Leadership - Go forth to die!

Leadership Means Go Forth to Die

2009-04-10T17:09:00.005-05:00

It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him. A sign was fastened to the cross, announcing the charge against him. It read, "The King of the Jews." Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. "Ha! Look at you now!" they yelled at him. "You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!" The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. "He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can't save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!" Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him. At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. Then at three o'clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. "Wait!" he said. "Let's see whether Elijah comes to take him down!" Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, "This man truly was the Son of God!" . . . . This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath (Mark 15:25-42, NLT).

What does it mean for a leader to choose the way of the Cross?

The Seeking Leader

2009-02-22T16:01:00.003-06:00

This morning in worship I was moved by the words of the hymn, I Sought the Lord, and Afterward I Knew. This hymn recalled to my mind Jesus' story of the shepherd and the lost sheep. I've included the text of hymn and the story below for your reflection.

These texts reveal to us Jesus as the Seeking Leader. Jesus actively seeks those who have wondered away. Jesus pursues the well-being of his followers.

For those of us who desire to lead like Jesus, how do we respond to the image of Jesus as the Seeking Leader? How could this image of Jesus shape our leadership behaviors? Can you think of a situation where you have experienced a seeking leader? Does a present challenge come to mind where it would be appropriate for you to be a seeking leader? What does it mean to be a seeking leader in an organizational context?

I Sought the Lord, and Afterward I Knew

I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew he moved my soul to seek him seeking me;
it was not I that found, O Savior true; no, I was found was found of thee.
It was not I that found, O Savior true; no, I was found, was found of thee.

Thou didst reach forth thy hand and mine enfold; I walked and sank not on the stormvexed sea; 'twas not so much that I on thee took hold, as thou, dear Lord, took hold on me.
'twas not so much that I on thee took hold, as thou, dear Lord, took hold on me.

I find, I walk, I love; but, oh, the whole of love is but my answer, Lord, to thee!
For thou wert long beforehand with my soul; always, always thou lovedst me.
For thou wert long beforehand with my soul; always, always thou lovedst me.

(Sung to the tune a Finlandia. A recording of the tune is included at the end of this blog)

Story of the Lost Sheep
(Luke 15:1-7, NLT)

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people-- even eating with them! So Jesus told them this story: "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!

Finlandia - Hymni, Op. 26 - Jean Sibelius

To What Extent is Leader-Follower Identification Possible?

2008-05-24T21:55:00.008-05:00

In my post Leading Through Partnership, I explored the the affectionate relationship the Apostle Paul shared with the church at Philippi. This relationship was fueled by mutual service to each other. Paul makes it explicit in the first chapter of his letter to the church at Philippi that living "in Christ" is the necessary context for the fellowship they share.

A life “in Christ” is one of unity characterized by mutual encouragement, love, spiritual fellowship, affection, sympathy, selflessness, and humility (2:1-4). What is the motivation and key to this Christian lifestyle? It is God’s complete identification with humankind. Paul uses the text of a familiar hymn to make and illustrate this point (2:6-11).

Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(NASB)

Future posts will provide an analysis of the hymn. For the moment, it is sufficient to note its purpose in the context and flow of the letter.

The hymn serves as the letter’s central node. It flows naturally from the body of the letter that precedes it and is foundational to Paul’s following comments. It paints a vivid image of the Servant-God who completely identifies with the human condition. The hymn gives “expression to Paul's call for worthy fulfillment of Christian obligation and servanthood . . . , and an ethical example, an illustration of what Christian citizenship means” (Bratcher).

What do you think?

The hymn in Philippians 2: 6-11 shows us a Servant-God who completely identifies with humankind. If this represents a biblical model of leadership, what does it mean to identify with one's followers?

Is the Servant-God's model of "complete identification" a plausible goal for today's leader?

How did Paul express identification with his followers?

In what ways could a Kenosis leader "empty" himself or herself to identify with one's followers?

Can you share a story of how you or someone you observed emptied themselves to identify with their followers?

Works Cited
Bratcher, Dennis. The Poured-out Life: The Kenosis Hymn in Context. 2003. Available: http://www.cresourcei.org/kenosis.html. 20 Aug. 2004.

Power and Partnership: Are They Compatible ?

2007-12-20T19:31:00.000-06:00

In response to Leading through Partnership, Greg raised an interesting point about Paul's use of power in his relationship with the Philippian church.

