Abstract
Leadership involves more than power and control. To lead others, you must first know yourself. For the Bible says, a man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps (Proverbs 16:9, King James Version). Statesmanship may become more needed, but not more feasible. Leaders may be visionary, but if their vision is out of touch with organizational realities and constraints, their vision will be of no value. So having a managerial perspective is helpful for leaders who want to be successful. There are many channels that can be employed for organizational communication, but the more non-routine the message, the more rich the channel should be.
Effective managers and leaders understand this important truth in part because they understand the concerns of employees during difficult times and also because they understand the important of “big picture” thinking and communication.
Introduction
Everything we do within an organizational context—indeed in life itself—has eternal meaning and consequence. That is because we are valued in the eyes of our loving Creator and we know that He is intimately involved in everything we do. We should therefore act accordingly. According to Dannhauser, “A statesman is (…) not simply a politician, but an extraordinary politician who exercises wise leadership” (Overeem & Bakker, 2016, p.2). Putting ideas into action requires the ability not only to make decisions and delegate tasks but also to do so in a manner that energizes and engages others. Decision making requires both confidence and self-awareness.
Employees look to leaders not only for direction, but also for cues about how to feel about their work and their part in achieving organizational goals. Leadership and management in practice are often complex and fluid, demanding both a strong skill set an enormous fluid, demanding both a strong skill set and enormous flexibility. As a leader you will necessarily and appropriately analyze and understand the situation in terms of your own approach or theory.
Relationships are the essence of the organization life. While completing their tasks employees build their attachments, connections and bonds. At the same time interpersonal relationships affect what one can think, feel and do. Relationships serve as a prism through which an employee perceives his or her work and an organizational environment. Although they are rather difficult to define unambiguously. Thus, positive relationships are considered with regard to their strength, emotional weight of an attachment, affective weight, mutuality and frequency of communication or subjective experiences of vitality and aliveness, positive regard, mutuality and positive physiological reactions. As the Bible says, and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Statesmanship and Organizational Leadership
The Declaration of Independence states the purpose of government very clearly—to secure God-given “unalienable rights.” That is the primary justification Thomas Jefferson gave for having government. Thus, apart from a recognition of God-given rights, there is no legitimate foundation for government. Statesmanship is a high calling with clear biblical and historical precedence (Evangelism Explosion International, n.d.). The world needs leaders made strong by vision, sustained by ethics, and revealed by political courage. Without courageous long-term leadership at every level-it will be impossible to create and sustain constituencies powerful and reliable enough to make an impact on problems. Enlightened leadership calls for a clear vision of solidarity in the true interest.
A statesman, one whose public and private conduct is guided by a bedrock set of principles that will not be compromised for personal or political gain. Such a person rises above mere partisan politics and makes the overall welfare of a nation his or her first priority. A Christian statesman, therefore, is someone whose commitment to Christ and love of country compel him or her to stand for truth and righteousness in government. Such a person recognizes that individuals (as well as nations) must ultimately give account to God and are dependent on Him for prosperity and success (Evangelism Explosion International, n.d.).
Since true leadership entails integrity, what a leader says and does must be one (Vaughan, 2002, p. 311). A tyrant can have great leadership skills, but never be a statesman insofar as he does not aim at the common good but only at a very partial one (aim). Statesmen distinguish themselves from “ordinary” leaders not only by their political contributions to the widest possible common good but also by their moral excellence (Overeem & Bakker, 2017, p. 2). No one expects a leader to be perfect. A virtuous character does not imply perfection; rather it suggests a character in which high and noble habits predominate and moral defects are under control (Vaughan, 2002, p. 137).
Interpersonal Leadership and Organizational Leadership Connections
Acts of leadership express a new direction, but one that is determined by the emerging interests of all members of a group. IQ is not sufficient to predict, that you will emerge as an outstanding performer, as a leader. Unknown if you’ll emerge as a leader at all. So, when it comes to leadership, you’re dealing with a different skill set. You need to have self-mastery, you need to lead yourself as they say, and also you need to persuade, empathize, listen, communicate, elaborate, do all those things that require people skills. That’s the emotional intelligence domain. As the Bible says, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Effective leadership sometimes involves the use of power, the capacity to understand power, especially the capacity to recognize and use the resources one has available to influence others, is essential in modern organizations of all types. Both top and middle managers have an important influence on interpersonal relationships but they play different roles. Top leaders are those who formulate and articulate the strategic moves of an organization they make decisions that set the course of an organization, whereas middle management interprets and executes those decisions. They influence main directions and “set agenda” of an organization.
Middle managers operate directly below the top managers and perform much of day-to-day work within an organization. They are responsible for making many trade-offs that shape the company’s success . Leadership unquestionably requires social or interpersonal skills, but it is based in empathetic understanding, the ability to express the aspirations of the group, and the confidence to undertake the risks associated with change.
Organizational Communication Practices
All the good ideas in the world are worth very little if they cannot be shared with others. Communication is the basis for setting goals, engaging others, and ensuring cooperation. The ability to communicate well is necessary for any adult to function successfully in virtually any role in American society. Communication with others takes place when they understand what you’re trying to get across to them. If they don’t understand, then you are not communicating regardless of words, pictures, or anything else. Communication is a two-way process. Supervisory relationships as well as manager attitudes and skills influence and shape employee relationships with each other. The extent to which employees want to cooperate, their commitment and the quality of the social capital are affected by managers.
Like any leadership role, managers have the responsibility of leading and managing others in the workplace. In local government, it is essential that managers are able to build one-on-one relationships with their staff, not only because it makes for a great work environment, but also because successful relationships equal happy employees, which could result in the organizational and community excellence you strive for. The mission or vision is important; thus, leaders should make clarifying that mission a communication goal. For the Bible says, a man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Synthesis of Statesmanship, Leadership and Communication
Leadership is not just the responsibility of those in the executive suite, but can and should be exercised throughout an organization. A statesman is to a politician what a master is a to a painter or a composer in the arts. Statesmanship enables a politician to undertake, or at least to influence in a decisive manner, those public enterprises which advance the common well-being of a people. It makes the differences between a custodial leadership which merely administers affairs and a leadership which transforms them. The aim of statesmen remains, of course, to promote the widest possible common good55—or, in contemporary parlance, the general interest.
This ultimately conservative goal to preserve the common good of one’s own polity while developing its good relations with other polities is what, distinguishes the statesman. As the Bible says, Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. Nevertheless, both top and middle managers stimulate positive employee relationships if they act empathically and create themselves positive relations with others. We learn, when we respect the dignity of the people, that they cannot be denied the elementary right to participate. To give people help, while deny them a significant part in the action, contributes nothing to the development of the individual.
Conclusion
Mankind has progressed only through learning how to develop and organize instruments of power in order to achieve order, security, morality, and civilized life itself. Every organization known to man, from government down, has had only one reason for being-that is, organization for power in order to put into practice or promote its common purpose. As Dannhauser put it: “Statesmanship is not as rare as statesmen, because on occasion quite ordinary men are capable of the extraordinary deeds we designate as acts of statesmanship, but it is rare enough.” In our century, public officials still and perhaps increasingly need to show moral excellence (virtue) while acting with nonviolent ways (means) for the general interest (aim) of the widest possible political community.
A democratic statesman, like any other, must first of all be possessed of a set of firm and consistent principles of life, convictions about which he is absolutely certain and which nothing could make him compromise. He will risk everything for them- his career, his safety, even life itself. Values serve as the anchor, motication, and compass by which individuals authentically lead their own life and guide others. As the Bible says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
