Creating Positive Change: Biblical Foundations For Christian Leadership
The Importance of Creating Positive Change
An Essay Submitted for
CLED-510 LUO (spring 2011)
Biblical Foundations for Christian Leadership
Include in your paper the profile of a leader in trouble, the leader as a change agent, why people resist change, and how to create a climate for change.
By Howard Byrd
ID# 173786
March 4, 2011 Change is inevitable, individuals; particularly those in leaderships should to strive to make sure that change is for the positive. If positive change is the desired result, there must be intentional effort to make that happen. Change is not always easy and the positive results are immediately apparent in every instance, but leaders with targeted objectives will make it happen. There is truth …show more content…
in the statement, “Once the leader can determine the difference between novel change and needed change, then that leader must become a change agent.”1 Positive change is always the result of intent. One of the instances where positive change is most certainly needed is when the leader is in trouble.
The leader will most often be the individual who by intent or default sets the culture for the organization. There are certain characteristics that identify the troubled leader, and many deal with the unwillingness or inability to implement change. They include, “lack of imagination, poor people skills, and unwillingness to take risk, inflexibility and a general attitude of resistance to change.”2 Any leader who will not change will eventually become ineffective, and trouble is a constant companion. There is hope for the leader who is trouble but there must be a concerted effort to improve in the areas of lack by adjusting policies and implementing the necessary modifications to make it happen. This will also involve sacrifice, “leadership demands a commitment of service to others, a placing of the needs of others above your own.”3 The troubled leader must be willing to be humbled to move from problem to progress. To be relieved of trouble also may demand a deeper level of humility. Personal pride can hinder the leader who is in trouble from breaking free from the problem. Humility does not mean, “you allow yourself to be pressured into to doing something because someone outs you on a guilt trip.”4 Trouble is not a death sentence but an indicator of problem, and an opportunity to exercise good leadership skills to build a solid …show more content…
organization. The leader of an organization should be the agent of change, for the body will follow where the head leads it. It can be implied that two vitally important skills are required to be an agent of change, “knowing the technical requirements of change and understanding the attitude and motivational demands to for bringing it about.”5 To create positive change the leader’s attitude must be positive, which is not always easy when the pressure of leadership spike and flare. Being positive does not mean the denial of negative circumstance, but it does require the ability and willingness to confront and overcome them. To change people and organizations a leader needs to be motivational.
This can come from demonstrating the right attitude when failure takes place. A leader who bounces back from failure can inspire others to do the same, “Nothing worth achieving comes easily. The only way to fail forward and achieve a desired objective is to cultivate a culture of tenacity and persistence.”6 The power of purpose and intent are required to accomplish this because if you don’t know where you are going any road will take you there. When followers see the fortitude of the leader they will be inspired to develop their own leadership capabilities. This also is an indicator that the leader has positive expectations concerning the ultimate outcome of the organization’s mission. Individual and corporate incentive will also motivate organizations’ masses to do more and accomplish more. This helps to foster unity which is not conformity, but many parts working together to meet a desire
purpose. No matter how positive or gifted the leadership is, people, by virtue of their nature will resist change. This is a universal condition that must be expected and confronted to be an effective leader. Even when the positive benefits of change are explained there will be some who resist. People resist change for several reasons, one is because it is not self initiated. That means that control must be relinquished which can be extremely uncomfortable. Others do not like to have their routine interrupted. The leader must be willing to confront t this condition because it is infectious and can cause a great deal of damage. People are afraid of what they cannot see or control, the feeling of walking in the dark because they must be lead by some who can see farther than they can. Many cannot overcome their fear of failure, and the leader must exemplify the principle that failure is necessary for success. No individual, with the exception of Christ have ever lived a successful life without failing. But failure builds character and change will cause some to make mistakes they are trying to avoid. Complacency is a difficult condition to cure, the attitude that things are good enough is a momentum killer. A climate for change can be created by practicing the principle of good leadership. Success breeds success and failure that is not embraced as opportunity breeds failure. A leader who is disciplined, humble has strong clear vision is patient and has a good sense of humor will create an atmosphere that fosters positive change in an organization. It is apparent that to create positive change a leader must be positive. The biblical leader has a future and a hope (Jer. 29:18) and should be able to convey that to his organization. However these skills must be cultivated to be effectively implemented and bring about the desired result.
Notes
1Maxwell, John C.. Developing the leader within you . Nashville: T. Nelson , 1993, 52
2 Maxwell, John C.. Developing the leader within you . Nashville: T. Nelson , 1993, 50
3 Munroe, Myles. Becoming a leader . Lanham, MD: Pneuma Life, 1993. 156
4 Munroe, Myles. Becoming a leader . Lanham, MD: Pneuma Life, 1993. 143
5 Maxwell, John C.. Developing the leader within you . Nashville: T. Nelson , 1993, 52 Maxwell, 6 John C.. Failing forward: turning mistakes into stepping-stones for success. Nashville, TN: . Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000
An Essay Submitted for
CLED-510 LUO (spring 2011)
Biblical Foundations for Christian Leadership
Include in your paper the profile of a leader in trouble, the leader as a change agent, why people resist change, and how to create a climate for change.
