Joseph Stowell's character-driven leadership versus outcome-driven leadership model

¶ … Redefining Leadership: Character-Driven Habits of Effective Leaders by Joseph M. Stowell

Summation

According to Joseph Stowell, for most aspiring leaders, the most critical problem is not external pressures such as the need to meet productivity goals or please their superiors but the problem of "me" or refining their characters to suit the needs of different situations.[footnoteRef:1] The ultimate test of leadership is not meeting short-term benchmarks but satisfying long-term moral ideals that transcend the existence of any earthly organization. Stowell's book is a blend of theology and psychology; it is applicable to business even while it is explicitly theological in its perspective. Stowell's central thesis is that while outcome-driven leaders focus solely upon achieving external goals, character-driven leaders focus upon honing their personal qualities to bring out the best of their followers.[footnoteRef:2] Outcome-driven leaders tend to use people as means to an end and have supreme confidence in themselves to direct the situations they find themselves in. Character-driven leaders use situations to build people and see themselves as operating as stewards, not as directors. Stowell advocates that people become character-driven leaders in a Christ-like model. [1: Joseph Stowell, Redefining Leadership: Character-Driven Habits of Effective Leaders, (Zondervan, 2014). p.13] [2: Stowell, p.14]

Stowell stresses the scriptural congruency of character-driven leadership. Nowhere in the Bible, he stresses, is there an incident in which the outcome is so praiseworthy that using any means necessary was seen as justified. In fact, the point of challenges is to prove one's character, not to achieve an earthly aim.[footnoteRef:3] A true leader understands that he is ultimately a follower of Christ and God's will, even if his technical job description is that of a CEO. A leader does not achieve true status as a leader simply by leveraging the power he has garnered by virtue of his position but rather earns it by showing virtue. "Leaders who lead from moral authority are trusted, not feared."[footnoteRef:4]

Reflection [3: Stowell, p.23] [4: Stowell, p.76]

The difference between outcome and character-driven leadership is in many ways similar to that of transactional vs. transformative leadership. Transactional leaders motivate people through the use of a variety of carrots and sticks, either offering pay or promotions for doing things their way or sanctions for doing things the wrong way. Transformative leaders make people want to do the right thing for the organization by motivating them with intrinsic rewards such as giving them additional responsibility. Transformative (also called Type Y) leaders also learn from their followers and allow followers to provide input into projects and to use their creativity in a positive way to advance the organization. People are viewed as essentially intelligent and creative beings and thus their spiritual welfare can be nurtured by the company as well as the bottom line of the organization. This gives people the opportunity to grow and ultimately fosters loyalty.

Although Stowell stresses the ancient nature of character-driven leadership, in many ways it is very forward-thinking. A number of organizations such as Google are stressing the need to nurture talented people and to let them explore their talents vs. solely meeting productivity goals. Sometimes addressing the spiritual needs of followers can generate greater benefits for the organization. Happy and fulfilled employees are productive employees.

Leaders also set a good example for the organization. People can easily see through leaders who enjoin their followers to make sacrifices but who never go the extra mile by staying late or taking the time to get to the bottom of problems themselves. Stowell calls Jesus the ultimate, genuine leader who truly 'walked the walk' as well as 'talked the talk' of living a life devoted to servitude. Even if leaders are not capable of perfection, by virtue of their position they must exhibit exemplary behavior of the kind they expect from followers.

Response

One interesting comment made by Stowell over the course of the book is in regards to Steve Jobs, the late CEO and founder of Apple. Stowell considers Jobs an imperfect example of leadership due to the fact that Jobs could often be quarrelsome and argumentative, even cruel to employees. Stowell notes that ironically he is writing his own book on software enabled by Jobs' achievements but he still does not think that Jobs is the true embodiment of character-driven leadership. Jobs lied and manipulated his staff because he felt that "ordinary rules didn't apply to him."[footnoteRef:5] However, in defense of Jobs, as unpleasant as he may have been to work for, he always seemed to have a higher ideal in mind when he was an advocate for his products and company. Jobs may have behaved badly but he seemed to do so less out of ego and more out of a genuine desire that his product be excellent. [5: Stowell, p.26.]

This is not to justify a bullying managerial style. However, it is worth noting that even in the gospels, Jesus was not always a likeable character. He was willing to tell hard truths to people, even when they least wanted to hear them and to take unpopular stances. He was unafraid to be misunderstood. Being a good leader with a transformational capacity does not always mean being liked. The higher goals of leadership must be in the leader's mind and people are more willing to listen to things that force them outside of their comfort zone if they know that the leader is doing so out of conviction for an ideal, not due to petty personal politicking. "When his ways seem strange and counterintuitive, remember that Paul reminds us that in Jesus, 'all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' are hidden (Col.2.3).[footnoteRef:6] [6: Stowell, p.71]

Application

The path to success is not always an obvious one, nor is the character of the leader upon the journey. Leaders may sometimes tell uncomfortable truths: in business, this might mean making cutbacks, eliminating products which were once popular but are no longer needed, and trying out new and unexpected programs to see if they work. What is critical is that the leader has the interests of the common good at the forefront of his consciousness and he is not making such decisions and telling such truths merely to satisfy his own ego and need for self-aggrandizement. "Jesus' power to influence the masses was generated from the kind of person he was. He was authentic to the core. Transparent, patient, and above reproach."[footnoteRef:7] These qualities of transparency and patient are ultimately the same types of character traits people demand of their leaders today. [7: Stowell, p.73]