New Horizons in Positive Leadership and Change: A Practical Guide for Workplace Transformation

By Satinder Dhiman and Joan Marques

This edited volume provides managers, as well as students, with the best practices in effectively leading the 21st century workforce and managing change. It applies positive principles arising from the newly emerging fields of positive psychology, positive change, and positive organizational studies to the field of leadership and change; offering managers strategies and tools to lead change effectively, in the present-day boundary-less work environment. At its most fundamental level, the uniqueness of this volume lies in its anchorage in the moral and spiritual dimension of leadership, an approach most relevant for contemporary organizations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Springer
• Release date: Mar 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9783030381295

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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

S. Dhiman, J. Marques (eds.)New Horizons in Positive Leadership and ChangeManagement for Professionalshttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38129-5_1

1. Anatomy of Positive Leadership: Authentic, Principled and Service Oriented

Satinder Dhiman¹  

(1)

School of Business, Woodbury University, Burbank, CA, USA

Satinder Dhiman

Email: [e-mail]

Abstract

Leadership research in the twentieth century has mainly focused on industrial paradigm of leadership characterized by a hierarchical structure of authority and responsibility manifesting in a command and control model of leadership, with an individualistic focus on the personality of the leader—one person directing other people for materialistic, utilitarian ends. Over the last several decades, we have seen the inherent limitations of this approach to leadership. It is too narrowly focused and ignores the fund of creativity and diversity available at the disposal of any organization. More so, it leads to moral ineptitude, untrustworthiness, and self-centeredness on the part of its leaders. If twentieth century was characterized by leadership theories influenced by industrial revolution paradigm; in the twenty-first century, we have spiritual revolution guiding us toward leadership approaches that are humane and are anchored in the leader’s moral compass.

An effective leader of twenty-first century needs to be authentic, principled, and service oriented. As a result, we see the emergence of new forms of leadership—called positive theories of leadership. Authentic leadership and servant leadership are two such approaches that we will explore in this chapter. The chapter profiles Gandhi as an embodiment of exemplary virtues such as humility that epitomize authentic and servant leadership. Finally, it highlights the role of humility as a touchstone of effective leadership.

Keywords

Authentic LeadershipServant LeadershipSpiritual LeadershipHumility in LeadershipGandhi an Exemplary Leader

Partially based on author’s books: Holistic Leadership: A New Paradigm for Today’s Leaders. Palgrave MacMillan, New York, NY—published in 2017; Gandhi and Leadership: New Horizons in Exemplary Leadership, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, NY—published in 2015., United States

Introduction

Leadership research in the twentieth century has mainly focused on industrial paradigm of leadership characterized by a hierarchical structure of authority and responsibility manifesting in a command and control model of leadership, with an individualistic focus on the personality of the leader—one person directing other people for materialistic, utilitarian ends. Over the last several decades, we have seen the inherent limitations of this approach to leadership. It is too narrowly focused and ignores the fund of creativity and diversity available at the disposal of any organization. More so, it leads to moral ineptitude, untrustworthiness, and self-centeredness on the part of its leaders. If twentieth century was characterized by leadership theories influenced by industrial revolution paradigm; in the twenty-first century, we have spiritual revolution guiding us toward leadership approaches that are humane and are anchored in the leader’s moral compass.

An effective leader of twenty-first century needs to be authentic, principled, and service oriented. As a result, we see the emergence of new forms of leadership—called positive theories of leadership . Authentic leadership and servant leadership are two such approaches that we will explore in this chapter. The chapter profiles Gandhi as an embodiment of exemplary virtues that epitomize authentic and servant leadership. Finally, it highlights the role of humility as a touchstone of effective leadership.

Leadership Research in the Twentieth Century

Leadership research in the twentieth century has mainly focused on industrial paradigm of leadership characterized by a hierarchical structure of authority and responsibility with an individualistic focus on the personality of the leader—one person directing other people for materialistic, utilitarian ends. After critiquing hundreds of definitions of leadership put forth by different scholars and writers during the twentieth-century, Rost concluded that they largely reflected the industrial paradigm of leadership, characterized by hierarchical and pyramid-type structures, an individualistic focus on the leader, and a strong utilitarian ethical perspective. He contends that these definitions largely define leadership in terms of good management characterized by their exclusive focus on goals and results.¹

However, this traditional paradigm cannot solve many of the problems that confront us today. Rost notes that a number of leadership scholars, writers, and commentators have begun to emphasize the importance of values such as collaboration, the common good, global concern, diversity, and pluralism as important components of leadership for the twenty-first century.² As a result, we see the emergence of new forms of leadership—called positive theories of leadership. Mainly, authentic leadership and servant leadership are two such approaches that we will explore in this chapter.

Drawing upon the literature review of organizational spirituality, psychology of religion, positive psychology, and spirituality leadership theory, Vasconcelos contends that the logic that has prevailed in business enterprises has been largely economic, except some honorable initiatives. He avers that these findings also indicate that the material paradigm is not suited to deal with germane problems that shape our today’s world.³

According to Rost, "Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes ."⁴ Two key components of this definition are influence and mutual purposes. Leadership as an influence, says Rost, has two features: (1) it is multidirectional, in that influence follows in all directions and not just the top-down; (2) it is noncoercive, meaning that it is not based on authority or dictatorial actions.⁵ It may be noted that Rost uses the phrase mutual purposes (and not mutual goals) to denote emphasize both the mutuality and plurality of purposes. The compelling basis of this mutuality is best expressed by a popular quote widely attributable to Mother Teresa: I can do things you cannot do, you can do things I cannot do; together we can do great things.⁶ In this vital observation, Mother Teresa underscores our mutuality and provides the best raison d’être for team work in organizations.

The progressive history of business during the twentieth century bears out Rost’s analysis of leadership theories. If twentieth century was characterized by leadership theories influenced by industrial revolution paradigm; in the twenty-first century, we have spiritual revolution guiding us toward more humane approaches to leadership.

