What are some of the challenges of leading like Jesus in an organization?
Colossians 3:11- Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian,
slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Two recent US Supreme Court cases demonstrate that religion in
the workplace issues are increasing. How can managers be prepared? It starts with the right attitude
(Gerdeman, 2018). When it comes to leadership, a title does not define who a true leader is. Any one in
your organization can be a leader in some way or another because leadership is not about what position
you hold. A leader doesn’t demand to be followed, people follow them because they want to. True
servant leaders can inspire confidence in their organization and can be tempted to try and create more
followers but those that lead like Jesus create more leaders (Blanchard, 2018).
Some non-Christian leaders are obsessed with work, some to the point that Christian leaders are not
able to keep up (M., 2021). With this being said, Christian leaders can still remain a positive strong
servant leader. To lead in Jesus path the person must be a student of his teachings. In today’s diverse and
complex workplace, providing a tolerant and productive work environment where discrimination against
religious beliefs and practices are significantly reduced or minimized can be difficult and challenging
(Boyd, 2017). Sometimes a leader with a diverse work population may not consciously alienate some
workers who may not have the same religious beliefs. The supervisor may not provide the same
opportunities as they do to the personal who follow religion.
What are some of the cultural characteristics that can diminish servant leadership, and how can they
be overcome?
Some of the cultural characteristics what may diminish as a religious servant leader is the loss of trust
and communication issues. Servant leaders need to adjust to cultural differences and understand how
culture affects leadership and their leadership style. A leader who cares about his workers must learn
and understand how cultural differences affect leadership and the organization. A leader must build trust
by living a good life and practice what they preach. Changing the culture and behavior of the
organization would be the first step in overcoming cultural characteristic challenges. Organizations can
accomplish this by conducting team building trainings and teaching the importance of working together
despite differences. Leaders should conduct positive reinforcement to everyone about working togather.
Reference
M., J. (2021), Leading like Jesus,
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/leading-like-jesus-jason-mcclaren-ma-edm-asp-chfm
Boyd, R. O., Carden, L. L., & Valenti, M. A. (2017). Religion and the workplace: Examining a model
to mitigate discrimination. Southern Journal of Business and Ethics, 9, 124-133.
Blanchard, K. (2018). Servant leadership in action: How you can achieve great relationships and results.
Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Gerdeman, D. (2018), Religion in the workplace: What managers need to know.
https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/religion-in-the-workplace-what-managers-need-to-know
