Perspectives on Leadership: From the Science of Management to Its Spiritual Heart by Gilbert W. Fairholm
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fairholm examines a progression of leadership models, beginning with leadership as management, moving forward to include the topics of leadership as excellent management, values-based leadership, trust leadership, and ultimately highlighting and emphasizing the importance of spiritual leadership...His thesis focuses on the premise that people are spiritual by nature, and are longing for a spiritual foundation in life. He sees that a person's spirituality is demonstrated through their work activities. If we are to effectively lead, we must give our energy to the spiritual longings of people.
He says, People in all kinds of occupations are voicing a cry for spiritual foundation in a chaotic world. They are redefining work to include satisfaction of the inner needs for spiritual identity and satisfaction.
He also adds,Traditional religion is still the prime repository of moral history and present practice...(but) as society or individuals move away from traditional religion, they still must find an outlet for these moral drives. For a growing number of people, that outlet is in the work they do.
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I hate the fact that my blog has become not much more than a series of book reviews over the past several weeks. Believe me, you're not the only one who has noticed. I'm painfully aware of my own rut, and am desperately trying to steer my way out of it.
I think "rut-freedom" may be close at hand, and I'm eagerly anticipating some changes in the near future. My work load has been tremendous, but relief is in sight.
Too much work leaves little room for creative thinking. Let me rephrase that: Too much "un-spirited" work leaves little room for creativity.
I love my work, really I do. But I don't enjoy it when my spirit is suppressed. I enjoy my work when it is an outflow of my spiritual health. Make sense?
The book I just finished has helped me remember this extremely important fact. Fairholm speaks of the role of spirituality in our work, and the need for us to be able to express our spiritual nature through our vocation.
In the past, he notes, it was much easier for us to compartmentalize our spirituality. We shut it off at work, and turned it back on at home (sometimes), or on Sunday (sometimes). But in our current pluralistic and post-modern world, we are more prone to take our (individualized and personal) spirituality to work with us, and to wear it on our sleeve. We do so, I believe, because we are more tolerant of alternative spiritual viewpoints. We don't need to fear being "different" and are free to express our viewpoints without creating any disagreements.
And while this isn't completely ideal, it does grant us the opportunity to develop relationships at work, and on campus, that are deeply personal. We are given the space to enter one another's spiritual lives. It's fair game.
And that's a good thing.