Paul did have power in the sense that he originally founded the church through preaching the gospel and then organizing those who believed. This organization involved both teaching (or disciplining) the new believers but also the appointing of elders. At that point the "power" he exhibited seems to have been more as a teacher from a distance, mainly commenting if he saw that things were moving in the wrong direction. He didn't seem to have any positional power after the church had been established. They generally appeared to be locally governing and locally responsible for discipline (Read Greg's full comments here).

Yukl (2001) creates taxonomy of sources of power with two broad categories: (a) positional power and (b) personal power each of these categories has sub-types of power. Positional power is derived from a person's position in the organization. Personal power is derived from the quality of interpersonal relationships a person has within an organization.

Positional power includes:

Legitimate power - formal authority
Reward power - control of resources and reward
Coercive power - control of punishment
Information power - control of distribution of information
Ecological power - control of physical environment, technology and organization of work.

Personal Power includes

Referent power - derived from the desire of others to please a person toward whom they have strong feelings of affection, admiration, and loyalty.
Expert power - derived being perceived by others as a reliable source of task relevant knowledge and skill.

Paul certainly seems to rely primarily on personal power in his relationship with the churches he started (both referent and expert). However, I'm wondering if the following passage may indicate that Paul sometimes exercised some form of positional power.

For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame, for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible." Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present (2 Corinthians 10:8-11 NASB).

What do you think?

Is it ever appropriate for a Kenosis leader to use positional power?
Are any of the forms of positional power inappropriate for a Kenosis leader?
What New Testament examples illustrate the positive use of the various forms of positional power?

Reference

Yukl, G. (2001). Leadership in organizations (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Leading Through Partnership

2007-11-12T00:10:00.000-06:00

In the course of the first major division (1:1-1:26) of his letter, Paul fondly describes the special relationship he shares with his Christian brothers and sisters in Philippi. Immediately, Paul defines himself as a servant of Christ (1:1). He makes it clear that the Philippian disciples are his partners and fellow servants in Christ:

I thank my God in all my remembrances of you . . . thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now . . . . I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. (1:3-7 RSV).

Mutual service to each other and to gospel fuels this affectionate fellowship. Living “in Christ” is the necessary context for the establishment and development of the joyous fellowship they share. Beginning in verse 12, Paul momentarily focuses on his present imprisonment. He shares that his sufferings advance the gospel (1:12) and that even now he experiences fellowship knowing that his friends in Philippi are identifying with him in prayer (1:19) and in their own similar suffering for the sake of Christ (1:29). In this context, Paul lays bare what living “in Christ” means to him and by extension what it should mean for his Philippian friends: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (1:21).

For Paul living “in Christ” is complete identification with Jesus. “Paul considers that the goal for believers is to participate fully in Christ, in hoping for a resurrection like his, in dying with him, and in living with the kind of faith with which he lived” (Jervis). The empathetic relationship between the disciple and Christ defines and makes it possible to live as Christ lived (Jervis). Identification with Christ is central to the logic and application of Paul’s appeal for unity in the Philippian church (1:27-2:4).

What do you think?

What role, if any, does positional power play in leading through partnership?

How do you thinking being "in Christ" influences Paul's approach to leadership?

Paul makes explicit to his Philippian followers his understanding of what it means to be in Christ. Have you have made explicit to your followers your deepest values and your philosophy of leadership?

Works Cited

Jervis, L. Ann. Empathy and the New Testament. 2003. Available: http://www.cresourcei.org/kenosis.html. 20 Aug. 2004. Unfortunately, this article is no longer available on this site. However, the link does lead to a good article on the Kenosis Hymn which contains a discussion on what it means to be "in Christ."

Fellowship in Christ: A Leadership Principle?

2007-09-19T20:20:00.000-05:00

Johnson asserts that fellowship is the organizing principle of Paul's letter to the Philippian church (342). The fellowship principle is essential to understanding the intent, meaning, and force of Paul’s letter. Consequently, it is important to understand the nature of the fellowship enjoyed by Paul and the Philippian church.

Their mutual relationship “in Christ” defines the spiritual quality of their relationship. “Paul’s central way of expressing what it means to be a believer in Jesus Christ is to speak of believers actually living ‘in Christ.’ For Paul, this entails believers sharing in Christ’s faith, in Christ’s death and in Christ’s resurrection” (Jervis). Luter points out the Christological focus of the letter. He notes that names and titles of Christ appear over fifty times in this brief letter (1037). The phrase “in Christ” is woven into the fabric of the letter occurring ten times: 1:1, 1:26, 2:1, 2:5, 3:3, 3:9, 3:14, 4:7, 4:19, and 4:21.

