Bringing Directive Leadership Alongside Mgmt 280

need to respond to this in 300-400 words in A.P.A. with sources

One evening this past summer at the camp where I worked, my head swam, my throat burned, and everything was too bright and too loud, but I was pushing through the evening field games and bonfire anyway. My boss, a natural servant-hearted leader, noticed my condition, immediately shouldered my duties for the night, and sent me to rest. It may have been an insignificant, routine action for him but it deeply impacted me. Above all, managers must be servant leaders who “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,” as Paul writes, “Rather, in humility value others” above themselves (Philippians 2:3, NIV).

How should we do this? One way is combining leadership styles for various situations. Bringing directive leadership alongside supportive leadership can help followers understand tasks while feeling valued as workers; uniting participative and achievement-oriented leadership builds team spirit while challenging employees to do their best (Cafferky, 2012, p. 400). When a manager can discern which style is needed for a certain moment, he can best serve his subordinates.

Serving dependents can also come in the form of accountability. Perhaps surprisingly, open communication both up and down chains of command increases trust because no one has to wonder about motives or false pretenses. Accountability of employees to bosses and vice versa is an excellent method of controlling an environment (p. 468).

Finally, human relations between managers and workers can be best improved by implementation of Herzberg’s two-factor theory (p. 366). To provide motivating factors in the business arena, managers should continually remind employees why the work they are doing is important and encourage them to show them that their efforts are appreciated.

By establishing positive relationships, enforcing honest processes, and remembering that all God’s humans are equal beings designed to serve one another, managers can best lead as stewards of the Lord.

References

Cafferky, M. E. (2012). Management: A Faith-Based Perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.