This understanding provides a good transition to spiritual leadership.

Spiritual Leadership: Theory and Practice

In the recent years, educators and scholars have underscored the importance of spirituality as a critical element of leadership.⁷ Astin and Astin contend that future leaders will not only need to possess new knowledge and skills but will also be called upon to display a high level of emotional and spiritual wisdom and maturity.⁸ More recently, Fry and Kriger have proposed a being-centered theory of leadership that goes beyond current theory which emphasizes having and doing—either having appropriate traits and competencies or doing appropriate actions depending on the situation.⁹ These perspectives illustrate how leadership is closely related to one’s spirituality with a higher awareness of self and others.

Fry, Vitucci, and Cedillo define spiritual leadership as the values, attitudes, and behaviors that one must adopt in intrinsically motivating one’s self and others so that both have a sense of spiritual survival through calling and membership—that is, they experience meaning in their lives, have a sense of making a difference, and feel understood and appreciated¹⁰ Fry and Matherly theorize that spiritual leadership involves motivating and inspiring workers through a transcendent vision and a culture based in altruistic values to produce a more motivated, committed and productive workforce…. The theory of spiritual leadership was developed within an intrinsic motivation model that incorporates vision, hope/faith, and altruistic love, theories of workplace spirituality, and spiritual survival/wellbeing.¹¹

Drawing upon further research, Fry provided a more comprehensive description of the purpose of spiritual leadership as to tap into the fundamental needs of both leaders and followers for spiritual well-being through calling (life has meaning and makes a difference) and membership (belonging); to create vision and value congruence across the individual, empowered team, and organization levels; and, ultimately, to foster higher levels of employee well-being, organizational commitment, financial performance, and social responsibility—the Triple Bottom Line.¹² Fry makes it clear that spiritual leadership fulfills the quest for spiritual well-being in both the leader and the followers.

In sum, spiritual leadership refers to the values, attitudes, and behaviors that are necessary to intrinsically motivate oneself and others. This entails:

1.

Creating a vision wherein leaders and followers experience a sense of calling in that life has meaning and makes a difference.

2.

Establishing a social/organizational culture based on the values of altruistic love whereby leaders and followers have a sense of membership, feel understood and appreciated, and have genuine care, concern, and appreciation for both self and others.¹³

Spiritual leadership builds on existing value-based, positive theories of leadership that foster self-awareness and garner a sense of altruistic love expressed through selfless service. Crossman highlights some ways in which spiritual leadership relates to other existing value-based theories such as transformational, servant leadership and how it fosters the ideals of being self-aware and other-aware, but also ‘world-aware.’¹⁴ It would not be amiss to say that a high sense of moral responsibility is the very foundation of spiritual leadership. As John Gardner has observed, It isn’t in the grand design that we can have freedom without obligation.¹⁵ Freedom and responsibility are interdependent. When we take care of our responsibilities, we take care of our freedom on its own accord.

In the following section, we present two most important expressions of spiritual leadership: authentic leadership and servant leadership.

Authentic Leadership

Personal authenticity has been explored throughout history, from Greek philosophers (Know Thyself—Socrates) to Shakespeare (To thine own self be true—Polonius, Hamlet). At one level, it implies owning one’s personal experiences, as indicated by the dictum Know Thyself. Additionally, To thine own self be true advises that one acts in accord with one’s true self.¹⁶ Thus, authenticity, as defined in this context, seems to be closely linked with self-awareness, sincerity, truth, and transparency.

The first essay on authentic leadership was written by R. W. Terry in 1993, followed up in 2003 by Bill George, the exemplary former head of Medtronic. George has discussed the concept of authentic leadership in his bestseller Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value . In the context of rampant corporate scandals and pervasive financial crises, George argues that leadership needs to be completely reexamined and rethought. This calls for a new type of leader who embodies qualities such as integrity, transparency, humility, and a deep sense of purpose.¹⁷ Bill George states concisely: we need leaders who lead with purpose, values, and integrity; leaders who build enduring organizations, motivate their employees to provide superior customer service, and create long-term value for shareholders."¹⁸

In recent times, authentic leadership has gained increasing importance since it places high emphasis on behaving transparently, with a high moral and ethical bearing. According to Avolio and Gardner, authentic leadership is a somewhat of a generic term and can incorporate transformational, charismatic, servant, spiritual, or other forms of positive leadership. As one of the positive forms of leadership, authentic leadership complements work on ethical and transformational leadership.¹⁹ Walumbwa et al. define authentic leadership as follows:

A pattern that draws upon and promotes both positive psychological capacities and a positive ethical climate, to foster greater self-awareness, an internalized moral perspective, balanced processing of information, and relational transparency on the part of leaders working with followers, fostering positive self-development.²⁰

The key components of authentic leadership that emerge from this definition are: self-awareness, moral perspective, and relational transparency. Zhu et al. clarify that to be authentic, leaders must transcend their own narrow self-interests and focus on the greater common good.²¹ Thus authentic leadership is more than just being true to oneself and encompasses moral perspectives and honest relationships with followers.

As a practitioner of authentic leadership, Bill George has proposed a view that leaders need to follow their internal compass to reach their true purpose. Based on interviews with 125 contemporary heads of various organizations, George and Sims have identified the following five dimensions of authentic leaders:

1.

Pursuing purpose with passion.

2.

Practicing solid values.

3.

Leading with heart.

4.

Establishing enduring relationships.

5.