Johnson’s fellowship principle is strengthened by connecting it with the Christocentric nature of the letter. Understanding the letter as an expression of shared fellowship in Christ allows the following structure to emerge in the letter.

I. Our Relationship in Christ (referring to Paul and the Philippian church): 1:1–1:26
a. Partners and servants in Christ: 1: 1-11
b. Paul in Christ’s service: 1:12-26

II. Our Motivation in Christ – the Servant God: 1:27-2:18
a. A life worthy of the Servant-God: 1:27-2:4
b. The Servant-God revealed – The Kenosis Hymn: 2:5-11

III. Living in Christ – Examples and Exhortations: 2:12-4:23
a. Responding to the Servant-God: 2:12-18
b. Examples of living in Christ - Timothy and Epaphroditus: 2:19-30
c. Paul – An example of living in Christ: 3:1-3:21
d. Evidencing life in Christ: 4:1-23

What do you think?

Does "shared fellowship in Christ" limit kenosis leadership to the Christian community?
How would a Kenosis leader cultivate "shared fellowship" with a non-believing follower?

Works Cited

Jervis, L. Ann. Empathy and the New Testament. 2003. Available: http://www.cresourcei.org/kenosis.html. 20 Aug. 2004.

Johnson, Luke T. The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986.

Luter, Boyd A., Jr. "Philippians." Evangelical Commentary on the Bible. Ed. Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1989. 618-24.

How a Kenosis Leader builds and uses friendship networks

2007-09-02T12:50:00.000-05:00

In my earlier post this morning, I posed the questions:

How would a Kenosis Leader develop internal and external friendship networks? Toward what ends and by what means would a Kenosis Leader employ these friendship networks?

I went to church and during worship we sang a song that, to me, begins to answer these questions. Here's the text.

The Servant Song

Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you?
Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey; we are trav'lers on the road.
We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ light for you in the nighttime of your fear.
I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping; when you laugh, I'll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow till we've seen this journey through.

Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you?
Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.

Text by Richard Gillard (b.1953).
Source: Sing! A New Creation (2001). CRC Publications. Grand Rapids, MI, p. 277.

Research Ties Group Performance & Leader Reputation to Friendship Networks

2007-09-02T07:53:00.000-05:00

Recent research by Mehra, Dixon, Brass & Robertson (2006) suggests that a leader's internal and external friendship networks contributes to better group performance and enhances one's leadership reputation. The following summary is excerpted from the study published in Organization Science.

Summary
This paper uses data from the sales division of a financial services firm to investigate how a leader's centrality in external and internal social networks is related to the objective performance of the leader's group, and to the leader's personal reputation for leadership among subordinates, peers, and supervisors. External social network ties were based on the friendship ties among all 88 of the division's sales group leaders and the 10 high-ranking supervisors to whom they reported. Internal social network ties consisted of 28 separate networks, each representing the set of friendship relations among all members of a given sales group. Objective group performance data came directly from company records. Data on each group leader's personal reputation for leadership was based on the perceptions of three different constituencies: subordinates, peers, and supervisors. Results revealed that leaders' centrality in external and internal friendship networks was related both to objective measures of group performance and to their reputation for leadership among different organizational constituencies.

This research provides field-based empirical support for a social network approach to leadership effectiveness in organizations. We have presented evidence linking the centrality of leaders in friendship networks to the objective performance of the groups they lead, and to their personal reputations for leadership among three important constituencies: subordinates, peers, and high-ranking supervisors. Our study suggests that the friendship ties of group leaders play a dual role in the practice of leadership: Not only do they appear to provide leaders access to resources that facilitate group performance, but they also seem to help them secure favorable reputations for leadership in the eyes of their subordinates, peers, and supervisors.

What do you think?

How would a Kenosis Leader develop internal and external friendship networks? Toward what ends and by what means would a Kenosis Leader employ these friendship networks?

Reference

Ajay Mehra, Andrea L Dixon, Daniel J Brass, Bruce Robertson. (2006). The Social Network Ties of Group Leaders: Implications for Group Performance and Leader Reputation. Organization Science, 17(1), 64-79. Retrieved August 22, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1000209201).

