please respond to Maria. with 350 words  a p a. style. citations, references

Leadership Profile

The Bible stresses the need for empathy for Christian leaders, saying that it mirrors the nature and compassion of Christ (Hebrews 4:15), who understood our plight and endured suffering on our behalf. A leader with empathy can feel what their followers are feeling, see things from their followers’ point of view, and respond with compassion. Leaders with empathy are better able to “rejoice with those who rejoice,” “weep with those who weep,” “bear one another’s burdens,” and so on (Romans 12:15; Galatians 6:2). The members of the church (the body of Christ) are strengthened by their empathy for one another (1 Corinthians 12:26).

Paul, the apostle, and missionary, is a prime biblical example of a leader with empathy. Paul’s prayer for, encouragement of, correction of, and suffering with the churches he built and served exemplify his compassion for them. Timothy, Titus, Epaphroditus, and Onesimus were just a few of his coworkers who benefited from his considerate nature. In his letters to them, he shared his feelings of love, appreciation, concern, and happiness. He also adapted his approach and message to different audiences and contexts, becoming all things to all people (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

Both the Bible and contemporary leadership philosophy emphasize the importance of empathy in the role of the leader. As was said in the prior response, empathetic leadership is a style of management that places a premium on being in tune with and considerate of subordinates’ feelings and points of view. Trust, satisfaction, dedication, and performance are good things that can happen when leaders show empathy for their followers.

The article “[From empathic leader to empathic leadership practice: An Extension to relational leadership theory]” by Jian and Jian (2022) explores the concept and measurement of empathic leadership, which is a leadership approach that emphasizes understanding and sharing the emotions and perspectives of others, especially followers. The authors offer a paradigm that expands relational leadership theory to include three elements of empathetic leadership: cognitive empathy, affective empathy, and empathic communication. The authors also create a scale to evaluate empathic leadership practice, validate it, and investigate the link between it and outcomes for followers like trust, contentment, commitment, and performance.

Barack Obama, the former president of the United States and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is a renowned example of a leader who exemplifies the good features of empathic leadership philosophy. Obama was a leader who showed compassion for everyone he encountered, whether they were his supporters, opponents, or allies. Cognitive empathy was displayed in his understanding of the myriad challenges facing his country and the world and his receptivity to alternative perspectives and criticism. He exhibited affective empathy by feeling and expressing his followers’ hopes, joys, wrath, and sorrows. He displayed empathetic communication by actively listening, speaking from the heart, and convincing others. Building trust, satisfaction, commitment, and performance among his followers and encouraging cooperation and collaboration among his partners were all outcomes of Obama’s empathic leadership technique (Shalev, 2017).

Christian leaders who aspire to serve God and people in the footsteps of Christ and Paul would do well to develop the ability of empathic leadership. Christian leaders can benefit from developing their empathy skills to better interact with the secular world. Empathic leader bases their decisions on the institution’s profile, mission, and strategy, as well as on biblical wisdom, experience, and tested “best practices.”

References

Jian, G. (2022). From empathic leader to empathic leadership practice: An extension to relational leadership theory. Human Relations, 75(5), 931–955.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0018726721998450Links to an external site.

Krauter, J. (2022). A Team-Based Leadership Framework—The Interplay of Leadership Self-Efficacy, Power, Collaboration and Teamwork Processes Influencing Team Performance. Open Journal of Leadership, 11(2), 146–193.https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=117849Links to an external site.

Shalev, N. (2017). Empathy and Leadership from the Organizational Perspective. In Exploring the Influence of Personal Values and Cultures in the Workplace (pp. 348–363). IGI Global. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/empathy-and-leadership-from-the-organizational-perspective/178881