by Clarence E. Stowers | Nov 21, 2011 | Empowerment, Excellence, Leadership, Servant Leadership
I’m excited to share some thoughts regarding leadership. Recently, I googled the word “leadership” and it reavealed 141 million hits! Wow! Now I understand why many are confused when it comes to defining leadership. Since this is our first session, I’d like to begin by sharing the “best kept” leadership secret – BE A SERVANT.
The phrase “Servant Leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, he said:
The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.
The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived? (Source: Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership)
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Apr 1, 2011 | Christian, Christianity, Communication, Decisions, Empowerment, Leadership, Self-Leadership, Servant Leadership
Happy Friday!
Last week I shared “The ONE Mistake Nearly All Leaders Make” (failing to discern their culture). Failing to discern your culture could prove fatal. Yesterday, I shared how “A Culture of Service Makes a Great Leader.” You can read more about it HERE. Today, I conclude this series sharing the characteristics that reflect a true leadership culture.
What Characteristics reflect a True Leadership Culture?
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Mar 21, 2011 | Communication, Decisions, Leadership, Self-Leadership, Servant Leadership
I’m BACK!!!
Since I’ve been away, I’ve been extremely busy launching an online Bible Study, planning a Praise & Worship Concert (March 25-27, 2011) at Mars Hill Baptist Church of Chicago, pouring into our men, and leading a thriving and growing church. The greatest blessing while being away is I took time to work on creative content to share with my blog family. Thanks for your patience.
Laying hands on our men during an altar call – Sunday, March 20, 2011
It’s officially conference season and like any other industry, Christendom has plenty to offer. Before you run off and attend this year’s bevy of conferences, I suggest you spend time clearly defining and understanding the culture of your church, business, or ministry. Why? One of the deadliest mistakes leaders make is failing to understand the existing organizational culture. Often new leaders work diligently to transplant their heart and vision into people who ultimately reject it. Why…failure to take time and discern and understand the culture.
I define culture as the beliefs and behaviors of an organization. In short, every organization has a “certain way” of doing things and that way is ultimately determined by that organization’s culture. For this reason change is often difficult to embrace because it pushes against that organization’s culture.
“Culture – not vision or strategy is the most important factor in organization” according to leadership consultant Samuel Chand (Source: Cracking Your Church’s Culture). He goes on to share how “it determines the receptivity of the staff and volunteers to new ideas, unleashes or dampens creativity, builds or erodes enthusiasm, and creates a sense of pride or deep discouragement about working or being involved.”
Mars Hill is currently transitioning to a church that focuses on Worship and The Word. Consequently, as leaders we worked long and hard to discern our culture before we transitioned our church. First, we had to establish a true leadership culture of service.
What is True Leadership Culture?
Leadership culture takes on many forms. Many theories on leadership talk about natural leadership styles that are linked to your personality type. Indeed, personality does play quite a big part in leadership. Some people are simply more natural leaders than others. The question is: Is there a culture that can be adopted by leaders that will make them more efficient? Is a successful leadership culture something that can be learned and applied? The answer is yes – A Culture of Service makes a Great Leader. Stay with me for the next few days as we discover this powerful leadership principle.
Question:
When you hear words like “culture” or “a culture of service,” what comes to mind?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 7, 2011 | Christian, Christianity, Empowerment, Leadership, Servant Leadership
Happy Monday & welcome to Monday’s Online School of Leadership!
I’m enjoying our time together as we discuss and discover leadership from a servant’s perspective. If this is your first time with us, check out Session One: “The Best Kept Leadership Secret” by reading Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 .
Last week I began Session 2 – The Power of Being a Servant-Leader. If you haven’t read it, you can do so HERE. Friday’s session ended with me sharing the consequences of not having a servant-leader attitude. Again, if you haven’t read it, you can CLICK HERE and read it NOW. Today, let’s take a look at David’s heart – the right attitude towards servant-leadership.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 4, 2011 | Christian, Christianity, Empowerment, Leadership, Servant Leadership
Personally, I’m enjoying sharing my thoughts on servant-leadership. I know it’s counter-cultural to what we know about leadership. However, if you desire to lead God’s way, then servant-leadership is the way to go. Yesterday I began the conversation sharing The Power of Being a Servant-Leader. If you haven’t read it, you can read it HERE. Today, I’d like to continue the conversation by sharing the consequences of not having a servant-leader attitude.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 3, 2011 | Christian, Christianity, Empowerment, Leadership, Servant Leadership
Welcome to Session 2: The Power of Being a Servant-Leader. I’m excited about the concept of hosting an Online School of Leadership. What’s great about this school is that no matter where you are in the world, all you need to do is log on to this blog and elevate your leadership skills. Last week we learned how being a servant is the best kept leadership secret. If you missed it, you can read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 now.
The Power of Being a Servant-Leader
The term servant-leader probably conjures up images of someone who is always walking behind others, picking up after them and simply playing a supporting role. But just because you support and serve those you lead, doesn’t mean you are a doormat or any less of leader. It is probably the idea that a leader should have an elevated rather than serving position that hinders us from really understanding what being a servant-leader is about.
Think about epic stories like Braveheart. In the movie you see Mel Gibson as the lead character who is spurring his followers on to fight for freedom. But he doesn’t sit back and direct the battle from a distant hill. He is there in the front lines with his men, serving them in battle, fighting alongside them and yet still leading them. This is a powerful image of a servant-leader. Because of his servant heart, his men stood toe-toe with him until the very end.
Did you enjoy today’s session?
Join me tomorrow as I discuss King Saul who vividly portrays the consequences of not having a Servant-Leader’s attitude.
