ML568: Leading Self, People, and Organization:  Integrating Theology and Leadership Praxis (4 units)
John S. K. Ng, Ph.D., Adjunct Associate Professor of Leadership, Executive Vice-President, Eagles Communications, Singapore
Peter Chao, Adjunct-Associate Professor of Leadership, Founder-President of Eagles Communications, Singapore
Spring 2006 Pasadena

 

 

DESCRIPTION:

This course is a primer in the integration of theology and leadership praxis within the context of church and organizational leadership. It is structured around 4 leadership foci encapsulated in the Eagles’ 4-P Leadership Model: (a) the Person of the leaders, with specific attention paid to the leader’s character, self-awareness and self-leadership; (b) the theological framework or the Kingdom Perspective out of which Christian leaders lead, particularly how theological acuity is needed in holding together the different tensions encountered in leading ministries and organizations; (c) commitment to raising Performance in terms of identifying competencies and sharpening leadership skills; and (d) learning to work together with others in Partnership, fostering a culture of shared leadership.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Students will understand the theological perspective of leadership 
• Students will appreciate the importance of self-leadership and understand derailment factors. 
• Students will have a framework to lead change. 
• Students will learn how to manage conflicts when leading ministries. 
• Students will understand the importance and learn skills of mentoring. 
• Students will know the factors of what makes and breaks a leadership team.

 

COURSE FORMAT:

This intensive course will be conducted over the course of one week. Apart from lectures and class discussion, the course will include the use of experiential learning exercises, assigned readings, case studies, class projects, movie clips, etc.

 

REQUIRED READING: If you have previously read any of the required texts, please select an alternative text from the recommended reading list or a book approved by the instructor.

William Bridges. Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change (2nd Edition). Boulder: Perseus Publishing, 1991.
Max DePree. Leadership as an Art. New York: Doubleday, 1987.
Peter F. Drucker. Management Challenges for the 21st Century. New York: HarperBusiness, 1999.
Leighton Ford. Transforming Leadership: Jesus’ Way of Creating Vision, Shaping Values & Empowering Change. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1991.
Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith & Richard Beckhard, eds. The Leader of the Future. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996.
Ng, John. MetaTrends Articles 2005/2006.

 

RECOMMENDED READING:

Ray Anderson. The Soul of Ministry: Forming Leaders for God’s People. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1997.
Warren Bennis. On Becoming a Leader. Reading: Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1989.
James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. New York: HarperBusiness, 1994, 1997. 
Max DePree. Leadership Jazz. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
Sydney Finkelstein. Why Smart Executives Fail: And What You Can Learn from Their Mistakes. London: Penguin, 2003.
Darrell L. Guder. Be My Witnesses: The Church’s Mission, Message, and Messengers. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.
Chris Lowney. Heroic Leadership. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2003.
Walter C. Wright, Jr. The Gift of Mentors. Pasadena: DePree Leadership Center.

 

OTHER READINGS:

Keith R. Anderson & Randy D. Reese. Spiritual Mentoring: A Guide for Seeking and Giving Direction. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1999.
George Barna, ed. Leaders on Leadership. Ventura: Regal, 1997.
James C. Collins. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t. San Francisco: Harper, 2002.
John W. Gardner. On Leadership. New York: Free Press, 1990.
John P. Kotter. Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business Press, 1996.
James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, eds. Christian Reflections on the Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2004.
Morgan McCall. High Flyer: Developing The Next Generation of Leaders. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1998.
Richard Tanner Pascale. Managing on the Edge: How the Smartest Companies Use Conflict to Stay Ahead. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.
Walter C. Wright, Jr. Relational Leadership: A Biblical Model for Influence and Service. Carlisle: Paternoster, 2000.

 

ASSIGNMENTS:

• Complete assigned readings
• Reflective interactive papers based on two assigned readings (500 words)
• A 5000 word paper on leadership issues.

 

PREREQUISITES:  None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective.

FINAL EXAM: None.

 

Last Date Edited: January 30, 2006