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Special Portuguese Spanish    

Year 7 - N° 348 – February 2, 2014

ANSELMO FERREIRA VASCONCELOS 
afv@uol.com.br 
São Paulo, SP (Brasil)
 

Translation
Eleni Frangatos P. Moreira - eleni.moreira@uol.com.br 

 
 

Anselmo Ferreira Vasconcelos

Jesus Christ: examining elements of a perfect leadership 
 
(Part 2 and final)

 

Altruistic love. Quality encompassing forgiveness, kindness, integrity, empathy/compassion, honesty, patience, courage, confidence/loyalty, and humility.

Hope/faith. Endurance and perseverance in the face of tribulations; do what is necessary (to undergo the trials of the path, carrying the cross and, finally, accepting the cleansing experience); stretch goals (to have a "pure heart," as recommended by Jesus, requires enormous efforts), and expectation of reward/victory (full integration into the kingdom of God).
14

 

In summary, the analysis performed up to now infers that Christian postulates and the role of Jesus Christ fit perfectly in a wider framework of the theory of spiritual leadership. Indeed, in the evidence collected we found several indications that Jesus Christ widely employed elements of this school in His redemptive mission. Such a conclusion, however, does not invalidate the presence in his role as leader of aspects linked to other theoretical perspectives. We refer here particularly to the authentic leadership school, one of the most studied today.

 

The "rational persuasion" is inherent in the Gospel - Researchers dedicated to the topic describe the leader with the profile of a confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, transparent, moral/ethical and future-oriented individual. Besides these features, true leaders possess the sensitivity to give priority to the development of their associates (apostles and followers). To be truthful is another of His characteristics and the positive/constructive behavior shown is constant opportunities leads to the transformation and development of His followers as leaders too. This school defends that the real leader does not attempt to convince, not even rationally, his companions. I.e., their values, beliefs, and behaviors constitute a model of general development. 15


Thus, it is clearly visible the presence of various elements of this type of leadership in Jesus' personality and behavior. It is also remarkable that some of them even overlap the school of spiritual leadership. However, it is worth stressing that the "rational persuasion" is inherent in the Gospel message. Considering this perspective, we met guidelines and recommendations as to the precise course, which greatly weakens this proposition. To illustrate, the Gospel passages quoted below reinforce our argument - i.e.:

" [...] Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with thy entire mind" (Matthew 22:37).

"Ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father is perfect in heaven" (Matthew 5:48).

" I am the way and the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me
" (John 14:6).

" [ ... ] Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22).

"Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing " (John 20:27).

 

Jesus was an absolute leader - Excepting, therefore, the element highlighted above, there are convincing signs that the real leadership applies perfectly to Jesus and His mission. Similarly, our analysis involves the perspective derived from the transformational leadership. After all, leaders linked to that school often have enormous ability to communicate a vision for the organization (Christianity).16 Moreover, they usually carry enormous charisma, propagate a sweeping and intellectually stimulating vision, offer individual attention and consideration, as well as promoting a common culture where there are no special privileges or different treatment. 17

 

It is worth adding that there are authors who believe that all transformational leaders are spiritual leaders, too.18 Thus, it is impossible not to attribute to Jesus the quality of an absolute transformer leader, especially considering His role of a celestial educator or psychotherapist in the understanding and dissemination of the second revelation. Examples of such capacity contained in the Gospel can be highlighted:

 

"I came down from Heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me" (John 6:38)

"
For whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother, and my sister, and mother" (Mark 3:35)

"
I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12).

We can
still find in some acts of the apostles unequivocal byproducts of this powerful transformative intervention such as,

"
In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

"
And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5: 14)

 

The law of exchange also applies to divine forces - Similarly, one can identify elements of other less pompous leadership schools in Jesus' behavior. It is the case of the line, which includes an exchange relationship between leader and follower (LMX) 19. This theory assumes that a kind of bargaining mediates the relationship between them. In fact, we find the acceptance of such a proposition in the comments of the Spirit Emmanuel when he categorically stated,

"Not only do men live by the law of exchange.

The
divine forces base the movement of good on the same principle ".
20

 

In this sense, Jesus emphasized most clearly how this change occurs by stating: "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with His angels, and then He shall reward every man according to his works" (Matthew 16:27). Paul of Tarsus perfectly understood the lesson when he said, "Who will render to every man according to his works ..." (Romans 2:6).

 

Another school of leadership intensely scrutinized by the research is the servant (servant leadership). As the name suggests these are individuals, who have a clear understanding that others (neighbors) are priority in their life. We see them inserted in human societies directing people with deep affection and attention, improving processes, but, above all, performing remarkable tasks serving the needy. We understand that in the area of humanitarian aid there are many leaders acting as unknown servers.