Demonstrating self-discipline.²²

Building on the metaphor of a compass pointing toward a magnetic pole, George, McLean, and Craig equate the search for authentic leadership with a journey toward our True North and point out:

True North is the internal moral compass that guides you successfully through life. It represents who you are as a human being at your deepest level. . . . Your True North is based on what is most important to you, your most cherished values, your passions and motivations, the sources of satisfactions in your life. Just as a compass points toward a magnetic pole, your True North pulls you toward the purpose of your leadership. When you follow your internal compass, your leadership will be authentic, and people will follow you naturally.²³

George et al. acknowledge that finding our True North is a lifetime journey beset with risks and uncertainties. It takes hard work and a sincere look at our strengths and shortcomings: Becoming an authentic leader, they state, takes hard work. It is not much different from becoming a great musician or a great athlete. To become great in any endeavor—whether it is your career, your family, your community—you must use the unique strengths you were born with and develop them to the fullest, while acknowledging and learning from your shortcomings.²⁴

In the Epilogue to their book True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership , George and Sims invite us to reflect upon what our legacy will be by envisioning the end of our life. What would we like to say to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren about the impact of our lifework? Or, what difference did we make in the world through our combined efforts? With a seriousness characteristic of certain urgency, they conclude thoughtfully: "Why not take the opportunity to think about that question right now, while you are still writing your life story? Just as it is never too late to lead, it is never too late to make a difference in the world and to leave a legacy . . . the only thing you take with you is what you leave behind. . . . That is the fulfillment of leadership."²⁵ What legacy leaders leave depends upon how they lead their lives.

Servant Leadership

I have been serving my country for 34 years and this is the first time I’ve gotten any fulfillment out of it.

~US Marine, who handed out food and blankets to Tsunami victims in 2004

Regarded by many authors as a valid, modern theory of leadership,²⁶ servant leadership was first introduced by Robert K. Greenleaf’s powerful short essay written in 1970, titled The Servant as Leader. Describing what he called the leadership crisis, Greenleaf notes that colleges, universities, and seminaries have failed in their responsibility to prepare young people for leadership roles in society.²⁷ According to Greenleaf, "The servant-leader is servant first . . . . It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first."²⁸ Greenleaf believes that through selfless service, servant leaders achieve trust among employees, customers, and communities. He then goes on to present the litmus test of effectiveness of leadership:

The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, not be further deprived? . . . The servant-as-leader must constantly ask: How can I use myself to serve best?²⁹

Greenleaf informs us that he got the idea of servant leadership by reading Hermann Hesse’s book entitled Journey to the East . Therefore, the best way to understand servant leadership is to read Journey to the East. The book is about a spiritual journey to the East. During the journey, a humble servant named Leo does all the chores for the travelers. He keeps the group together through his songs and high spirits. And when Leo disappears, the group falls into disarray and the journey is abandoned. They cannot continue without him. Later on in the book, the narrator finds out that, Leo, whom he had taken to be a servant, was actually the noble leader of the group.³⁰ This radical shift is the core of servant leadership: from followers serving leaders to leaders serving followers. Servant leadership is shared leadership in essence: it emphasizes increased service to others, a holistic approach to work, promoting a sense of community, and the sharing of power in decision-making.³¹

In short, the basic mind-set of a servant leader is a strong desire to contribute. Stephen Covey writes: Deep within each one of us there is an inner longing to live a life of greatness and contribution—to really matter, to really make a difference.³² Swami Dayananda, a preeminent modern spiritual teacher, puts it even more succinctly: One must grow from being a consumer to become a contributor.³³ For as long as we are living a life of a consumer, we are not paying our spiritual debt to the universe.

Servant leadership is similar to transformational leadership in that both emphasize, appreciate, and empower followers. However, as Stone et al. point out, the main difference between servant leadership and transformational leadership is the focus of the leader: Transformational leaders tend to focus more on organizational objectives, while servant leaders focus more on people who are their followers.³⁴ These authors further point out that servant leaders influence followers through service itself, while transformational leaders rely on their charismatic abilities.

Gandhi: An Exemplar of Authentic and Servant Leadership

We all need heroes who can awaken us to the best in people and who can inspire us to be what we know we can be. Given the current leadership crisis, there is a greater need for the role models that embody and illustrate value-based, holistic leadership. This culminating section explores the hero’s journey and enduring legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, the quintessential holistic leader. His life and leadership embody the synergistic energy fashioned by the coming together of the self, spirit, and service—the three foundational dimensions of holistic leadership.

Authentic leaders lead from their authentic selves and touch the authentic selves of others. They set in motion certain key processes that continue to fructify long after they have passed on. It is their steadfastness and selflessness that bring enduring benevolence and leaves their footprints on the sand of time. Judged by his abiding influence on the future generations, Gandhi emerges as one of the most remarkable leaders of all time. Gandhi’s legendary legacy became the harbinger of freedom to many countries in Southeast Asia and rest of the world.

The need for leaders who are authentic, principled, and spiritually grounded is greater now than ever. Authentic leaders are primarily servant leaders. Leadership has always been more challenging during difficult times. In a world beset with rising international terrorism, economic uncertainties, flagrant violation of human values, and rampant character crises among leaders, everybody is searching for the Holy Grail, the silver bullet that will save the world. The unique leadership challenges facing organizations throughout the world today call for an even greater renewed focus on what constitutes values-based leadership. Gandhi was a values-based leader par excellence.

The following story about the Buddha and a homeless man demonstrates the essence of all three types of leadership presented in this chapter:

The Buddha and a Homeless Man

The homeless man has been trying to gather food and he keeps noticing that his food disappears. One day he caught a mouse that kept stealing his food and he asked the mouse:

why are you stealing from me? I am a homeless man. You can steal from richer people than me and it won’t have any effect on them.

The mouse then told the homeless man: It’s in your destiny that you can only have eight items in your possession, no matter how much you beg or gather, this is all you can have.

The homeless man was shocked and asked: why is it my destiny?

And the mouse said: I don’t know. You should try and ask the Buddha.

So the homeless man goes on his journey to find the Buddha and as it gets late he ends up at a wealthy family’s farmhouse. He asked if he could spend the night. They let him in and ask, young man, why are you traveling so late? I have a question for the Buddha and tomorrow I’ll be on my way to ask him, replied the young man.

The family said: we have an 18 years old daughter who is unable to speak since her birth. We just want to ask what we need to do so that she can speak. The young man says that he will ask the Buddha, thanks for the shelter and the next morning he goes and continues his journey.

