Situational Leadership

So, this week during class we learned about a method or theory of Leadership. This method is called situation leadership. It's pretty self explanatory, but basically it's the idea that different situations demand different kinds of leadership. A really good leader can adapt their leadership style to fit the situation they are in at almost the push of a button. An awesome example of this came to mind when I was in New Testament.

Jesus is most well known for how meek and kind he was to others. He loved everyone and suffered pain and death to save us from our sins. But there is one specific instance in the New Testament that I read about today that suggests Jesus can be very forward. In John 1:13-16 Jesus has entered Jerusalem and has been observing the Jew's in the temple. He sees people selling oxen, sheep and doves, and "the changers of money sitting." As he sees this it seems that he makes a "scourge of small cords" or a whip and drives everyone out of the temple, saying, "take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise."

It's obvious that Jesus was angry with the disrespect the people were showing to the temple. But, he didn't lose it. At this time in his ministry he was needed to be very direct and forceful in his leadership, but right after, in the next chapter, Jesus is teaching and healing and testifying and speaking revelations of the divinity of his life.

In this divine centered leadership style class, everything that we learn is helping our progression towards becoming more like Christ. I think that developing good situational leadership is something that will help me be more patient and observant in how I act towards others in all different types of situations.

This method is an awesome way to think about leadership and I'm really happy I got to learn about it this week. As I serve in the Adaptive Aquatics and Gym Kids programs, I am going to try to adapt to the situations I am in and display the best style of leadership for that situation. We'll see how it goes!