7/26/2023 0 Comments Good steward meaningUsing Steward Leadership Development to Weather the COVID-19 Crisis To become a steward leader, a person must commit to empathy and encouragement across the team. Have you ever seen someone forced into therapy by a spouse or family member? Nothing changes if they don’t have a genuine desire and commitment to change themselves. I’ve seen companies on the brink of collapse pull through – and thrive – after transforming their attitude in favor of steward leadership. Repeatedly, a caretaker mindset delivers incredible results. In our blog, you can find countless case studies of companies across the country that have accomplished amazing things through stewardship leadership development. No single person has the answers 100% of the time.Įmotional intelligence and maturity allow a leader to step back and invest in the people around them, when necessary. It takes maturity and vulnerability to build healthy inter-dependent relationships, rather than toxic codependent ones.Ī mature and emotionally intelligent leader realizes they are only as successful as the team they’ve assembled. Steward leadership can’t manifest without maturity. Widespread trust empowers team members to adapt their operations and promote the organization’s growth. People must have faith before they speak up, brainstorm, and offer constructive criticism openly. No one can put themselves into a vulnerable position without complete trust. That shared vision leads to self-governance, which keeps the individual and organization on course.Ī steward leader should inspire trust in team members. When you’re out on the water, and things get rocky, what happens? You band together with fellow crew members around a shared vision: getting to shore safely. Steward leadership, as an attitude, starts with a person who embodies these characteristics. 9 Essential Components of Stewardship in BusinessĬommunity building, responsibility, and trust within an organization all hinge on these nine components: Living through example, steward leaders attract talent who hold the same values. Their actions are done in the interest of growth for the organization’s mission, vision, and values. Steward leadership is different: a steward leader cares for the team members, the organization, and society as a whole. With traditional leadership, it’s the other way around: the team serves the leader. Under servant leadership, the leader exists to serve the team members. How Does Steward Leadership Differ from Servant Leadership? They know a team needs to feel respect, compassion, and inclusion before they’ll engage wholeheartedly. Mature and experienced business leaders know you can’t force productivity out of people. In 2013, Julia Kukard, Kurt April, and Kai Peters published an important book called Steward Leadership: A Maturational Perspective under UCT Press.Īccording to the authors, steward leadership is “a form of leadership that focuses on others, the community and society at large rather than the self.” They explain that a lot of senior leaders tend to adopt a steward leadership outlook naturally as their careers mature. What is Stewardship in Leadership Development? When workers feel valued and respected instead of alienated and reduced to a financial figure, an amazing synergy happens: those team members become the stewards of the organization’s mission, values, and vision. Stewards care about the lives and hearts of their crew outside the office walls. Steward leaders, on the other hand, invest in both the financial and emotional well-being of their employees. Studies show that 60% of workers will consider leaving a position if they feel their work isn’t captivating enough. You can’t just throw money at disengaged teams and expect them to suddenly become productive. “I pay these people a good wage, what else could they want from me?” Leaders tend to assume a controlling role over their employees – as if workers are a form of capital to be shaped as the company desires. Unfortunately, this is a challenging concept to grasp. I’ve found that steward leadership results in engaged teams who are invested in the organization’s mission, vision, and values. Today, the term “steward” refers to someone called to look after the passengers aboard a ship – a caretaker.
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