He comes across big mountains and he meets a wizard who decides to take the young man and himself with his staff across the mountains. The wizard asks the young man: why are you deciding to cross these mountains? The young man said: I’m going to ask the Buddha about my destiny. The wizard says: can you ask the Buddha a question for me? I have tried to go to heaven for a thousand years. According to my teachings, I should be able to go to heaven now. Can you please ask him what I have to do to go to heaven? – Of course I will ask the Buddha your question, the young man said and continued his journey.

He comes across a giant river that he cannot cross. He meets a big turtle who decides to take him across the river. As they are crossing the river the turtle asks where are you going? And the young man says: I’m going to ask the Buddha about my destiny. Can you ask please ask a question for me too? the turtle asks. I want to become a dragon since 500 years. According to my teachings I should become a dragon by now.—Yes of course I will ask your question." The young man thanks the turtle and continues his journey.

The homeless man finally meets the Buddha and the Buddha tells everyone in the assembly:

I will answer all of you three questions. But only three questions. The young man is shocked. He has four questions to ask. He thinks carefully about the turtle, who has lived for 500 years trying to become a dragon, the wizard who has been living for a thousand years trying to go to heaven, and the young girl who might have to live her whole life without being able to speak. He then thinks of himself and says: I am just a homeless beggar. I can go back home and continue begging. So as he looks at everyone’s problem and his problem seems so small and he feels sorry for all the others. Therefore, he decides to ask all their questions.

So he asks the Buddha. And the Buddha says: The turtle is unwilling to leave his shelf. As long as he stays unwilling to leave the comfort of his shelf, he will never become a dragon. The wizard always carries his staff. He never puts it down. It acts like an anchor. He is too attached to it. He will never be able to go to heaven if he does not put his staff down. The young girl will be able to speak when she meets her soulmate.

The young beggar thanks and bows in front of the Buddha and went on his journey back home. He meets the turtle again and says: You just have to take off the shell and you will become a dragon. The turtle takes off his shelf and inside his shelf there were priceless pearls found deep in the ocean. The turtle gives the pearls to the young man and says: Thanks, I don’t need them anymore. I am now a dragon, and he flies away. The homeless man reunites with the wizard and says: you just have to put down your staff and you’ll be able to go to heaven. The wizard lets go of his staff by giving it to the young man and goes to heaven. The young man now has wealth from the turtle and power from the wizard.

He then goes to the wealthy family and tells them: The Buddha said your daughter will be able to speak when she meets her soulmate. In that moment the daughter came back downstairs and said: Is that the young man that was here last week?

The young girl and the once homeless man have found their soulmates.

This simple story has mighty lessons for all three types of positive leadership presented in this chapter. The biggest lesson perhaps is that when we learn to put others before us (the essence of servant leadership), the universe repays us in unexpected and beautiful ways. None of the blessings would have come the homeless man’s way, had he not put the interest of the dragon, wizard, and the speechless girl before his own. Second lesson we learn from this story is about change and growth: that is, in order to grow, we have to be willing to let go of what makes our life safe and comfortable. And, finally, nature exacts price for everything; more often, we have to first give, before we receive anything from its bounties.

The following section highlights the role of humility as a prerequisite to learning and as a touchstone of effective leadership.

Humility: The Touchstone of Positive Leadership

Perhaps there is no arena where the dictum pride hath a fall is truer than leadership. Without humility, a talented leader can slip into arrogance and situational narcissism. We have a classic case of derailed leaders due to arrogance in case of Enron. Enron did not fail because their leaders lacked competence in the functional areas of marketing, finance, or strategy. They were ‘visionary leaders,’ the smartest guys in the room, so to speak, as the 2005 documentary film by the same name ironically purports to demonstrate! Their cluelessness born of unbridled conceit and greed brought company’s demise.

Humility can serve as a powerful antidote to self-conceit and guard leaders from such a fall from grace. Humble leaders do not think that simply by being leaders makes them any better than their followers. Nor do they view themselves as being above their followers. They do not dismiss an excellent idea put forth by one of their employees simply because they didn’t come up with it themselves. They put others first and respect all good ideas regardless of the hierarchical status of the messenger. They subordinate their personal interest to the good of the whole team.

Effective leaders credit their team for success and take full responsibility when things don’t go as planned. In leadership literature, this is generally denoted by the metaphor of mirror versus window mentality. Jim Collins discusses this in his classic book Good to Great . Collins found that leaders of great organizations looked out the window when things went well (to give credit to others), and looked in the mirror when things were not going so great (to take responsibility). The window humbles the enlightened leaders to recognize the contribution of others; the mirror serves only to magnify the already oversized egos of the arrogant leaders. Howard Schultz, the founder and chairman of the Starbucks chain of coffee shops, says that the great leadership expert, Warren Bennis, once told him that to become a great leader you have to develop your ability to leave your own ego at the door, and to recognize the skills and traits that you need in order to build a world-class organization.³⁵

Humility, Learning, and Leading from the Behind!

Humility is unquestionably the most essential requirement when it comes to learning: without being humble, one cannot learn at all. And learning is one of the most seminal competencies for leadership success. Humility is the cause and consequence of true learning, for nothing can go in a full vessel. Humility is indeed the touchstone of great leadership. A tree with fruits bends. Humility is also a precondition for serving others for without it, even service could be but an inflation of ego. Lack of humility leads to cluelessness and cluelessness quickly leads to a leader’s derailment and demise. Humble leaders are great contributors. True humility is more like self-forgetfulness than false modesty—it means emptying ourselves of the false pride and pretense.

It has been said that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. What is the alchemy of producing more leaders? Most of the time, it is about leading from behind. In his autobiography entitled Long Walk to Freedom , Nelson Mandela, equated a great leader to a shepherd: A leader. . .is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind (1995, p. 22)³⁶ Elsewhere Mandela (cited in Lizza, 2011) states that It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.³⁷ Within the short compass of these two quotes, Mandela encapsulates the leadership lessons he learnt having spent 10,000 days in jail over a period of 50 years of struggle (1944–1994) for ending bondage.