 

The research shows that the server leaders usually incorporate seven pronounced characteristics. They are servers before any other regard, they are in line with the proposals of other schools, they are also seen as competent organizers of goals (vision); through their behavior they inspire confidence; they are excellent in listening; they are masters in providing a positive feedback; they can predict the future (intuitive by nature); and propose personal development. 21

 

Jesus can be considered a unique creature - Moreover, servant leaders empower people/partners, they are humble, are authentic, accept people for who they are, give them a direction and are guardians who work intensively for the good of the whole. 22 Considering this, it can be said that there are plenty of aspects of servant leadership in Jesus' behavior. In fact, the spiritual literature provides numerous examples of His immeasurable patience to listen and guide His followers. His words, by the way, always provided safe guidelines and appropriate warnings so that the disciple could be successful. In addition, the master guided and continues to guide humanity through His encouraging message. His vision encompasses unimagined possibilities for us. In this sense, the simple and timely reminder of sending the Promised Comforter leaves no doubt about it.

 

In this quick survey, we finally identified that Jesus Christ achieved the extraordinary feat of bringing together the molds of various leadership schools. Therefore, He can be considered as a unique creature not only for His achievements, and for His bright legacy, but also because He knew how to show rare leadership ability, which proves His perfection in this dimension too. Obviously, there are other schools, which were not examined in this test - such as the transcendental, for example - because they are still in the embryonic stage of theoretical development. It is worth noting that, although sometimes similar, the schools of scrutinized leadership have been developed over the years through systematic dozens of international studies. The rigorous psychometric measures to which these studies were submitted give reliability and validity to its findings and conclusions. However, regardless of the approach pursued, Jesus always emerges as an immaculate leader spreading divine truth, heavenly wisdom and providing us with lessons, teachings, and examples that we will surely remember forever.

 

 

Sources:

 

1. KARDEC, A. O Livro dos Espíritos. Versão Digital. Rio de Janeiro: FEB, 2007, p. 212, questão 625.


2. FRANCO, D.P. (Pelo Espírito Joanna de Ângelis). Ilumina-te. Catanduvas: Intervidas, 2013, p. 89.


3. FRY, L.W.; VITUCCI, S.; CEDILLO, M. Spiritual leadership and army transformation: theory, measurement, and establishing a baseline. 
The Leadership Quarterly, v. 16, n.5, p. 836-837, 2005.


4. FRANCO, D.P. (Pelo Espírito Joanna de Ângelis). Ilumina-te. Catanduvas: Intervidas, 2013, p. 159.


5. KOUZES, J.M.; POSNER, B.Z. The leadership challenge. Fourth edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007, p. 21.


6. FRY, L.W. Toward a theory of spiritual leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, v. 14, n. 6, p. 695, 2003; MILLER, W.C. Spiritually-based leadership. In: ZSOLNAI, L (Ed.). Spirituality and Ethics in Management. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004, p. 169; LENNICK, D.; KIEL, F. Moral intelligence: enhancing business performance and leadership success.Wharton School Publishing: Upper Saddle River, 2005, p. 87.


7. GUILLORY, W.A. The living organization: spirituality in the workplace. 2nd Edition. Salt Lake City, UT: Innovations International, 2001, p. 186-187.


8. FRY, L.W. Toward a theory of spiritual leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, v. 14, n. 6, p. 694-695, 2003.


9. FRANCO, D.P. (Pelo Espírito Amélia Rodrigues). Luz do mundo. 8ª edição. Salvador: LEAL, 2003, p. 103.


10. ______.______. p. 103-104.


11. ______.______. p. 104.


12. Religião. Fonte: <http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religião> Acesso em: 23 out. 2013.

 

13. FRY, L.W. Toward a theory of spiritual leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, v. 14, n. 6, p. 695, 2003.


14. ______. p. 695.


15. LUTHANS, F.; AVOLIO, B. Authentic leadership development. In: CAMERON, K.S.; DUTTON, J.E.; QUINN, R.E. (Eds.). Positive Organizational Scholarship. San Francisco: Berret-Koelher, 2003, p. 243.


16. TOURISH, D.; PINNINGTON. Transformational leadership, corporate cultism and the spirituality paradigm: an unholy trinity in the workplace? Human Relations, v. 55, n. 2, p. 151, 2002.


17. ______. p. 162.


18. Por exemplo, BOOROM, R. Spiritual Leadership: A study of the relationship between spiritual leadership theory and transformational leadership. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, 2009; TWIGG, N.W.; PARAYITAM, S. Spirituality as a determinant of transformational leadership: moderating effects of religious orientation. Journal of Management, Spirituality, and Religion, v. 4, n. 3, p. 326-354, 2007.


19. Leader-member exchange theory = teoria de troca entre líder e subordinado.

 

20. XAVIER, F.C. (Pelo Espírito Emmanuel). Vinha de luz. 4ª edição. Rio de Janeiro: FEB, 1977, p. 248.


21. KORAC-KAKABDASE, N.; KOUZMIN, A.; KAKABDASE, A. Spirituality and leadership praxis. Journal of Managerial Psychology, v. 17, n. 3, p. 169, 2002.


22. VAN DIERENDONCK, D. Servant leadership: a review and synthesis. Journal of Management, v. 37, n. 4, p. 1232, 2011.



 


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