Jesus the Leader
"To be a good leader, you have to study the patterns of the most effective leaders who have ever lived," says Mary Ruth Swope, author of eight management books. "In my opinion, the most effective leader was Jesus. He spearheaded the concept of servant leadership--Jesus knew who he was and showed that being a servant is the best way to behave in leadership." The management concept that has been shaking the corporate world is the idea that hierarchies in corporate management are dead. The leader's authority does not result from her position or degree but from the shared vision she carries and her acceptance as a leader by members of the organization. This concept is called "post-heroic" leadership (or "servant" leadership) because the focus is off the single magnetic leader at the top of a hierarchy (the "hero") who authoritatively sets policy. Above all, post-heroic leaders are willing, as Time magazine says, to "walk the ...