Introduction
Nowadays, finding a person who has not heard about Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph, also known as Christ, is truly challenging. His remarkable leadership had a profound effect on the society of his time, invoking substantial changes in individuals, communities, cities, and nations. Based on the impact Christ’s approach to leadership had on people around him, it can be considered one of the first applications of a transformational leadership theory.
Methods
There are many factors based on which a leader can be assessed and evaluated. According to Kovach (2018), the main ones include a leader’s personal qualities and performance. Consequently, I reviewed the existing literature concerning the leadership qualities Jesus Christ possessed to formulate my thesis statement. Then, based on the obtained information, I researched the existing leadership theories to find what fits Jesus Christ’s approach best.
Analysis
A literature review has yielded many similarities regarding Jesus’ personality. Boyer’s monography (2021) portrays Christ as mentoring, exemplary, authentic, and loving leader. In addition, Darsana et al. (2021) summarize Christ’s impact on his community as renewing and transformative. Thus, the most fitting leadership concept would be transformational leadership. According to Kovach (2018), transformational leaders clarify the overarching purpose, constantly motivating and leading people to its realization. They serve as an example and foster the development of their followers’ virtues.
Conclusion
Christ’s charisma and care could be seen in his actions and speech. For instance, Christ often exchanged the role of a leader and a servant, urging his followers to do the same: “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45) A personal example adds incredible strength and validity to the spoken words, which significantly contributed to Christ’s transformational leadership success.