No matter belief systems or political affiliations, moving through the world, seems a bit lighter, than what was experienced this same time last year. Not an imaginary concept in anyway, because with God as the primary source for all things, only He can make daily existence more doable from every angle. Systematic search for purpose and meaning must be concentrated on God’s ideas and guidance in life. What God wants for everyone, is far bigger than the common prejudices generally inflicted on ourselves.
Funny thing is, disturbed is the human person who perceive that the whole world is chiding untruths about general character traits. Deep down are feelings of hurt, when one becomes the brunt of gossip or inferior verbal transmissions. Yet, in daily leadership deliverance, common personal civil liberties can often be strained. Strained in the sense that what some in society negatively discuss pertaining to a leader’s personal abilities or not, are sometimes generously believed, and there in these moments, man-made faults and prejudices about one’s own capabilities are created.
Now, it is in my awareness, that there exist some leaders who make things up as they go. Some also will fetch ideas from others to use as their own. Those in this group will pretend all is well, when internally, they are falling apart. This is not a transparent way to lead. Neither forms, I have discussed are appropriate. In my work, when I am exposed to such behaviors, some thoughts often move to one question. Are leaders who display such behaviors simply in the need of some time out to reflect, to do better?
This question I ask, takes me to core reasoning behind the two behaviors above. The leader hard on him/herself may need to regroup and discern on what is known and what still needs to be learned. There must be a stopping point. Leaders too busy to create their own ideas, those just too busy to do the research to strengthen their topic of interest, need to pause as well.
Leadership theories are many and offer cornerstones for those in charge. One theory, I often review is Kurt Lewin’s Model of Change. Lewin focused on three stages in this model. They are:
- Unfreezing
- Change
- Freezing
Unfreezing– is one of the most important phases of this theory. It is about melting away all influences of behaviors not conducive to growth. Here, I plug in leadership growth. At this stage ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ are deeply considered. Lewin called this the Force Field Factor (FFF). Discernment must consider primary factors for change and determine whether these factors outweigh factors against change. For instance, a leader wants to change the way he or she feels about capabilities to promote feelings of fulfillment and better governance. FFF as the ‘pro’, is far better than the ‘cons’.
Change– The leader gradually implements the change to experience positive results. The change or transition is a process and not immediate. Setbacks are evident during this phase, but the leader continues to envision the ‘pros’. An example of this is the leader who usually take the concepts of others and rebrand them as his or her own, has now tried to prepare presentations or ideas through her or his own research. Benefit from this process affords more detailed information. The leader now wants to learn more on the topic not only for presentations, but for his or her personal knowledge. Again, the ‘pros’ outweigh the ‘cons’. However, to do this, the leader must carve out the time instead of taking shortcuts, which used to be common practice.
Freeze-Changes become the new norm as leadership transformation continues.
God’s guidance in life is the ultimate model for change. Here, I consider the story of the Jewish people in the old covenant, who just would not listen. However, these common behaviors and ideas were unfrozen through the writings of many in the Bible. Transformation (change) began at the birth of Jesus Christ. In his death, change of who he was/is, provided stability that with Him we are saved.
Christian leadership models consist of broad human spirits, which without complete focus on God, can contain cracks in heart, soul, in character, thoughts, and in actions. The Apostle Paul wrote “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here (2nd Corinthians 5:17).”
There are struggles in any leadership responsibilities. To become the leader God wants, it is imperative to follow His own model of change, which only resides in the love of Christ. With Christ everything is more doable and the weight of life is lifted. Now, this model of change should be the cornerstone of effective leadership.
Reference source:
Burnes, B. (2020). The origins of Lewin’s Three-Step Model of Change. The Journal
of Applied Behavioral
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