Effective Leadership and the Case of Moses

It is well documented that effective leadership is a critical component of organizational success. A growing body of scholarship confirms that leaders who exhibit effective leadership skills have the potential to transform their followers in ways that help them grow as well as helping achieve their organization's goals. Not surprisingly, organizational theorists are always searching for good examples of effective leaders to support their views and theories. For this purpose, the biblical account of Moses provides a valuable case study of effective leadership. Moses exhibited visionary, authoritative, transformational and servant leadership style that motivated and inspired his followers to achieve their full potential. In addition, Moses also adapted his leadership style to different situations in ways that are reflective of situational leadership. However, Moses' shortcomings, such as his lack of confidence and communication problems, serve as important reminders of the challenges leaders face in achieving their personal and professional goals. To learn more about this major biblical leader, the purpose of this paper is to describe the specialized approaches of Moses as well as his failings as a leader that modern Christians can learn from. Finally, a discussion concerning the limitations that Christians have on bringing their faith into the workplace is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion

By most measures, Moses was a great leader in multiple ways that reflect the key tenets of mainstream leadership theories today. For instance, in many cases, the leadership style used by Moses was transformational in nature. For example, Moses had a clear vision of the Promised Land and he was committed to leading the Israelites there using whatever means were necessary. These attributes are some of the main characteristics of transformational leadership. For instance, conceptualized as a large corporation, Moses kept his eye on the prize for the Jewish People, Inc. by consistently transforming the organization by articulating a better vision for the future as well as taking concrete steps to further its achievement. These actions helped forge a sense of trust between him and his followers that was critical given their dire circumstances (Capps, 2009). In this regard Alavi et al. (2022) point out that, Transformational leadership creates organizational trust which then positively impacts organizational performance in times of crisis (p. 324).

In addition, Moses also used a visionary leadership style to inspire his followers to persevere by setting high expectations for them as a people to the Promised Land and challenging them to achieve their full potential as the Chosen People as promised by God (Arnow, 2006). The biblical accounts of Moses, though, also make it clear that the Jewish peoples faith was sorely tested time and again, and the seeds of doubt were planted despite the daily miracles that God provided the Jews in the form of manna, the unstoppable power of the Ark of the Covenant, parting the Red Sea, as well as working numerous other miracles through Moses. This eventuality has some interesting modern parallels, and personal experience and a growing body of scholarship confirm that persuading large numbers of people to achieve a common goal even one in which they have a vested interest -- is a challenging enterprise for the most effective leaders. In other words, organizational leaders are only as good as their last miracle.

Despite these challenges, Moses also developed an environment wherein his followers felt sufficiently comfortable to frankly share their ideas and concerns with him. Given that the stakes could not be higher for the Jewish people with their religion and lives on the line, it was obviously necessary to hear from his followers, even if this honest airing of differing opinions did not always sway him from his original thinking. This leadership approach is also consistent with transformational leadership since it empowered his followers to take ownership of their work and become active contributors to their eventual success (Ben-Hur & Jonsen, 2012). This is what great transformational leaders do -- they listen to their advisors and then make the best decision they can and commit the resources that are needed to achieve it.

Beyond the transformational aspects, Moses also exhibited a servant leadership style that was highly effective. Indeed, Moses is a prime example of a servant leader who was also a spiritual leader. Servant leadership theory is based on the idea that leaders should prioritize serving and empowering their followers. Like transformational leadership, servant leaders also encourage their subordinates to share their opinions and make independent decisions, but there is also an emphasis on identifying mutually agreed upon innovative ways of working and solving problems (Khan et al, 2023).

Like Moses, modern servant leaders also establish and maintain close relationships with their followers, providing timely feedback and taking care of their personal and professional needs when necessary (Khan et al., 2023). In contrast to most other ledership theories, servant leadership is a unique self-sacrificing type of leadership behavior that fosters trust and enables followers to grow and develop. In sum, servant leadership begins with the natural feeling of wanting to serve first (Khan, 2023).

In addition, effective servant leaders should also incorporate spiritual leadership qualities that...…are leaders who involve their followers in decision-making and seek input and feedback from them

Moses appointed leaders from each tribe to assist him in leading and making decisions, and also sought counsel from his father-in-law, Jethro.

Finally, bringing one's faith into the workplace can present a number of challenges for Christians. One major challenge is finding a balance between expressing one's beliefs and respecting the beliefs of others. It can be difficult to know how to navigate conversations about religion in a professional setting without coming across as pushy or judgmental. Another challenge is dealing with potentially hostile or unsupportive work environments (Enderle, 1997).

Some workplaces may not be receptive to discussions about religion, or may even actively discourage it. This can create a sense of isolation or alienation for Christians who wish to integrate their faith into their work lives. Finally, Christians may struggle with the tension between their values and the values of the company they work for. In some cases, this may require difficult decisions about whether to speak out against practices or policies that conflict with their beliefs. In the final analysis, Christians can and should bring their religious beliefs and values into their workplaces, but they must do so with prudence and seek to contribute positively to a worldwide ethic without imposing their views on others.

Religious diversity in the workplace is beneficial and can be managed through human resource policies reflecting organizational values and guiding principles to influence positive social change (Jolliffe & Foster, 2022). Workplace policies and relevant state and federal laws may limit the extent to which Christians and members of other faiths can share their religious views with others. Therefore, it is important for organizations of all sizes and types to have clear policies and guidelines in place to ensure fairness and inclusivity for employees of all faiths (Jolliffe & Foster, 2022).

Conclusion

The research showed that the biblical account of Moses provides a valuable case study of effective leadership. For example, Moses exhibited a transformational and servant leadership style that motivated and inspired his followers to achieve their full potential. Likewise, he also adapted his approach to different situations. It is important to note, however, that modern scholars tend to focus only on the positive attributes of effective leaders, but even though he was an esteemed man of God, Moses was also just a human being. His shortcomings provide a valuable reminder that leadership is a complex and challenging endeavor that requires constant self-reflection and growth. By studying leaders like Moses, it is possible to learn from their successes and failures and to…