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Personal Model of Leadership

Lauryn R. Adkins

College of Theology, Grand Canyon University

MGT-410: Servant Leadership

Scott Knutson

October 17, 2023

Personal Model of Leadership

` Responsibility, love, ambition, and world peace are all blessings, but what do they have

in common? These are all values on the Rokeach Value Survey which highlights both

instrumental and terminal values that, when ranked, explain to an individual what is most

important to them. However, instead of ranking these values, this paper will discuss how they

can be translated into the personal model of leadership. The personal model of leadership has

four levels; individual, interpersonal, organizational, and societal. Each level has a Rokeach

value associated with it. This paper will analyze and discuss how the purpose and meaning of the

values associated with each level affect the behavior and actions of the leader, which influences

management practices, individuals and groups within the organization, and society.

Individual Level

The first level of leadership comes from an individual or “I” perspective. The value that

is associated with this level represents how the leader wants to be recognized from a personal

standpoint. Responsibility is an instrumental value chosen to be associated with the individual

aspect of the personal model. A leader who has chosen to personally be responsible has actions

and behaviors that exemplify integrity and punctuality. The purpose of being responsible is so

that the leader is someone that other employees can count on because they are informative and

make smart decisions. According to Bocean, Nicolescu, Cazacu & Dumitriu (2022),

“Responsibility concerns implementing ethical behavior and attitude in the organization,

providing a perspective on core values and organizational culture to promote responsible

behavior towards staff” (para. 2). In other words, a leader who chooses to value responsibility

will translate to a better work environment that promotes others to be responsible.

Interpersonal Level

The second level of the personal model of leadership deals with interpersonal values.

Interpersonal means how a leader chooses to handle communication and professional

relationships between employees. Love towards others is an instrumental value that should be

promoted in interpersonal relationships. A leader shows love through their actions and behaviors,

meaning they are empathetic and understanding towards their employees and their needs. They

are compassionate, understanding, and caring. Jack Ma is a self-made billionaire who coined the

term love quotient, which means how someone shows love for others in a non-affectionate way.

Jack suggests that a business leader's love quotient is more of an influential attribute than having

emotional intelligence (Prestia, 2020). “This concept places importance on finding loving

solutions to complex business challenges. Leaders with higher love quotients respect diversity of

opinions as they unify their teams to achieve a shared vision” (Prestia, 2020, para. 4) This quote

clearly highlights the meaning and purpose of promoting love in the workplace.

Organizational Level

An organizational view on leadership is the next level in the model. Organizational

leadership values translate to how a leader wants the entire company and workplace culture to

operate. Being ambitious is an instrumental organizational value that promotes employees and

leaders to be hard-working (Carucci, 2020). Ambitious employees are not lazy and have

motivational behaviors. The purpose for promoting ambition is best described by Carucci,

(2020), “Well-balanced, ambition leads to creativity and innovation, greater levels of

performance, and deeper levels of joy and satisfaction at work” (para. 5) An ambitious leader,

who has centered the company culture also around ambition, can benefit from their employee’s

diligence and commitment to the growth and betterment of the company.

Societal Level

A value that guides a leader from a societal perspective would be the terminal value of

a world at peace. World peace is something that every company and business should be

striving for. A company can be an agent of peace by behaving as ethically as possible. They

show actions of being sustainable and beneficial to society. In specific business terms,

“Companies can contribute to peacebuilding by engaging in innovative social investment,

stakeholder consultation, policy dialogue, advocacy, and civic institution building, ideally

through collective action with other companies” (“Peacebuilding Business Index

Methodology”, 2019, pg.6). A perfectly harmonious world will never happen because of the

inherently sinful nature that every person is born with. Romans 7:18 highlights this sinful nature

“For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the

desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” (Bible Gateway, New International Version)

Peace amongst society is a never-ending goal that cannot be accomplished. Peace should be

thrived for but can never be achieved. This is not a reason for companies to operate immorally or

for individuals to be discouraged because Jesus wants us to promote overall love and acceptance

for everyone. Even though world peace is unattainable, the purpose of a company to promote

societal peace is to please God. One of the main lessons Jesus taught his believers was to love

their neighbors, this can easily be associated with world peace because people who love their

neighbors create a better environment for everyone living in it. Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are

the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Bible Gateway, New International

Version) Companies are powerful and can have widespread positive influence. If a company

wants to please God, collectively promoting peace is an amazing way to do so.

Influence on individuals and groups

Someone’s personal values impact their entire worldview, which directly influences

their outlook on life and their behavior (Bocean et al., 2022). Since a leader’s personal values

influence their behavior, the people they surround themselves with and the groups they lead

will be affected (Bocean et al., 2022). Everyone has a unique perspective with values associated

with their worldview, however, if a leader follows my personal leadership model which is

associated with the values of responsibility, love, ambition, and world peace, there are positive

outcomes. According to Prestia (2020), “There is ongoing research that supports an increase in

awareness of love and responsibility for patients and co-workers as essential leadership

attributes. There is recognition of the need in organizations for caring communication and

attitudes, and loving acts exhibited by leaders”(pg.488). This example shows health care

professionals who value love in their practice, ultimately have outcomes of positive

communication and attitudes in individuals and groups. Responsibility, ambition, and world

peace are other values in my personal leadership model that, if valued by their leader, would

have endless favorable outcomes like a low turnover rate and high employee satisfaction

(Carucci, 2021). Overall, an ambitious and responsible leader, who values love and world peace

would positively impact both individuals and groups within the organization.

