Change Levels and Cultural Change Experiences
In the context of leadership, improvement might occur at different levels. According to Blanchard et al., there are four levels of change, including improvement in knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, and culture-related expectations or norms (247). I was involved in cultural norm/expectation change as a follower by attending religious diversity training in my previous workplace after the company’s merger with a foreign entity. The change was not difficult since the followers understood the purpose of altering their expectations in terms of etiquette, communication, and holiday newsletters. This example aligns with Blanchard et al.’s suggestion that each follower should express the desire to collaborate for cultural change to occur (250). Particularly, the team realized that mutual acceptance would enhance the business’s development prospects, which helped everyone get through the change.
Reasons for Difficulty and Frameworks/Steps
Change is effort-intensive, and leaders might benefit from relying on religiously inspired frameworks. There are seven key reasons why leading change is challenging. These include followers’ awkwardness, loneliness, and perceived change-induced loss (Blanchard et al. 252). The next three reasons are people’s limitations in terms of the amount of change they can handle, followers’ anxiety concerning resources, and interpersonal differences peculiar to readiness for change (Blanchard et al. 254). The final cause is people’s tendency to proceed with old behaviors once there is no pressure (Blanchard et al. 255).
Some elements of the 12-step framework that stand out to me are Step 8 and Step 12. They relate to making amends and spreading the idea of leading like Jesus, respectively (Blanchard et al. 266). I aim to improve my compliance with Step 8 because I see justice and acknowledgment of one’s past mistakes as some of the key leadership virtues. Another goal is to improve the implementation of Step 12. Concerning the reason, popularizing Jesus-like leadership among those I have an impact on will help address the culture of individual success that surrounds me in non-religious contexts.
Pillars, Actions, and Using Power
Leading others is inseparable from reliance on certain traits and actions. According to Northouse, the pillars of character include being trustworthy, adhering to the principles of fairness, treating followers respectfully, responding to others’ expectations, citizenship, and caring for others (273). An ethical leader should use power by encouraging positive change that is not limited by self-gain. In particular, such leaders are expected to instrumentalize their power to accomplish mutual goals and benefit their followers by taking their interests into consideration during strategic planning (Northouse 283).
Such leaders’ key actions refer to the manifestations of three principles, including servitude, justice, and respect, in behaviors and communication with the followers (Northouse 275). Therefore, the actions to indicate one’s adherence to ethical leadership might include demonstrating respect when it comes to people and ideas, making decisions in others’ interests, empowering one’s followers, mentoring the team, and avoiding favoritism.
Goals/Values and Honesty
Leaders’ goals reflect their values by shedding light on changes to the world that they perceive as permissible and desirable. For instance, Hitler’s plan to exterminate those of Jewish origin reveals his value of inequality and disagreement with the principles of universal respect or the sanctity of human life (Northouse 278). Conversely, ethical leaders might see the spread of compassion, respect, and acceptance as the ultimate good, which is reflected in their goals.
Northouse’s discussion of the sources of wisdom is limited to common sayings that connect being good to truthfulness, but scriptures promoting being honest all the time might include the Proverbs (279). They teach people that practicing honest speech permanently is a good leader’s trait (The Bible Prov. 16:13-23). Honesty is extremely important in a leader because its lack undermines follower-leader relationships, contributes to mistrust, and makes followers perceive the leader’s narratives more critically (Northouse 279). In other words, this value enables the leader to impact others’ thinking, perceptions, and actions.
Works Cited
Blanchard, Ken, et al. Lead Like Jesus Revisited: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time. Thomas Nelson Publishing, 2006.
Northouse, Peter G. Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice. 5th ed., Sage Publications, 2021.
The Bible. Authorized King James Version. Oxford UP, 1988. Web.
Loading...