Leading from behind is a leadership style whose time has come. It is style which puts followers in the forefront of leadership line. However, it requires supreme humility.

The following Sufi story highlights the dangers of self-conceit and the need to stay humble in all pursuits. The Sufi—the one who is not—narrates the story as follows:

…and my third Master was a small child. I entered into a town once and a small child was bringing a candle, a lit candle, hiding it in his hands. He was going to the mosque to put the candle there. In the lighter vein, I asked the boy, Have you lit the candle yourself? He said, Yes, sir. And I asked, jokingly, "Since you saw the light coming when you lit the candle, can you tell me from where the light came?

The boy became serious first and then laughed and blew out the candle, and said, Now you have seen the light going, where has it gone? You tell me!

My ego was crushed, and my whole knowledge was shattered. And that moment I felt my own foolhardiness. Since then I dropped all pretense to knowledgeability.³⁸

The Art of Humility: Thinking of Yourself, Less!

What is humility, after all? Humility does not necessarily mean to think of oneself as insignificant, timid, or worthless. As someone has rightly observed, Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.³⁹ In fact, humility signifies utter sincerity with oneself, requiring one to think of one’s abilities as no greater, and no lesser, than they really are. Humble people know what they can and cannot do. They take note of both their gifts and their limitations in a realistic manner. True humility is definitely not about self-deprecation.

We are taught to think pride is a good thing whereas humility is the absence of pride. Pride has meaning only when comparing others to yourself. By comparing ourselves to others, we learn to play the ubiquitous game of one-upmanship. A humble person does not base his or her self-worth on how s/he stacks up to others. She is content to make her honest contribution without raising a flag. Thus, such a person feels no need to play the game of one-upmanship.

Most people often tend to confuse humility with false modesty. We all have been guilty of this at one time or another. We have a tendency to devalue what we’ve done under the pretense of humility. In fact, refusing to accept genuine appreciation is often a cover for seeking more praise from others. That is perhaps why true humility is very hard to come by.

No Humility: Only Different Shades of Pride?!

Many wiser souls, somewhat jaded with cynicism, have pointed out that there is no humility; only, different shades of pride. We recall an interesting remark by a colleague: ‘Enough of me talking about myself. Tell me what you think of me!’ Real humility is very hard virtue to cultivate. More often than not, humility may be a cover for subtle pride. In his classic autobiography , Ben Franklin, tells us that how he embarked upon a rather ambitious regimen of cultivating various life virtues such as temperance, silence, order, frugality, sincerity, justice, and humility. He has noted that although a seemingly simple quality, humility is the most difficult virtue to cultivate because by the time one gets to master it, one becomes proud of it! A story is told about Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous architect, who was once testifying in court for his friend. While taking oath, he is reported to have said, My name is Frank Lloyd Wright, the greatest architect on the planet! Later when his friend questioned him about his exaggerated sense of self-importance , Frank Lloyd Wright maintained, I was under oath to tell the truth!

The human ego is always good at finding new avenues of manifesting itself, especially under the covert cover of humility. Such are the ways of the master magician—our skin-encapsulated ego—the socially induced hallucination of a separate self, to use a phrase coined by Aldous Huxley.

The teachings about compassion, frugality, and humility find their closest parallel in the naturalistic philosophy of Taoism. Lao Tzu calls them three treasures. They first occur in Chap. 67 of Chinese classic Tao Te Ching which, Lin Yutang says, contains Laotse’s most beautiful teachings.⁴⁰ In Lao Tzu’s view, nature arms with humility those it would not see destroyed: An axe first falls on the tallest tree. There is a poem by Chuang Tzu transliterated by Thomas Merton that beautifully underscores the value of the virtue of humility as follows:

If a man is crossing a river and an empty boat collides with his own skiff, even though he be a bad-tempered man he will not become very angry. But if he sees a man in the boat, he will shout at him to steer clear. If the shout is not heard, he will shout again, and yet again, and begin cursing. And all because there is somebody in the boat. Yet if the boat were empty, he would not be shouting, and not angry.

If you can empty your own boat crossing the river of the world, no one will oppose you, no one will seek to harm you....

…Such is the perfect man: His boat is empty.⁴¹

To be humble does not mean to have a low opinion of oneself, it is to have an accurate opinion of oneself, says the psychologist Robert Emmons. Emmons (2009, 171) describes humility as the realistic appraisal of one’s strengths and weaknesses—neither overestimating them nor underestimating them.⁴² True humility is a matter of right perspective.

Humility the Heart of Learning and Leadership?

Is humility the most important quality to cultivate in life and leadership? Both history and current research testify that the best leaders are humble. In their recent Harvard Business Review study , Prime and Slib clarify that humble leaders should not be mistaken for weak ones for it takes tremendous courage to practice humility. These authors cite Google’s SVP of People Operations, Lazlo Bock, who says humility is one of the traits he is looking for in new hires. Based on their current research and ongoing study of leadership development practices at Rockwell Automation, they share the following practices to garner a humble, inclusive leadership style:

Engage in dialogue, not debates. Engaging in dialog is good way to practice humility. When people debate to sway others to win them to their viewpoint, they miss out on the opportunity to learn about other points of view. When leaders are humble enough to suspend their own agendas and beliefs, they not only enhance their own learning but they validate followers’ unique perspectives.

Embrace uncertainty. When leaders humbly admit that they don’t have all the answers, they create space for others to step forward and offer solutions. They also engender a sense of interdependence. Followers understand that the best bet is to rely on each other to work through complex, ill-defined problems.