About the Authors

Andrea L. Dixon is an associate professor of marketing at the University of Cincinnati. Dixon's research focuses on field sales behaviors and cognitive processes impacting individual and unit-level outcomes. She received her Ph.D. in marketing from Indiana University-Bloomington. Address: Department of Marketing, University of Cincinnati.

Daniel J. Brass is J. Henning Hilliard Professor of Innovation Management in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky. He received his Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Illinois-Urbana. His research focuses on the antecedents and consequences of social networks in organizations.

Ajay Mehra is an associate professor of management at the University of Cincinnati. His research focuses on how individuals create and use social networks in organizational settings. Ongoing projects include a study of how ethnicity and self-monitoring personality shaped social networks in an all-minority organization, and a critique of the international management literature from the perspective of the philosophy of science. Ajay received his Ph.D. in 1998 from Penn State's Smeal College of Business.

Bruce Robertson is an assistant professor of marketing at San Francisco State University. His research focuses on the social and structural determinants of performance of individuals in organizational structures. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati.

Personal relationships in the workplace; Yea or Nay?

2007-08-26T09:06:00.000-05:00

In my next few posts I intend to explore the concept of leader as friend from some of the current literature on the subject.

In an editorial for Nursing Management, Richard Hader writes:

"Developing positive interpersonal relationships with your team is vital to your success as a leader. It's important to get to know your staff members as individuals, learn about what's important to them, show interest in their development, and help guide and counsel them. When staff members have trust and confidence in a leader, they're often comfortable with sharing personal and even intimate details of their lives. As a consequence of these bonds, leaders can become more than just professional colleagues with team members, resulting in friendships that develop into strong personal relationships reaching beyond the work setting and into private life. Alliances with staff can build camaraderie, enhance teamwork, and help you achieve unit and organizational objectives. As a leader, you need to do everything possible to facilitate these goals; don't shy away from them in fear of becoming too involved with your staff."

While the article is overwhelmingly positive, Hader acknowledges the risks of developing personal relationships at work:

"But friendship with your reports is a difficult relationship to manage. No matter the depth or longevity of the relationship, in the work setting you're still the boss. Your role, responsibility, and position requirements don't differ for those with whom you have friendships. Fairness, honesty, and objectivity must always take precedence. Favoritism will quickly be recognized by other team members and will destroy your team's ability to succeed."

He concludes:

"Mixing professional and personal lives should be taken seriously, as there's considerable risk you could lose your job, your friend, or both. If handled correctly, though, you, your staff members, and your organization will be the better for it."

What do you think?

How would a kenosis leader manage the risk of personal relationships in the workplace?

Reference:

Richard Hader (2007). Personal relationships in the workplace; Yay or nay? Nursing Management, 38(7), 6. Retrieved August 22, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1306809861).

About the author: Richard Hader, RN, CNA, CHE, CPHQ, PhD, FAAN, Editor-in-Chief;
Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Officer, Meridian Health System, Neptune, N.J.

Leader and Friend - The Relational Nature of the Philippian Letter, Part 2

2007-08-19T08:45:00.000-05:00

To express the depth of the partnership shared with the Philippian church, Paul uses language that is “reminiscent of a Roman legal ‘partnership,’ in which the partners contributed toward the same goal, in this case the advancement of the gospel” (Hock 1220). Enlarging the partnership principle further, Johnson builds his interpretation of the letter around the “rhetoric of friendship” (341). According to Johnson, the concept of “friendship” elicited significant attention from Greek moralists. The concept could be defined as fellowship (koinōnia), holding all things in common (tois philois panta koina), a form of equality (isotē), one soul (mia psychē), and to think the same (to auto phronein) (341).

The power of this friendship language for a community that was from the beginning of Paul’s ministry a “fellow sharer” with him in the work of the gospel is obvious. It evokes the positive connotations of the relationship between the community and him. More significantly, it serves a real parenetic function for a community experiencing dissension because of envy and rivalry (1:15) Quite apart from the possible influence of agitators, whose presence is not certain, the Philippians have among have among them some who are grumbling and bickering (2:14; 4:2-3). With its emphasis on equality and unity, friendship language counters the impulses of self-assertion. Paul’s rhetoric is even more powerful, however, because he makes fellowship the organizing principle of the letter. (342)

In my next posting, I will introduce an inner-texture analysis of the letter that reveals the fellowship Paul and the Philippian disciples share is grounded “in Christ.” The structure and content of the letter develop the privileges, responsibilities, and applications of a proper lifestyle “in Christ.”