Influence on Organization and Society

On a wider scale, if a company clearly outlines its values for all employees, it will certainly

influence the organization and society. Organization-wide values foster a workplace community

with shared beliefs, this has proven to be beneficial. According to Mazzetti & Schaufeli, (2022),

“Engaging leadership is associated with increased perceptions of intrinsic organizational values

and satisfaction of the need for autonomy which, in turn, may boost employees’ level of
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engagement” (para.9) This quote clearly shows that strong organizational values centered around

things like responsibility and trust will boost employee engagement. A company that values its

employee’s ambition and trusts them to be responsible would ultimately make the company

environment a welcoming place where leaders are engaged and the employees feel motivated

and depended on (Mazzetti & Schaufeli, 2022). Additionally, if a company shared my personal

values highlighted in my model, they would ensure that their product or service benefits the

environment and society because world peace and love would be central company values

(Prestia, 2020).

Management Practices and Servant Leadership

There are many servant leadership characteristics and principles that directly correlate

to Christianity. The servant leadership style centers around a loving and caring approach

toward employees, which aligns with the central theme of love and caring in the Bible ( Ortiz-

Gómez et. al., 2022). For example, one of the most famous versus that can pertain to servant

leadership is Matthew 22:39 which states, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Someone with a Christian worldview would practice humility, listening, empathy, and

community building, which are specific principles of servant leadership (Ortiz-Gómez et. al.,

2022). A company following servant leadership would show care and love for their employees

by having their organizational values and managerial practices influenced by servant

leadership principles like trust and compassion (Ortiz-Gómez et. al., 2022) If servant leadership

is a clear leadership style utilized in a value-based company, ideally each individual would feel

empowered, groups would work together effectively, and the organization as a whole would be

a loving environment. Overall, management practices should center around love, trust, and

employee well-being, which aligns with my personal model of leadership, servant leadership
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principles, and is favored amongst someone with a Christian worldview. This approach

significantly influences individuals, groups in the company, and organizational behavior by

creating a work environment that is compassionate and empathetic instead of authoritative and

profit focused.

Needs and Growth of Followers

My personal leadership model meets followers' needs by prioritizing values that promote

purpose and care for one another. Firstly, being a responsible leader means that he or she does

effective and timely work while balancing the needs and well-being of their employees (Bocean

et al., 2022). Secondly, a loving leader would meet the needs of followers and promote their

growth the same way a servant leader would; by being an active listener, empathic, trusting,

and positive (Ortiz-Gómez et. al., 2022). Another leadership value in the model is ambition.

Promoting and thriving for ambitious employees and leaders ensures the company's long-term

growth and gives purpose and value to each employee (Carucci, 2021). In other words, an

employee is motivated because their creative ideas are not only heard, but have an impact and

influence on the company. Lastly, by thriving for world peace, every individual in the

organization can feel meaningful. The company they work for or lead goes beyond work and has

a significant positive impact on the world around them, which leaves lasting emotions of

contentment and happiness. Overall, a loving work environment, that gives individuals

responsibility, lets them use their skills ambitiously, and promotes overall world peace will not

only meet the needs of the followers, but promote their growth and longevity.

In conclusion, when looking at Rokeach values like responsibility, love, ambition, and

world peace it is important to understand how they impact leaders. Values, and the purpose and

meaning behind these values, greatly influence the entire company and society, as well as
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individuals and groups within the organization. Having a clear framework of what a company

values most also influences the company’s culture, vision, and managerial practices. A leader

within the organization must align with the company values and be strong in their own personal

values so that their influence may be used to best serve the needs of their followers and ensure

their growth. Since a leader’s values influence others, the personal model of leadership can help

leaders recognize and outline what values are most important to them. Given that values have

such a significant impact, it is important to get a clear idea of what values are associated with

each level of the model. Personal, interpersonal, organizational, and societal are all levels of the

model that can help a leader look from a higher perspective than their own. It prompts leaders to

think about how what they value affects their employees and even society as a whole. Overall,

being clear and transparent about what values are important to the company from every

perspective will positively impact every business. Thriving for an open, collective, and unbiased

value system in the workplace is done through models like this and should be practiced by all

businesses.

References
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Bocean, C. G., Nicolescu, M. M., Cazacu, M., & Dumitriu, S. (2022). The Role of Social

Responsibility and Ethics in Employees' Wellbeing. International journal of

environmental research and public health, 19(14), 8838.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148838

Bible Gateway. (2023). The Holy Bible.

https://www.biblegateway.com/

Carucci, R. (2021). How ambitious should you be? Harvard Business Review.

https://hbr.org/2020/04/how-ambitious-should-you-be

Mazzetti, G., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2022). The impact of engaging leadership on employee

engagement and team effectiveness: A longitudinal, multi-level study on the mediating role

of personal- and team resources. PloS one, 17(6), e0269433.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269433

Ortiz-Gómez, M., Molina-Sánchez, H., Ariza-Montes, A., & de los Ríos-Berjillos, A. (2022).

Servant leadership and authentic leadership as job resources for achieving workers’

subjective well-being among organizations based on values. Psychology Research and

Behavior Management, 15, 2621–2638.

https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.2147/PRBM.S371300
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Peacebuilding Business Index Methodology (2019).Peace Nexus Foundation.

https://www.peacenexus.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/PBBI-methodology-

final_update29.05.2019.pdf

Prestia, A. (2020). Making the Case for Love in Leadership.

18(5), 487-490, ISSN 1541-4612, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2019.04.008.