Central to leadership development is self-discovery, self-assessment, and self- actualization. Without a full understanding of one’s self, it is difficult to lead others to the full potential possible. Most importantly is the ability of a leader to have the capacity for love and effectively express it to those being led. The need for leaders to care for and be concerned with the well-being of followers is evident throughout many leadership models (Northouse, 2013). Transformational leadership has a focus of caring for followers in unique ways specific to the follower, while servant leadership is follower-focused where the needs of the leader take a backseat to the needs of the followers (Northouse, 2013).
What is challenging is quantifying a leader’s capacity for love and care for followers. For Christian leaders, there is an expectation throughout scripture, particularly in 1 Corinthians 13, that love is the primary motivation (Winston, 2010). In fact, 1 Corinthians can actually serve as a self-assessment for leaders to create quantifiable measures on how well a leader is using love as a leadership factor (Winston, 2010).
1 Corinthians provides statements that can be used to assess a leader’s capacity for love in leadership. Some are clarifying statements as to what love is not, while some define what love is (Winston, 2010):
Love does not:
- act unbecomingly
- seek its own
- allow being provoked
- rejoice in unrighteousness
- allow jealousy
- take an account of wrong
- brag
- act arrogantly
Love is:
- patient
- kind
- rejoices with truth
- bear all things
- believes all things
- hopes all things
- endures all things
Consistently throughout Paul’s writings is the notion that virtues are the anchor points for self-development and growth. For leaders, measuring one’s self against this list can provide a clear understanding of how much love comes through their leadership.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: theory and practice (6th ed). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Winston, B. E. (2011). The virtue of charity: A foundation for leadership. Regent University School of Leadership Studies.