What do you think?

Is it possible to be a leader and a friend to followers?
What is the power of friendship in leadership?
What is the significance of Jesus' statement in John 15:15 for leadership? No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you (NASB).

Works Cited

Hock, Ronald F. "Philippians." Harper's Bible Commentary. Ed. James L. Mays. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., 1988. 1220-25.

Johnson, L. T. (1986). The writings of the New Testament: An interpretation. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

Be Thou My Vision

2007-07-29T22:27:00.001-05:00

Another "kenosis hymn" - a kenosis prayer.

What do you think?

What would a kenosis leader pray?

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Words: Attributed to Dallan Forgaill, 8th Century (Rob tu mo bhoile, a Comdi cride); translated from ancient Irish to English by Mary E. Byrne, in “Eriú,” Journal of the School of Irish Learning, 1905, and versed by Eleanor H. Hull, 1912, alt.

Music: Slane, of Irish folk origin (MIDI, score). Slane Hill is about ten miles from Tara in County Meath. It was on Slane Hill around 433 AD that St. Patrick defied a royal edict by lighting candles on Easter Eve. High King Logaire of Tara had decreed that no one could light a fire before Logaire began the pagan spring festival by lighting a fire on Tara Hill. Logaire was so impressed by Patrick’s devotion that, despite his defiance (or perhaps because of it), he let him continue his missionary work. The rest is history.

Source: The CyberHmynal

Kenosis Leadership - The Relational Nature of the Philippian Letter, Part 1

2007-07-28T13:10:00.000-05:00

Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is a friendly letter. The letter, written around 50 AD, makes clear Paul’s deep affection for his Philippian brothers and sisters in Christ. Located in northeastern Macedonia, Colonia Julia Augusta Philippensis (Philippi) had the “legal status of Italian cities” (Luter). As a miniature Rome, Philippi enjoyed autonomous government and freedom from taxation (Smith).

The religious life of Philippi was eclectic. Thracian, Roman, Greek, and Egyptian deities (Smith) provided a rich polytheistic religious texture to Philippian society. In this strategic and socially complex environment, Paul planted the first Christian church in Europe – a church that claims Paul’s particular affection for their unique partnership in Christ. Now imprisoned, Paul writes his dear friends and partners to reinforce his concern that a “proper Christian lifestyle” (Bratcher) permeate the community of Philippian disciples.

What do you think?

Why would the Kenosis Hymn be embedded in a friendly letter to encourage a proper Christian lifestyle?

To view the hymn text see Kenosis Leadership: An Introduction, Part 1.

For more information about Paul's experience in Philippi see the article below the references.

Reference

Bratcher, Dennis. "The Poured-out Life: The Kenosis Hymn in Context." 2003. 20 Aug. 2004 <http://www.cresourcei.org/kenosis.html>.

Luter, Boyd A., Jr. "Philippians." Evangelical Commentary on the Bible. Ed. Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1989. 618-24.

Smith, T. C. "Philippi." Mercer Dictionary of the Bible. Ed. Watson Mills, E. Macon GA: Mercer University Press, 1990. 683, 84.

Paul's Mission to Philippi
Acts 16

On the Sabbath Paul and Silas go outside the city gates to the river where they meet some of the prominent women of the city. One of these women is Lydia, who is a believer in God. After hearing Paul's message the Lord opened her heart and she believed. She and her household were all baptized and then she persuades them to stay with her.

While in Philippi, Paul and Silas encounter a slave girl who had a spirit that predicted the future. She was able to make a great deal of money for her owners by telling peoples fortunes. For many days she followed them around shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." Finally Paul became so troubled that he exorcised the demon from her. When the girls owners saw that their profit making scheme was destroyed they seized Paul and Silas and had them flogged and thrown in prison.

At about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns when a violent earthquake shook the prison so that it's very foundations were shaken, and the doors to the cells were thrown open. Upon seeing this the jailer drew his sword and was about to kill himself since he thought all the prisoners had escaped. Paul cried out to him not to hurt himself and reassured him that everyone was still present. The jailer immediately asks what he must do to be saved, then he and his household are baptized. Upon finding out that they are Roman citizens, Paul and Silas are immediately requested to leave the city.

