What Is Stewardship?

What Is Stewardship?

What Is Stewardship?

When the concept ofnouveau-stewardship is presented, it most often claims to have roots in the Bible. Perhaps so. But then proponents of thisnouveau-stewardship go off on a tangent that the Bible never intended. When the concept of stewardship is first presented in the Bible, inGenesis 1 and 2, Adam was instructed to "dress and keep" the physical creation God had made. Not a passive hands-off approach. Adam was to apply God's Laws and thinking to the physical realm he created. Adam was expected to do something. In living with it, he was to make changes in accordance with higher laws and thinking other than his own.In the same way, whenwe are given any other leadership responsibility, we are responsible for maintaining a set of standards that is line with higher laws. Again, we are not to impose our own thinking, wants and desires on those we lead, but to apply those standards that are the best for the whole as authored by God. Naturally, this is implemented with respect for and two-way communication with those the leaders serve.

True leadership, not to be confused with dictatorship, does not take away an individual's freedom, choice, accountability, or responsibility. Just as the leader is to be serving and taking into account the ideas and needs of those they lead, those following that lead are to be doing the same thing. In doing so, they, along with the leader, practice self-restraint, develop character, integrate discipline, and practice love and respect for other people. This creates a kind of self-leadership at all levels of the group. It promotes a self-leadership environment where all are empowered and working toward the good of the whole because it is in the best interest of all.Daniel Goldman, author ofEmotional Intelligence, refers to this kind of concern for others feelings, ideas and opinions, asempathy. But, he cautions in aHarvard Business Review article, that "empathy doesn't mean a kind of 'I'm okay, you're okay' mushiness. For a leader, that is, it doesn't mean adopting other people's emotions as one's own and trying to please everybody. That would be a nightmareit would make action impossible. Rather empathy means thoughtfully considering employees' feelingsin the process of making intelligent decisions." In other words, true stewardship or custodianship means taking others' ideas and feelings into account while holding in trustkeeping as boundaries or guardrailsthe groups ideal's, beliefs and hopes. Ironically, an attitude of service keeps the leader aware of other's needs while in turn enabling them to become better leaders.

Thenouveau-stewardship model sounds right on the surface, but it plays out more like a defense mechanism than a constructive method to get leadership thinking back on track. As Mr. Lippmann correctly defines, leadership is truly about choosing service over self-interest. Leadership properly performed is not a consensus-building exercise but an exercise in outgoing concern for others including defining and setting boundaries as needed.

Relationship , Gift

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