The True Nature of Leadership: A Critique of Collier and William’s Views
1. Introduction:
The purpose of this essay is to critically evaluate Collier and William’s views on the kinds of leaders and their style of leadership with a biblical basis. In order to do this, I will firstly give a brief overview of their views. I will then examine Christ’s view of leadership as outlined in the bible. Finally, I will apply these principles to servant leadership and conclude with some thoughts on the matter.
2. Collier and William’s views on leadership:
Collier and William (1997) suggest that there are two kinds of leaders; those who lead by example and those who lead by telling others what to do. They state that the former are more effective as they encourage people to follow them because they want to, not because they have to. The latter, on the other hand, often come across as bossy and dictatorial, which can result in people resenting them.
Christ’s view of leadership:
The bible outlines Christ’s view of leadership in Matthew 20:25-28, where he says “Whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” From this, we can see that Christ’s view of leadership is very different from that of Collier and William. He does not seeleadership as something that should be used for personal gain, but rather something that should be used to serve others. This is in line with the principle of servant leadership, which I will discuss later.
3. Application to servant leadership principles:
As I mentioned earlier, Christ’s view of leadership aligns with the principle of servant leadership. Servant leaders are those who put the needs of others before their own and work for the benefit of those they lead, rather than for their own personal gain. This principle is based on the belief that everyone has value and worth, regardless of their position in society. Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect, and no one should be exploited or taken advantage of.
4. Conclusion:
In conclusion, I believe that Collier and William’s views on leadership are misguided. Their belief that leaders should lead by telling others what to do is contrary to what Christ taught us about leadership. We should not seek to lord it over others, but rather seek to serve them. When we do this, we will be following in the footsteps of our Savior and becoming the kind of leader he has called us to be.