Kevin Kruse defines leadership as a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal. My definition of leadership is derived from John Maxwell’s definition of leadership as influence. The finest example of Christian leadership is our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. He declared, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). A shepherd leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects and protects. The Christian leader is also a feeder and a nourisher of the sheep, and the ultimate “sheep food” is the Word of God. (Stott, 2006). True Christian leadership is not what the world views as a “top down” notion but service above self as reflected in Mark 10:45
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Some leaders have a philosophy that resembles Theory X: They view workers as unmotivated and needing direction and control. Others have a philosophy like Theory Y: They approach workers as self-motivated and capable of working independently without strong direct influence from a leader. Our philosophy of leadership is played out in our style of leadership. There are three commonly observed styles of leadership: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire. Similar to Theory X, authoritarian leaders perceive followers as needing direction, so they exert strong influence and control. Resembling Theory Y, democratic leaders view followers as capable of self-direction, so they provide counsel and support. Laissez-faire leaders leave followers to function on their own, providing nominal influence and direction. (Northouse, pp. 89-90). My leadership style is driven by my personal leadership philosophy. I believe my own philosophy of leadership has evolved from X to Y. Reason being, the moment I started working my purpose, I began loving what I do. Most individuals grow to hate work because they spend most of their lives working jobs just to survive paying bills without any contribution to the inner cravings of their soul. Recently, I walked away from a job I hated so much but tolerated just because it helped me pay my bills. While the process was not easy, I began celebrating what I was doing because it contributed to the inner longings of my passion and calling. When I worked the job I hated, I remember exhibiting all the assumptions mentioned in Theory X. I hated going to work and was only motivated by the paycheck I received. I must confess I was not a good steward of what God had entrusted me. I hated every responsibility assigned to me. However, once I switched and started working my purpose, there was a great inner strength that motivated me to stay up working my
Some leaders have a philosophy that resembles Theory X: They view workers as unmotivated and needing direction and control. Others have a philosophy like Theory Y: They approach workers as self-motivated and capable of working independently without strong direct influence from a leader. Our philosophy of leadership is played out in our style of leadership. There are three commonly observed styles of leadership: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire. Similar to Theory X, authoritarian leaders perceive followers as needing direction, so they exert strong influence and control. Resembling Theory Y, democratic leaders view followers as capable of self-direction, so they provide counsel and support. Laissez-faire leaders leave followers to function on their own, providing nominal influence and direction. (Northouse, pp. 89-90). My leadership style is driven by my personal leadership philosophy. I believe my own philosophy of leadership has evolved from X to Y. Reason being, the moment I started working my purpose, I began loving what I do. Most individuals grow to hate work because they spend most of their lives working jobs just to survive paying bills without any contribution to the inner cravings of their soul. Recently, I walked away from a job I hated so much but tolerated just because it helped me pay my bills. While the process was not easy, I began celebrating what I was doing because it contributed to the inner longings of my passion and calling. When I worked the job I hated, I remember exhibiting all the assumptions mentioned in Theory X. I hated going to work and was only motivated by the paycheck I received. I must confess I was not a good steward of what God had entrusted me. I hated every responsibility assigned to me. However, once I switched and started working my purpose, there was a great inner strength that motivated me to stay up working my