Healthy Organizational Leadership

Feb 12, 2013 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

 

This is a guest post by Phil Stevenson (Twitter is @philstevenson). Phil is President
of The SISU Group, an organization devoted to the equipping of leaders and
organizations, www.thesisugroup.org. He lives, speaks, and writes on leadership;
follow his leadership blog. He has written four books including Five Things Anyone
can do to Lead Effectively. Phil recently wrote a leadership lesson blog from our
latest book…Faith Legacy: 6 Values To Shape Your Marriage. We share it with you
today.

Jim and Jerolyn Bogear[1] are wonderful friends. They have written two excellent books on relationships: Faith Legacy: Six Values to Shape Your Child’s Journey[2] and Faith Legacy for Couples.[3]

In the introduction to the second book they make the following observation, “Every healthy marriage begins with two healthy people, rich in value-based living, ready to give themselves to the other for the rest of their lives.”[4] Obviously, the Bogears are not writing specifically to leaders. But what they say has much for leaders.

This insightful comment has embedded within it three keys into healthy organizational leadership. 1. Like marriage, healthy organizations are lead by healthy leaders. 2. Healthy leaders are value-based. 3. Healthy leaders have a high degree of commitment to the organization they lead. Let’s drill down a bit deeper are each

Healthy organizations are led by healthy leaders. Good, bad, or indifferent an organization eventually reflects the leader. The leader who is healthy physically, emotionally, relationally and spiritually will have higher organizational health. A well rounded leader will have a well rounded organization. An over-indulgent, selfish, lopsided leader will soon see that reflected in the company they lead. Josh Dix, an organizational consultant and leadership coach, wrote, “I want all of us to recognize our patterns of behavior and the effects they have on those we lead or influence.”[5] How are you monitoring your leadership health?

Healthy leaders are value-based. All leaders lead by a set of values, unintentionally or intentionally. Understanding the importance of values, the Bogears rightly state, “Marriage is worth the effort [to] establish the core values that will guide your life together.”[6] Don Soderquist, retired Vice Chairman of the board for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., observed, “Values determine how we act.”[7] Reviewing how we act will reveal our deeply held values. Honestly assessing your actions, what values do you lead by?

Healthy leaders have a high degree of commitment to the organization they lead. Healthy leaders are not mere casual observers, they are committed participants. Mark Leheney, senior consultant for Management Concepts, highlights Five Commitments of Leadership.[8] The five are commitment to: personal growth, people connection, performance of the organization, purity in truth telling, priority leading. Every leader must show the commitment they have through the actions they take. How committed are you to the organization you lead?

Leadership is necessary in the varied spectrums of life. Whether it is relationships, marriages, organizations, churches or communities each demand healthy leadership. What can you do to increase your leadership health?