Paul's prison at Philippi. Paul bore the scars
of the flogging which he received at Philippi for
the rest of his life. (Brownrigg:332)

Source: http://unbound.biola.edu/acts/index.cfm?item=philippi2

What Leaders Do

2007-07-25T19:36:00.000-05:00

What do you think?
In the process of "emptying" himself did Jesus . . .

Take people to a place they didn't know they wanted to go?
Mark the trail for those who will come after him?

Reference

Tye, J. (2007) Cairn making leadership. Retrieved July 25, 2007 from http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=5349071758280451688&hl=en" flashvars="

Kenosis Leadership - An Introduction, Part 2

2007-07-19T21:18:00.000-05:00

Modern leadership theory contains elements of kenosis leadership. Advanced Change Theory (Quinn) and Servant Leadership Theory (Greenleaf) can be merged with the hymnic principles forming a model of leadership that resonates with contemporary leadership challenges. Advanced Change Theory understands the requirement that the leader must embody changes before requiring change from one’s followers. In the Incarnation, Christ first changed himself before asking others to follow in His way. Servant leadership establishes the well-being of the follow as primary – certainly the underlying motivation of “God . . . in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19, NASB). However, kenosis leadership goes much deeper in its requirement for a leader to empty himself or herself. It is an emptying leading to a humility that is obedient to the point of death for one’s followers. The point of Kenosis leadership is that the leader will lay down his or her life in some fashion for those who follow. One discovers kenosis leadership embedded in the contextual purposes of the letter to Philippians and the function of the Christological hymn within the letter. My next post will begin to explore these contextual purposes and the function of the Kenosis Hymn.

What do you think?

What does it mean for a leader to lay down his or her life for one's followers?

How would an organization lay down its life for the well-being of its employees/members/stakeholders/customers/clients?

References

Greenleaf, Robert K. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. 25th anniversary ed. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2002.

Quinn, Robert E. Change the World: How Ordinary People Can Accomplish Extraordinary Results. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000.

Positive Organizational Scholarship

2007-07-17T20:40:00.000-05:00

Positive Organizational Scholarship is an exciting new movement in organizational studies that draws on path-breaking work in the organizational and social sciences. It focuses on the dynamics in organizations that lead to developing human strength, producing resilience and restoration, fostering vitality, and cultivating extraordinary individuals. Positive Organizational Scholarship is based on the premise that understanding how to enable human excellence in organizations will unlock potential, reveal possibilities, and facilitate a more positive course of human and organizational welfare. POS does not adopt one particular theory or framework, but it draws from the full spectrum of organizational theories to understand, explain, and predict the occurrence, causes, and consequences of positivism. Research findings to date indicate that enabling positive qualities in individuals leads to exceptional organizational performance.

Learn more about POS at : The Center of Positive Organizational Scholarship - University of Michigan, Ross School of Business.

What do you think?

* Are there any conceptual connections between Positive Organizational Scholarship and Kenosis Leadership as modeled in the Philippians 2:5-11?

Reference:

The Essence of Positive Organizational Scholarship:
Unlocking the Generative Capabilities in Human Communities retrieved July 17, 2007 from http://www.bus.umich.edu/Positive/Center-for-POS/What-is-POS.htm

Kenosis Leadership - An Introduction, Part 1

2007-07-14T10:58:00.000-05:00

Eekenosen: he emptied. Kenosis leadership is emptying oneself in order to become a servant to one’s followers. The apostle Paul paints a vivid picture of Jesus Christ as a Kenosis Leader. Paul uses the Christological hymn embedded in his letter to the disciples at Philippi as the medium to instruct the Christian community in its fundamental quality: emptying self for the service of others.

During the coming weeks, my posts will look at Jesus as a model of Kenosis leadership using Robbins’ method of socio-rhetorical analysis, to examine the sacred texture of the Philippians 2:5-11:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NASB)

What do you think?

Is Jesus Christ an appropriate leadership role model for contemporary leaders?
Does this 1st Century text (Phil. 2:5-11) have anything to say about 21st Century leadership?
Have you ever experienced someone "emptying" himself or herself to serve, you, others, or an organization?
Do you remember a time when you "emptied" yourself to serve someone or an organization?
What would it "look like" for an organization to "empty" itself in service to its members/employees/stakeholders/clients/customers?

Your comments around these questions or your other thoughts related to this post are welcome!!

Reference

Robbins, Vernon K. Exploring the Texture of Texts: A Guide to Socio-Rehtorical Interpretation. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1996.