Leadership by JC

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Every once in a while I get a little unconventional.   Today is Good Friday and I feel it is appropriate that I write about the leadership style of the greatest leader of all times.  During his leadership Jesus Christ created a climate where the mission and vision of his objectives were clearly defined and communicated.  He communicated in such a way that he did not have to seek followers, they wanted to follow him.

Jesus taught that you did not have to be a hero to be a leader. He taught just the opposite; that to be great leader you must be a servant. Jesus was willing to “walk the talk” when he demonstrated his commitment to this principle by washing his disciples feet.

Perhaps the most relevant example of what Jesus thought about Corporate leadership versus Servant leadership is found in the story where James and John’s mother came to Jesus and asked that her sons be permitted to sit at the right and left of Jesus in the Kingdom. Obviously, the mother of these two men had a very corporate view of the kingdom. She wanted her sons to be at high points on the executive ladder, Executive Vice-presidents of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus did not agree with this management style. He pointed to the Gentiles as a bad example of those who “lord it over” people, and wanted no part of this plan. Instead he pronounced and repeated on many occasions: “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.”

The motto for his management style? “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”.

All of this to say if leaders today follow the simple guidelines that Jesus practiced, great leadership would be seen throughout our world.

Jesus leadership practice

1. He expects that servant leaders be relational. We are to be among people, not over them.

2. The servant leader does not bark orders, but instead simply goes to work and demonstrates how others may join in.

3. The servant leader is a catalyst for behavioral change in the lives of those he or she leads.

It is not enough that followers obey commands, but that they experience a sense of community and purpose in the process.

Seeing hope through tragedy

It is sometimes in the midst of  tragedy that we see hope.  Hope, that someday we will live in a world where people don’t judge each other by the color of their skin, their religious beliefs or our cultural differences.  As Christmas was drawing near, everyone was rushing around trying to finish last-minute tasks for the holiday or to get ready for the New Year.  This year, I found myself totally distracted.  Not because of the last-minute things I had to do, but because this past week, dear friends of our family suffered the death of their 2-year-old son in a horrific accident.  When something like this happens, it’s hard to make sense of it.  Personally, I found it difficult to focus so I could gain the strength to help provide support through this terrible tragedy. 

As I stood there, somehow trying to offer comfort where there was no comfort to be found, I recognized that I was surrounded by individuals of  various ethnic, religious, political, and social backgrounds.   Each was sharing comfort and strength in their own individual and unique way.   All of these people were united without thought, without question.  If there were differences, biases, or misunderstandings, they lacked any importance because the priority was this hurting family.

The sadness continues, but through this, I find renewed hope for our world.  I am reminded as 2011 draws near that it is through our own uniqueness and our individual gifts of talent and purpose that we have the power to make a positive difference in our world.

I would like to thank my friend and colleague Melissa Beasley for helping me bring my feelings together to write this post.

Core Values and Organizational Culture

Values exist in every workplace. Your organization’s culture is partially the outward demonstration of the values currently existing in your workplace. The question you need to ask is whether these existing values are creating the workplace you desire.

Do these values promote a culture of extraordinary customer care by happy, motivated, productive people? If not, you will want to:

• Identify the values that currently exist in your workplace;

• Determine if these are the right values for your workplace; and

• Change the actions and behaviors by which the values are demonstrated, if necessary.

To really make a difference in your organization, you need to do all three. I have had the opportunity to serve organizations that have written core values and those where core values were communicated by actions mostly – in the ways in which business is conducted on a day-to-day basis, and not so much in words directly spoken or written. I am a firm advocate of demonstrated values more than written or spoken – actions speak louder, but I also believe that written values that reinforce and support specific actions, and specific actions that reinforce and support written values, make a powerful combination that far exceeds one or the other by itself. If it is written down and demonstrated in action, we can really hold our feet to the fire when we need to. Effective organizations identify and develop a clear, concise and shared meaning of values/beliefs, priorities, and direction so that everyone understands and can contribute.

I have asked some colleagues to share how they have implemented core values  in their organizations and will share that feedback in a few days.  How does your company demonstrate their core values?  Are they just written words or philosophical pillars upon which your company is built?