Role model being a "follower." Inclusive leaders empower others to lead. By reversing roles, leaders not only facilitate employees’ development but they model the act of taking a different perspective, something that is so critical to working effectively in diverse teams. Inclusive leaders are humble enough to admit that they do not have all the answers and that the present day problems are too complex for any one person to tackle them single-handedly. Doing so, they garner the wisdom of the followers and allow them to come up with shared solutions.⁴³

Lao Tzu, the great Chinese sage, stated so well, A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. He recognized the importance of humility as the key ingredient of leadership, for only the humble can truly serve a cause higher than themselves.

In the following section of the chapter, we present Gandhi’s life example as an exemplar of humility in life and leadership.

Gandhi: On Humility as a Key Leadership Virtue!

Service without humility is selfishness and egoism.⁴⁴

The principles of humility advocated by Gandhi may provide a useful framework for contemporary leaders both in their personal and professional life. Gandhi writes: Who that has prided himself on his spiritual strength has not seen it humbled to the dust?⁴⁵ For Gandhi, a life of service must be one of humility. He was of the view that a leader, who is to serve others, must be humble. Gandhi consistently embodied the perennial values of authenticity/personal integrity, transparency, harmlessness (ahiṁsā), truthfulness (satyāgraha or truth-force), humility, self-discipline and selfless service in and through his life and death. His leadership effectiveness proceeded from his categorical adherence to these values and his openness to learn from his own mistakes.

His leadership style was follower-centric and contextual.

Gandhi never claimed himself to be special in any way. He credited his success to his hard work and his constant awareness of his own limitation. Johann Sebastian Bach, the great German composer, is reported to have said, I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed . . . equally well.⁴⁶ In the similar vein, Gandhi wrote, I claim to be no more than an average man with less than average abilities. I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith.⁴⁷ This humility and openness gave Gandhi the understanding to be on the side of the truth rather than insisting for the truth to be on his side.

Until the last days of his life, Gandhi remained aware of his limitations. He had enough humility to acknowledge his errors and to retrace his steps. He kept working on the ultimate task of shedding the ego. He was fully aware that treading the path of truth means reducing oneself to zero, to nonentity. Only then, one can experience the limitless and be liberated. In his own words, "I know that I have still before me a difficult path to traverse. I must reduce myself to zero. So long as man does not of his own free will put himself last among his fellow-creatures, there is no salvation for him. Ahiṁsā, nonviolence, is the farthest limit of humility."⁴⁸ For Gandhi, humility was the sine qua non to nonviolence.

If influence is any measure of leader’s success, the power of humility and gentleness is amply illustrated through the life of this little brown man in a loincloth⁴⁹ who brought the mightiest empire on earth to its knees—even though he did not hold any official title, office, or position.

Gandhi was no saint. He had his share of failings and favorites. Yet for his abiding passion constantly to remake himself until his last breath, his dogged determination to walk the straight and narrow path of truth and nonviolence, his exceptional ability to reduce his personal self to zero, his disarming humility, and his excruciating self-honesty, he will continue to shine as a beacon for humanity as long as might oppresses right. Whenever a soul peacefully raises her voice against any kind of oppression, Gandhi’s legacy will continue.

Aldous Huxley once said that the central technique for humans to learn is the art of obtaining freedom from the fundamental human disability of egoism.⁵⁰ Gandhi achieved that freedom. Only those who dare achieve this freedom can truly serve.

Concluding Thoughts

Leadership is an ethical-spiritual journey whose moral compass is found within the soul of a leader. What is the essence of authentic and spiritual leadership? It is just this: Knowing the truth about ourselves; being true to ourselves—in thoughts, words, and actions; helping others discover their truth; and boldly living out this truth together moment-to-moment in a life marked by humility, altruistic love, compassion, and contribution. Having material wealth doesn’t really satisfy our inner yearning for a deeper meaning and fulfillment in work and life. Servant leadership transforms the nature of leadership itself—so that the central purpose of leadership becomes spiritual fulfillment and service to society. The path to leading others starts with self-awareness through self-discipline and ends with self-transcendence through selfless service. It is paved with authenticity, humility, and compassion. The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others, said Gandhi. For only in serving others selflessly that we find the true essence of life and leadership.

Reflection Question

1.

Why the industrial paradigm of leadership of twentieth century characterized by a command and control model of leadership is unsuitable for VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) world of twenty-first century?

2.

Briefly state the main pitfalls of the individualistic model of leadership based on a hierarchical structure of authority and responsibility.

3.

Why true leadership is considered a journey into one’s soul? Briefly explain the key elements of authentic leadership.

4.

It is said that servant leadership is a style whose time has come. Why all truly exemplary leaders were servant leaders, first and foremost?

5.

What are the chief characteristics of positive leaders? How do they inspire positive change?

Chapter Takeaways

1.

Servant leadership is not about money, position, power, or fame; it is about contribution and serving others. Servant leaders are not concerned with who gets the credit but simply that the work gets done.

2.

Authentic leaders are self-directed and other-focused. They look within, transform themselves first and then immerse themselves in the common good of all.

3.

Spiritual leaders are dealers in hope. They invite everyone to share in their dream that together we can make our world a better place. They have a deep understanding of human systems. They learn to master the language of transformation and help ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things.

4.

Principled leaders are ever-mindful of their moral imperative. While building their external career, they do not neglect to tend their inner character and spiritual needs. In fact, they holistically tend to their physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs. Principled, authentic, leaders with a strong desire to serve can be described as holistic leaders.

5.

Principled leaders understand the origins of social change: when faced with challenges, they dive within, train their mind, and transform their emotions to be the change they wish to see in others. The quest for holistic leadership starts with self-awareness and self-mastery, progresses with living authentically one’s core values, and culminates in leaving a legacy by fulfilling life’s purpose through selfless service for the greater good.

Footnotes

1

Joseph C. Rost, Leadership for the Twenty-First Century (New York: Praeger, reprint edition, 1993); see also Joseph C. Rost, Leadership development in the new millennium. The Journal of Leadership Studies, 1993, 1 (1), 91–110.

2

Ibid., 181.

