Abstract
The paper presents my integrated theory of leadership by explaining how adaptive leadership relates to my theology. Scientific evidence is included to explain the basics of adaptive leadership, while its principles are aligned with my theological beliefs, including God’s love for humanity and the presence of sin in the world. Specific examples reveal how my work as a Christian counselor provides patients and other staff members with assistance.
Introduction
It is challenging to overestimate the role of effective leadership in various spheres, and the healthcare industry is not an exception. Appropriate skills and competencies are necessary to lead staff members, motivate patients, and many others. Personal experience allows me to stipulate that integrating efficient leadership principles is a practical way to create a productive environment at the workplace and help patients achieve better health outcomes. I can state that adaptive leadership is a practical approach to bring my theological beliefs into the practice of a Christian counselor.
Basics of Adaptive Leadership
To begin with, I would like to explain what adaptive leadership means. According to Northouse (2019), “adaptive leaders mobilize, motivate, organize, orient, and focus the attention of others to address the resolve changes that are central in their lives” (p. 394). In other words, such managers should do their best to help others deal with a changing environment. It is not a surprise that such leaders should have specific qualities and skills, and Gumusay (2019) explains that they should be restrained, tolerant, caring, and understanding at the same time. In addition to that, a high level of emotional intelligence is a must for such a leader to address individual needs (Som & Asenso, 2020). Consequently, this information demonstrates that adaptive leadership is an efficient way to understand others and help them choose an appropriate response to a specific change.
Integrated Theory
Now, it is reasonable to highlight the connection between adaptive leadership and my theological beliefs. God’s love for humanity and the presence of sin in the world are two essential principles that guide my professional practice. Firstly, since God loves the entire world, I, a Christian counselor, should also help everyone and lead them. I ignore a patient’s personal qualities or my thoughts about this individual; I entirely focus on providing the person with the required care. Secondly, sin is present, and many people are subject to its influence. That is why my task is to assist individuals in choosing the most appropriate response to this issue and the changes that it brings to their lives.
Adaptive leadership also helps me become a more successful counselor. For example, I am responsible for interviewing patients and assessing their mental health. The selected leadership perspective helps me understand the client’s situation and offer assistance by commenting on an appropriate response to the identified challenge. I deal with patients who suffer from addictions, loss, and other issues. In addition to that, being a leader refers to affecting other staff members. Thus, I am a professional who is frequently contacted by other healthcare workers when they face different issues. For instance, I can help staff members find a possible solution to a workplace conflict.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the paper has demonstrated that my integrated theory of leadership relies on an adaptive leadership style and my theological beliefs. Combining these two phenomena leads to the fact that I understand my role and responsibility in helping others and know how to cope with this task. The selected leadership approach denotes that I provide patients and other staff members with assistance to help them respond to various changes. For example, clients can understand how to deal with addictions or a loss, while healthcare workers receive conflict management counseling. Thus, I can state that adaptive leadership makes me a successful Christian counselor.
References
Gumusay, A. A. (2019). Embracing religions in moral theories of leadership. Academy of Management Perspectives, 33(3), 292-306.
Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership theory and practice (8th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Som, E. K., & Asenso, K. (2020). Leadership development: Influence of Christianity on Akan leadership formation – A case study of Kwaebibirem. Journal of Culture, Society and Development, 57, 44-67.