80-92. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca/login?url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/107179190401000406

Van Dierendonck, D. (2011). Servant leadership: A review and synthesis. Journal of Management 37(4), 1228-1261. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca/login?url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0149206310380462

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Transformational Leadership – Unit 4, Learning Activity 1

Transformational leadership is focused on changing people, the work they are doing and the character of who they are (Northouse, 2018). Transformational leaders are focused on visioning, empowering and resourcing people to help them grow and achieve organizational goals (Smith, Montagno & Kuzmenko, 2004).

Burns, in his book Leadership, first identified transformational leadership (as cited in Northouse, 2018, p. 164). According to him, “the crucial task of transformational leaders is to raise the awareness and consciousness of their followers to higher levels of conduct and morality” (Burns, 1978, p. 20 as cited in Mulla & Krishnan, 2011, p. 130).

To accomplish this, transformational leadership is concerned with four factors: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration (Northouse, 2018; Smith, Montagno & Kuzmenko, 2004). When successful, transformational leadership allows “followers to accomplish more than what is usually expected of them” (Northouse, 2018, p. 172).

Strengths of transformational leadership identified by Northouse (2018) include extensive research, appeal for leaders and followers with needs met for both, a broader view of leadership as a whole, attention to the character of followers, and overall effectiveness. Transformational leadership has also been found to be effective when organizations need to grow, when facing external challenges, and when followers are able to be given the freedom to innovate and take risks (Smith, Montagno & Kuzmenko, 2004).

Northouse (2018) identifies many criticisms and weaknesses of transformational leadership from lack of clarity of the concept and of the MLQ, the primary measurement tool. Criticism exists also that transformational leadership “treats leadership as a personality trait or personal predisposition rather than a behavior that people can learn” (Bryman, 1992, pp. 100-102, as cited in Northouse, 2018, p. 181). There is also not yet clear evidence that followers are changed, even as the group or company succeeds in its goals. A significant criticism is the potential abuse of transformational leadership around the leader’s motives for personal gain or the pursuit of evil outcomes, as well as the risk of manipulation or the rise of narcissism (Van Dierendonck, 2011).

I would consider Abraham Lincoln a good example of a  transformational leader. Lincoln’s vision that all should be free was accomplished through his ability to motivate and transform people around him to accomplish what they did not believe was possible.

Lincoln leveraged his influence as president, his motivation through letters and speeches, his intellectual ability as a lawyer through individualized relationships with military and political leaders. The abolishment of slavery in the United States stands as a testament to Lincoln’s ability to lead in a way that results in both individual and national transformation.

Reference
Mulla, Z.R. and Krishnan, V.R. (2011). Transformational leadership: Do the leader’s morals matter and do the follower’s morals change? Journal of Human Values 17(2), 129-143.Retrieved from https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca/login?url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/097168581101700203

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Smith, B.N., Montagno, R.V. and Kuzmenko, T.N. (2004). Transformational and servant leadership: Content and contextual comparisons. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies 10(4), 80-92.Retrieved from https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca/login?url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/107179190401000406

Van Dierendonck, D. (2011). Servant leadership: A review and synthesis. Journal of Management 37(4), 1228-1261. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca/login?url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0149206310380462

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Light from Many Lamps – Unit 4

The story of Harold Russell is new to me but after learning about him in Light from Many Lamps (Watson, 1951) I’m reminded again of the power of gratitude even when facing significant struggles. It is humbling to learn this story of a young man full of courage and willing to go to war for his country, injured to the point where he loses his hands and comes face to face with a new reality of how the rest of his life will look.

The leadership lessons in this story are many – perseverance, adaptability, determination. The key to all of those, as I read this story, is not from Harold Russell himself but instead from Charley McGonegal, the injured World War 1 Major who helped shift Russell’s perspective, to see “that the first and greatest obstacle he had to overcome was himself” (Watson, 1951, p. 89). The Major’s ability to help Russell see his weakness as an opportunity to discover new strength was the turning point for the injured soldier.

Leaders help followers see beyond present circumstances and I’m impacted by this story to remember that even in difficult, dire circumstances leaders have a responsibility to envision a new future which may have never been possible without these difficulties. Cynicism and hopelessness don’t have to be the default responses and I’m reminded of some current situations where I have the opportunity as a leader to help people see a better future.

Russell himself is even surprised by his own ability, inspired by McGonegal’s encouragement. “But the thing I never cease to marvel at is that I was able to meet the challenge of utter disaster and master it” (Watson, 1951, p. 92). The story of Harold Russell could have been so different after losing his hands without the incredible reminder from Charley McGonegal.

 

Reference
Watson, L.E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York: Simon and Schuster.

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Response to Jessica Sawatzky: Light from many Lamps

Light from many Lamps

Jessica, your post on Henry Francis Lyte helped me remember that failure is much more common than we’d like to admit. More than that, failure is much more powerful than we would typically like when we the impression in the world around us is that success after success is what we should expect.

“Failure has a funny way of bringing out the best in us (Sawatzky, 2018)”. So true. Perhaps not in the moment – the immediate result of failure is likely to be something we are probably not proud of – but over time the deep change that happens through failure leads to growth, development and, ultimately, success.

I also so appreciated your description of the powerful memories triggered by music. As a musician I have had the privilege of leading funerals where singing familiar songs has had a similar resonance for people. Music is an incredibly powerful tool which can embed and surface significant emotions for us.

Reference
Sawatzky, Jessica. (2018, October 9). Light from many Lamps. Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/jessicalaugsawatzky/2018/10/09/light-from-many-lamps/