3

Joseph C. Rost, Leadership for the Twenty-First Century, 101.

4

Ibid., 102. [emphasis added].

5

Ibid., 107.

6

These are perhaps not her exact words: http://​www.​motherteresa.​org/​08_​info/​Quotesf.​html

7

See Lee G. Bolman & Terrence E. Deal, Leading with Soul: An Uncommon Journey of Spirit (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, revised third edition, 2011); Parker J. Palmer. Leading from within. Chap. 5 from Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2000). Chapter retrieved March 15, 2016: http://​www.​couragerenewal.​org/​PDFs/​Parker-Palmer_​leading-from-within.​pdf

8

Alexander W. Astin and Helen S. Astin, Leadership reconsidered: Engaging Higher Education in Social Change (Battle Creek, MI: W. K. Kellogg Foundation, 2000), 1.

9

Louis Fry and Mark Kriger, Towards a theory of being-centered leadership: Multiple levels of being as context for effective leadership, Human Relations, 62(11), (2009): 1667–1696.

10

Louis W. Fry, Steve Vitucci, and Marie Cedillo, Spiritual leadership and army transformation: Theory, measurement, and establishing a baseline, The Leadership Quarterly,16 (5), (2005): 835–862.

11

Louis W. Fry and Laura L. Matherly, Spiritual leadership and organizational performance: An exploratory study. Retrieved March 21, 2016: http://​precisionmi.​org/​Materials/​LeadershipMat/​Spiritual%20​Leadership%20​and%20​Organizational%20​Performance%20​-%20​An%20​Exploratory%20​Study.​pdf

12

Retrieved March 21, 2–16: http://​iispiritualleade​rship.​com/​spiritual-leadership/​

13

Louis W. Fry, Toward a theory of spiritual leadership, The Leadership Quarterly, 14, (2003): 693–727.

14

Sue Howard, S. and David Welbourn, The Spirit at Work Phenomenon (London: Azure, 2004), 123.

15

John Gardner, Can We Be Equal and Excellent Too? (New York: W. W. Norton, 1984), 154.

16

S. Harter, Authenticity, in C. R. Snyder and S. J. Lopez, eds., Handbook of Positive Psychology (London: Oxford University Press, 2002), 382–394.

17

See B. George and P. Sims, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2007); B. George, P. Sims, A. N. McLean, and D. Mayer, Discovering your authentic leadership, Harvard Business Review, 85(2), (2007): 129–138.

18

William George, Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2003), 9.

19

Bruce J. Avolio and William L. Gardner, Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership, The Leadership Quarterly, 16 (2005): 315–338.

20

F. O. Walumbwa, B. J. Avolio, W. L. Gardner, T. S. Wernsing, and S. J. Peterson, Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure, Journal of Management, 34(1), (2008): 89–126.

21

W. Zhu, D. R. May, and B. J. Avolio, The impact of ethical leadership behavior on employee outcomes: The roles of psychological empowerment and authenticity, Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 11(1), (2004): 16–26.

22

George and Sims, True North, xxxi.

23

Bill George, Andrew McLean, and Nick Craig, Finding Your True North: A Personal Guide (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2008), xiii.

24

Ibid.

25

George and Sims, True North, 201–202.

26

Robert F. Russell and A. Gregory Stone, A review of servant leadership attributes, Leadership & Organizational Development Journal, 23 (3), (2002): 145–157.

27

Robert K. Greenleaf, Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1977), 77.

28

Ibid., 27.

29

Ibid., 5, 10.

30

Hermann Hesse, The Journey to the East, translated by H. Rosner (New York: Picador, 2003; Original work published in 1932).

31

Larry Spears, Practicing Servant-Leadership: Succeeding Through Trust, Bravery, and Forgiveness (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2004).

32

Steven Covey, The eighth Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness (New York: Free Press, 2004), 28.

33

Avgcbe (December 18, 2010), Life and Work of Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati [Video file]. Retrieved, February 12, 2015. https://​www.​youtube.​com/​watch?​v=​7FNDth7fajY

34

G. A. Stone, R. F. Russell, and K. Patterson, Transformational versus servant leadership: A Difference in leader focus, Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 25(4), (2004): 349–361.

35

Guru: Warren Bennis, The Economist, July 25, 2008, Online extra. Retrieved: October 28, 2017, http://​www.​economist.​com/​node/​11773801

36

Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1995), 22.

37

Ryan Lizza, Leading from behind, New Yorker, April 26, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2018: http://​www.​newyorker.​com/​news/​news-desk/​leading-from-behind

38

A Traditional Sufi Tale. Author unknown.

39

This quote is often misattributed to C.S. Lewis. According to C.S. Lewis foundation, this quote belongs to the category of misattributed quotes and is NOT by C.S. Lewis. See: http://​www.​cslewis.​org/​aboutus/​faq/​quotes-misattributed/​

40

Lin Yutang, L. (1946/1976). The Wisdom of Lao Tzu (New York: Random House, Modern Library, 1948/1976), 292.

41

Thomas Merton, T. (1965). The Way of Chuang Tzu (New York: Penguin New Directions Books, 1965), 114–115.

42

Emmons, R. A. (2009). The Psychology of Ultimate Concerns: Motivation and Spirituality in Personality (New York: The Guilford Press, 2009), 171.

43

Jeanine Prime and Elizabeth Salib, The best leaders are humble leaders, Harvard Business Review, May 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2018: https://​hbr.​org/​2014/​05/​the-best-leaders-are-humble-leaders

44

P. H. Burgess, Sayings of Mahatma Gandhi (Singapore: Graham Brash, 1984), 47.

45

J. B. Kriplani, Gandhi: His Life and Thought (New Delhi: Publications Division Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Government of India, 1970), 8.

46

The Greatest Music Leaders. Retrieved July 20, 2018: http://​www.​greatmusicleader​s.​org/​home/​johann-sebastian-bach

47

Prabhu, R.K, and Rao, U.R. (1996). ed., The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi (Ahmedabad: Navajivan Publishing House, 1996), 13–14.

