Exploring Possibilities for Leadership in the Lasallian Ministerial

Exploring Possibilities for Leadership in the Lasallian Ministerial Community

PART 1

As he became aware, by God’s grace, of the human and spiritual distress of the children of the artisans and the poor, John Baptist de La Salle devoted himself to forming schoolmasters totally dedicated to teaching and to Christian education. He brought these teachers together in a community and subsequently founded with them the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. . The purpose of this Institute is to give a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor, according to the ministry which the Church entrusted to it. - The Rule 1, 3

To give a human and Christian education, especially in schools, with the service of the poor as a priority, in order to evangelize and catechize, to promote peace and justice, accomplished together as a “shared mission. ”

From their beginnings, the Brothers of the Christian Schools have regarded their work as a collaborative ministry. Their vow of association binds them to God and to one another for the educational service of youth and the poor. In the Lasallian experience, mission generates bonds of mutuality and interdependence. Mission leads to communion and communion is for mission.

What has changed is the ever-increasing role played by lay partners in the mission of the Institute. In the face of the many challenges in today’s world, it is no longer conceivable that the Brothers can guarantee by themselves the continuation and vitality of the Lasallian mission. Thus, the worldwide Institute today often speaks of Lasallian

The Brothers, original “owners” of the mission. . . HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND “SHARED MISSION” TODAY ? . . . share their mission with the lay faculty and staff. This is a paternalistic understandi ng of shared mission.

In the light of “shared mission”, Brothers accept that there is no task exclusive to them and that they have a duty to believe in and support their lay partners in living out the vocation and mission of the Lasallian educator; for lay partners, sharing the mission means owning the mission as theirs and contributing as far as they are able to its unfolding.

CO - RESPONSIBLE +

Characteristics of a Ministerial Community • Witness to Shared Vision and Values • Mutual Concern and Solidarity • Orientation to Service

MINISTERIAL COMMUNITY • Ministers of Faith • Builders of Communion • Responsive

That’s what we’re hear to talk about, right?

Let’s pause here for some reflection. Please get your pens ready. • Recall your most satisfying experience of working together with others in a group. What made this experience satisfying for you and for other members? • Who was the group’s official or unofficial leader? How would you describe the group leader’s relationship to the members? • What can be learned about

PART 2

James & Evelyn Whitehead • Leadership is a Personality TRAIT Insight: Effective leaders have personal qualities that contribute to their success in the role. • Leadership is a Relationship btw. LEADER & FOLLOWER Insight: Effective leaders respond to the level of maturity of their followers. Leadership is situational. • Leadership is a Relationship btw. LEADER & GROUP Insight: Effective leaders insure that groups deal with both internal (belonging/group maintenance) and external (performance) tasks. • Leadership is a PROCESS OF GROUP INTERACTION Insight: Leadership is a system of relationships through which a group acts effectively. Effective leaders nurture the larger network of relationships through which groups act effectively.

Insight: Effective leaders have personal qualities that contribute to their success in the role. Limitation: While personality traits are important, research does not support the idea that there are distinct “leadership traits” that guarantee effectiveness. This view neglects the importance of the setting on the

Insight: Effective leaders respond to the maturity of their followers. Leadership is situational. Limitation: The relationships assumed to be important are the ones that go out from the designated leader like spokes from the hub at the center of a wheel. Leadership is seen exclusively as the set of relationships established by the person in

Insight: Effective leaders insure that groups deal with both internal (group maintenance) and external (performance) tasks. This is often spoken of as striking a balance between being “people oriented” and being “task oriented. ” Limitations: The leader is seen as someone “outside” or “above” others in the group, helping it to deal with its tasks. “Leader” and “group” seem like two separate, autonomous entities.

Insight: Leadership is a system of relationships through which a group acts effectively. Leading takes place when group members deal with one another in ways that meet the group’s needs and contribute to its goals. Effective leaders nurture the larger network of relationships through Leading is an ongoing group process, unfolding in the give-and-take of relationships in the group. It may be initiated by designated leaders or undertaken by other members as well.

To understand this Wheatley’s 4 Basic model, we need to Principles of Selfsee the group as a living, self. Organization and Change organizing system constituted by mutual, • A living system forms itself interdependent as it recognizes shared relationships. When interests. there is a change in • For significant change to one relationship, all other relationships are occur, there must be a affected. A group is change in meaning and like a body whose vision. parts must interact harmoniously for • Change cannot be imposed. its inner coordination Every living system is free and external to choose whether it will effectiveness. change or not. • Living systems contain their own solutions. To

You cannot direct a group into perfection; you can only relate to members and engage them in such a way that they want to do perfect work. For this to happen, they need to believe in the vision strongly enough to actively commit themselves to realizing it and trust each other Leading activities include all interactions that clarify vision and identity, energize the group’s life, reinforce commitment, mobilize its resources to deal with change. Leading can be initiated by a formal leader or by any member of the group. Designated leaders are not “above” the group, but partners who see their work as a service to the group and its mission.

As the designated leader, the administrator seeks to nurture the relationships and create the conditions which allow persons to discover and utilize their gifts and charisms freely and creatively for the sake of the common mission. The administrator seeks to empower, guide and support the members of the group as they seek to address the group’s internal and external goals effectively.

When we fail to see leadership as a process of group interaction, we assume that it is the leader’s job to supply what is needed to make the organization work. This places an inordinate burden on the administrator to make things happen and get results. It also fosters a sense of dependence and passivity on the part of the group The jobmembers. of the leader is to foster the relationships, atmosphere and conditions that encourage group ownership, self-direction, initiative, cooperation and

In De La Salle’s own life, we see him moving from a model of leadership that is “leadercentered”and paternalistic, to a model of leadership which empowers the community to act effectively to address its internal and external goals. He began his ministerial journey as an “outsider”, as the teachers’ rich benefactor and father-figure, and ended up as their partner and brother. Much of his struggle as a leader was spent trying to empower the group to take charge of its own destiny. This meant helping them to grow professionally and spiritually, to understand the full significance of

• Which model of leadership prevails in your organization? • Which model do you usually assume in your work? • What advantages/disadvantages do you see arising from the model of leadership as group interaction? • What challenges for your group do you see arising from the model of leading as group interaction?