Jesus as Transformational Leader
By Natasha LeShawn Gadson

Transformational leadership is a follower-focused way of leading that generates commitment and turns followers into leaders and moral agents. Transformational leaders inspire their followers with a compelling vision that motivates their pursuit of higher goals. They embody charisma with confidence, demonstrated moral values, and clarity of purpose. They develop their followers through ongoing personal interaction. And they teach in ways that challenge generally accepted ways of thinking and stimulate innovation and creativity. Many aspects of transformational leadership are exemplified in Jesus’ earthly ministry.

A leader’s continual presence among followers is integral to transformational leadership. It creates teachable moments, fosters relationship, and allows for targeted and personalized interactions. Transformational leaders focus on the whole person, attending to their followers’ needs for growth and achievement in ways that acknowledge and manage individual needs and desires. All this is possible because the leader is readily available for two-way dialogue.

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It’s In the Mind
By Lovett H. Weems, Jr.

Most people know that it was Roger Bannister who first ran the mile in less than four minutes. It was on May 6, 1954, in Oxford, England, that Bannister achieved what was, at the time, the unbelievable feat of running the mile in 3:59.4 minutes.

Prior to Bannister’s achievement, it was assumed by many people that the four-minute barrier would never be broken. In fact, there had been some books written contending that it was physiologically impossible for the human body to move at such a speed. One could certainly understand why such contentions were believable. Since no one had ever broken the four-minute mile, perhaps it was impossible to do such a thing.

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Leaders do not need answers.
Leaders must have the right questions.

A question for anyone making a move or taking a new position is:

How will you find your network of support
in your new place or position?

Editors:  Lovett H. Weems, Jr. and Ann A. Michel
Production and distribution:  Joe Arnold

Copyright © 2008 by the G. Douglass Lewis Center for Church Leadership. Leading Ideas material may be freely distributed with attribution (exclusive of material protected by separate copyright).