48

Gandhi, M. K. (1983). An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1983), 454.

49

J. B. Severance, Gandhi: Great Soul. (New York: Clarion Books, 1997), 100.

50

J. H. Bridgeman, Ed., Aldous Huxley: Huxley and God, Essays. (New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992), 4.

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

S. Dhiman, J. Marques (eds.)New Horizons in Positive Leadership and ChangeManagement for Professionalshttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38129-5_2

2. Awakened Leaders and Conscious Followers: Leading Mindful Change

Joan Marques¹  

(1)

School of Business, Woodbury University, Burbank, CA, USA

Joan Marques

Email: [e-mail]

Abstract

This chapter describes awakened leaders as positive leaders, who are mindful of their experiences in life, as these molded them into the wakeful person they became. Elements of authentic, situational, servant, and transformational leadership are at the foundation of the awakened leadership approach, along with a strong emphasis on responsibility-based qualities, such as morals and values, respect, compassion, courage, deep listening, passion, spiritual connection, and change. The chapter subsequently discusses a critical stakeholder group: followers, emphasizing their influence in the process of accomplishing a common goal. Different types of followers are reviewed, with the aim to demonstrate the need for flexible leadership behaviors, based on the readiness and capabilities of these followers. The chapter subsequently looks into mindfulness and its influence on change-readiness. The difference between change and transition is highlighted to help the reader understand the needed steps to acquire follower support. As an illustration of awakened leadership in real life, the case of Geoffrey Canada, educator, social activist, author, and president of the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), is presented.

Keywords

Awakened leadershipPositive LeadershipAuthenticityMindfulnessChangeFollowers

Introduction

As awareness amongst workforce members increases and as change becomes a greater part of our daily life, the quest for leaders who are in tune with stakeholders’ needs, rather than only shareholders’ demands, augments. This development, which is heavily supported by an increasingly shrinking world with expanding global connections, has led to the emergence of a range of positive leadership theories.

Positive leadership is inspired by principles of positive psychology, spawning positive organizational behavior, positive scholarship, and positive change (Bhandarker & Rai, 2015). Cameron (2012) describes positive leadership as the behavioral pattern of leaders to accommodate outstanding positive performance, nurture a positive mindset, and focus on integrity and wellbeing. Indeed, positive leaders focus mostly on the advancement of people and processes in the system of which they are a part. Whereas negative reinforcement was the common way in which leaders and managers of the past century tried to exert dominance and control, positive reinforcement has now become a major ingredient of the positive leadership movement. Terms such as inspiration and empathy have surfaced as critical drivers of this trend that focuses on the establishment and safeguarding of a positive climate, positive relationships, positive communication, and positive meaning (Mishra & Jha, 2017).

Leaders that adhere to a positive leadership trend, or a combination of positive leadership trends, seem to find that organizational performance thrives and that outcomes are therefore also positive (Cameron, 2012). Zbierowski (2016) emphasizes authenticity as a foundational element of positive leadership theories. He explains authenticity as a combination of owning our personal experiences and acting in accordance with our true self. Within that scope, honesty and openness are primary prerequisites, as these qualities serve as major encouragers for a good understanding and optimal team spirit. Other characteristics that have been attributed to authentic leadership are confidence, hope, optimism, resilience, transparency, ethics, future-orientation, and connectivity (Luthans & Avolio, 2003). Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing, and Peterson (2008) introduced four principles of authentic leadership as follows: self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and internalized moral perspective.

Awakened Leadership

As is the case with most positive leadership approaches, the urge to inquire about awakened leadership arose from the current trend of massive interconnectedness, triggered by globalization, and the consequential exposure to increasingly diversifying work settings. The name Awakened Leader was inspired by a story of Gautama Siddhartha’s enlightenment, which established him as the Buddha (the awakened one) afterward. Upon a lengthy insight meditation, Siddhartha was walking up a road, when he encountered a passer-by, who was stunned by his radiance and asked him whether he was a wizard, a God, or some other kind of other upper-being. The Buddha simply responded that he was awake.

The consideration of the earlier mentioned qualities captured in positive leadership theories within an ever-changing performance environment gave rise to the image of an awakened leader, who is a diversity-oriented and experienced one (Marques, 2010). As a leader, who aims to attain positive results and wellbeing for all stakeholders, human and nonhuman, an awakened leader consciously examines and cultivates a series of responsibility-based qualities , such as:

Morals and values, often coming forth from past challenges and deep self-reflection in order to become more aware of the type of decisions to make.

Ethics, with an emphasis on the understanding that diverse environments oftentimes harbor people with very diverse ethical insights, and that ethical decisions are not always the most positive ones. This may lead to having to explain and defend courses of actions to stakeholder groups on a regular basis.

Integrity, honesty, and trust, an interrelated set of qualities and behaviors that very much influence the way employees will consider such a leader.

Vision, which requires clear and open communication with stakeholders, in order to help them understand the reasons behind actions and inspire them toward the common goal.

Respect, which these leaders know to make all the difference in interactions of any kind. One earns respect by giving it.

Passion, which doesn’t only drive the leader, but inspires followers to perform optimally and enthusiastically.

Commitment, which is one of the foremost role-model qualities. Awakened leaders know how important walking the talk is, and how well employees gravitate to that behavior.

Compassion, which entails the leader’s ability and desire to understand the circumstances that others are subjected to, and work with them, yet, in such a way that they are not blatantly taken advantage of.

Justice, which is not always a broadly appreciated quality, but nonetheless one that awakened leaders know they should implement in order to keep matters fair and acceptable.

Kindness, which goes so much further than arrogance, autocracy, and negativity. Oftentimes, it is the experience of kindness in their lives, and the recollection of how good this experience felt, that triggers awakened leaders to be kind to others as well.

Forgiveness, which is a quality that is also acquired through experience, but becomes very important in establishing and maintaining a positive work