By Howard Byrd
ID# 173786
March 4, 2011 Change is inevitable, individuals; particularly those in leaderships should to strive to make sure that change is for the positive. If positive change is the desired result, there must be intentional effort to make that happen. Change is not always easy and the positive results are immediately apparent in every instance, but leaders with targeted objectives will make it happen. There is truth …show more content…
in the statement, “Once the leader can determine the difference between novel change and needed change, then that leader must become a change agent.”1 Positive change is always the result of intent. One of the instances where positive change is most certainly needed is when the leader is in trouble.
The leader will most often be the individual who by intent or default sets the culture for the organization. There are certain characteristics that identify the troubled leader, and many deal with the unwillingness or inability to implement change. They include, “lack of imagination, poor people skills, and unwillingness to take risk, inflexibility and a general attitude of resistance to change.”2 Any leader who will not change will eventually become ineffective, and trouble is a constant companion. There is hope for the leader who is trouble but there must be a concerted effort to improve in the areas of lack by adjusting policies and implementing the necessary modifications to make it happen. This will also involve sacrifice, “leadership demands a commitment of service to others, a placing of the needs of others above your own.”3 The troubled leader must be willing to be humbled to move from problem to progress. To be relieved of trouble also may demand a deeper level of humility. Personal pride can hinder the leader who is in trouble from breaking free from the problem. Humility does not mean, “you allow yourself to be pressured into to doing something because someone outs you on a guilt trip.”4 Trouble is not a death sentence but an indicator of problem, and an opportunity to exercise good leadership skills to build a solid …show more content…
organization. The leader of an organization should be the agent of change, for the body will follow where the head leads it. It can be implied that two vitally important skills are required to be an agent of change, “knowing the technical requirements of change and understanding the attitude and motivational demands to for bringing it about.”5 To create positive change the leader’s attitude must be positive, which is not always easy when the pressure of leadership spike and flare. Being positive does not mean the denial of negative circumstance, but it does require the ability and willingness to confront and overcome them. To change people and organizations a leader needs to be motivational.
This can come from demonstrating the right attitude when failure takes place. A leader who bounces back from failure can inspire others to do the same, “Nothing worth achieving comes easily. The only way to fail forward and achieve a desired objective is to cultivate a culture of tenacity and persistence.”6 The power of purpose and intent are required to accomplish this because if you don’t know where you are going any road will take you there. When followers see the fortitude of the leader they will be inspired to develop their own leadership capabilities. This also is an indicator that the leader has positive expectations concerning the ultimate outcome of the organization’s mission. Individual and corporate incentive will also motivate organizations’ masses to do more and accomplish more. This helps to foster unity which is not conformity, but many parts working together to meet a desire
purpose. No matter how positive or gifted the leadership is, people, by virtue of their nature will resist change. This is a universal condition that must be expected and confronted to be an effective leader. Even when the positive benefits of change are explained there will be some who resist. People resist change for several reasons, one is because it is not self initiated. That means that control must be relinquished which can be extremely uncomfortable. Others do not like to have their routine interrupted. The leader must be willing to confront t this condition because it is infectious and can cause a great deal of damage. People are afraid of what they cannot see or control, the feeling of walking in the dark because they must be lead by some who can see farther than they can. Many cannot overcome their fear of failure, and the leader must exemplify the principle that failure is necessary for success. No individual, with the exception of Christ have ever lived a successful life without failing. But failure builds character and change will cause some to make mistakes they are trying to avoid. Complacency is a difficult condition to cure, the attitude that things are good enough is a momentum killer. A climate for change can be created by practicing the principle of good leadership. Success breeds success and failure that is not embraced as opportunity breeds failure. A leader who is disciplined, humble has strong clear vision is patient and has a good sense of humor will create an atmosphere that fosters positive change in an organization. It is apparent that to create positive change a leader must be positive. The biblical leader has a future and a hope (Jer. 29:18) and should be able to convey that to his organization. However these skills must be cultivated to be effectively implemented and bring about the desired result.
Notes
1Maxwell, John C.. Developing the leader within you . Nashville: T. Nelson , 1993, 52
2 Maxwell, John C.. Developing the leader within you . Nashville: T. Nelson , 1993, 50
3 Munroe, Myles. Becoming a leader . Lanham, MD: Pneuma Life, 1993. 156
4 Munroe, Myles. Becoming a leader . Lanham, MD: Pneuma Life, 1993. 143
5 Maxwell, John C.. Developing the leader within you . Nashville: T. Nelson , 1993, 52 Maxwell, 6 John C.. Failing forward: turning mistakes into stepping-stones for success. Nashville, TN: . Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000