A vision of leadership calls for having a spirit of collegiality.  Good leaders know how to delegate and exercise legitimate power in the church.  Inevitably they will summon their troops to pursue the church’s plans.  By so doing they will envision the relationships of the different committees they are supervising.  This insight tells them how best to foster the actualization of their followers.  Through their direction believers will prosper, and be filled with inspiration to do their respective jobs.  By their example they will be able to generate the commitment by transforming the environment.  A businessman Bo Bennett (b. 1972) said, “Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth and wisdom, innocence and understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.”  Effective leaders will grow and guide their flock in wisdom.

Ethical Leadership

Ethical leaders don’t strive to control the group’s creativity.  They avoid the manipulation of people to get things done.  Decisions aren’t leader-centered, but worker-centered.  It’s for them to be sure that the parishioners understand how their instructions ought to be carried out.  Their leadership isn’t dominant, but they set the example by their management style.  Their noteworthy quality is being humble in serving others to work in unison with them.  Their very demeanor should show their ability to rally the work force.

A preeminent leader of India’s Independence Movement Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) wrote, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”  This is the quality of what’s expected of leaders.  Pope Francis (b. 1936), the head of the Catholic Church said, “Every man, every woman who has to take up the service of government, must ask themselves two questions: ‘Do I love my people in order to serve them better?  Am I humble and do I listen to everybody, to diverse opinions in order to choose the best path?’  If you don’t ask these questions, your governance will not be good.”  These are questions leaders ought to ask themselves to be accountable to their followers.

Peer Pressure

Leaders must resist psychological coercion.  Their aim is to strive for authentic fulfillment.  Their approach with workers must not be lukewarm or heavy handed.  At all cost they must avoid manipulating them in order to have the upper hand in decision making.  All workers must be respected and honored for who they are.  Everyone must be treated like a colleague.  Benjamin Carson (b. 1951), an author, and politician wrote, “No matter how good you are at planning, the pressure never goes away.  So I don’t fight it.  I feed off it.  I turn pressure into motivation to do my best.”  This must be a model of leaders who want to counter stress in a work environment.

 Effective Communication

Leaders must be quick to listen.  They should never consider themselves as desirous of increasing their status for personal gratification.  Their foremost goal is to be a pacifier of conflicts with their workers.   They should practice authenticity, and treat their colleagues with the utmost respect and dignity.  It’s for them to follow the guidelines about leadership of their community.  Their role should be an exercise in spiritual growth by motivating others to higher levels of accomplishment.  And at no time must they give the appearance of being authoritarian.  Such an approach will only damage their relationship with workers.  Quincy Adams (1767–1848), the sixth US president and statesman said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”  This must be the vision of successful leaders.