ST.

PAUL UNIVERSITY SURIGAO

(St. Paul University System)
Cor. San Nicolas & Rizal Streets
8400 Surigao City, Philippines

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Name : Dedina H. Sanico
Program : Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Management)
Professor : Fr. Larry Espuerta
Course : Spirituality, Personal Leadership and Social Responsibility

Activity 1
Description of Spirituality, Personal Leadership and Social Responsibility

What is Spirituality?

Spirituality is a broad concept with room for many perspectives. In general, it

includes a sense of connection to something bigger than us, and it typically involves a
search for meaning in life. As such, it is a universal human experience—something that
touches us all. People may describe a spiritual experience as sacred or transcendent or
simply a deep sense of aliveness and interconnectedness.
Christina Puchalski, MD, Director of the George Washington Institute for
Spirituality and Health, contends that "spirituality is the aspect of humanity that refers to
the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they
experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the
significant or sacred."

According to Mario Beauregard and Denyse O’Leary, researchers and authors of

The Spiritual Brain, “spirituality means any experience that is thought to bring the
experiencer into contact with the divine (in other words, not just any experience that
feels meaningful).”

Nurses Ruth Beckmann Murray and Judith Proctor Zenter write that “the spiritual
dimension tries to be in harmony with the universe, and strives for answers about the
infinite, and comes into focus when the person faces emotional stress, physical illness,
or death.”

Spirituality can also mean the process of making the mind free from fears,
worries and nonstop thinking, and experiencing inner peace and bliss in one’s everyday
life.

What is Spiritual Leadership?

Spiritual leadership involves the application of spiritual values and principles to
the workplace. The spiritual leader understands the importance of employees finding
meaning in their work and demonstrates a genuine concern for the "whole" person, not
just the employee. Spiritual leadership tries to assist others in finding meaning in their
work by addressing fundamental questions such as:

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  Who are we as a work team, department, or organization?
 Is our work worthy? What is our greater purpose?
 What are our values and ethical principles?
 What will be our legacy?

Spiritual leadership is a blending of natural and spiritual qualities utilized for

influencing God’s people to accomplish God’s purposes. Even the natural qualities are
not self-produced but God-given and therefore reach their highest effectiveness when
employed in the service of God and for His glory.

Spiritual leadership is intrinsic. Spiritual leaders are motivating and inspire workers
through a strong vision. The purpose of a spiritual leader moral needs of their followers.
Spiritual leadership is founded upon a clear vision, an empowered team, individual well-
being, and commitment (International Institute for Spiritual Leadership, 2013, para 1).

Spiritual leaders might also be associated with transformational leaders since they
promote intrinsic motivation, but also empower their teams the transfer of knowledge
(What is Spiritual Leadership, 2015).

The biblical spiritual leader typically represents a leadership style of servanthood

(Grahn, 2011). The spiritual leader leads by example, as Jesus did, who said He came
to serve others, not to be served Jesus modeled the true servant style of leadership,
when He, the Lord incarnate, bent down and washed the feet of His disciples, teaching
them that the true measure of a leader is his willingness to visionary forms of leadership
and followership.Spiritual leadership is authenticated more from followers (Covrig,
Ledesma & Gifford, 2013).

Spiritual leadership at home is the ability to get my wife and kids to follow me as I
follow Christ. Leadership is influence. When the kids are young it is training them to be
obedient and shaping their character. When they are older, it is helping them to own
their own faith and want to follow Christ. In both cases our ability to impact their lives is
called leadership. There are 3 components to leadership: the leader, the follower, and
the objective to be reached. The following diagram explains how leadership works.

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 There are 3 parts to this process: 1) The leader must stay focused on the goal
himself so he is modeling commitment to it. In this case the goal is being a fully devoted
disciple of Christ. We must encourage men by letting them know that modeling is not
about perfection, it is about direction. 2) The leader must build a caring, meaningful
relationship with his followers. Failure to do this leads to wounding our wife and
children. 3) The leader must equip his followers and assist them to reach the goal of
spiritual maturity.

What Is Personal Leadership?

Personal leadership is the ability to develop and utilize your positive leadership
traits to guide the direction of your life instead of letting time and chance determines
your course. Personal leadership can begin when you decide to be your own life coach
and live by a personal mission statement that reflects your values and life goals.
Why Does Personal Leadership Matter?

While personal leadership develops from the inside out, its effects are felt not
only by you and your family, but also by others in your community and workplace. For
example, Abraham Lincoln began his political career using his incredible communication
skills, including his wit and intelligence, to criticize his political opponents…so much so
that he even reduced one politician to tears during a debate. While effective, Lincoln
became uncomfortable with the tone of his campaigning. Over time, he learned to use
his personal leadership skills, including self-discipline, to channel his language mastery
for the good of the American people. This enabled him to be an effective leader (to say
the least) and one of the best communicators America has ever seen.

Must-Have Personal Leadership Qualities

Here are some personal leadership qualities we can cultivate within ourselves to use
our positive strengths and talents for our success and the benefit of those we live and
work with:

Vision—Having an overall game plan, or mission statement, including a clear

vision of your goals and the leadership qualities you wish to possess, is essential
to good personal leadership.
Self-discipline—As in the case of Abraham Lincoln, a raw skill or talent that is
channeled for positive use can greatly improve your life and your leadership
abilities. Having the self-discipline to use your strengths only for good will
enhance your personal growth and strengthen your ability to lead others
positively.
Spirituality—Peter Block, a respected leadership expert and author, points out,
“Spirituality is the process of living out a set of deeply held personal values, of
honouring forces or a presence greater than ourselves. It expresses our desire to
find meaning in, and to treat as an offering what we do.” While we may not
completely understand it, that spiritual component drives us to live life for more
than just our own personal fulfilment.
Integrity—Having firm and unwavering principles is the hallmark of a good and
trusted leader (and friend). With integrity, you earn the respect and trust of those
around you.

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 Honesty—Being truthful isn’t always easy, but it is always the correct path. This
is a cornerstone of personal leadership.
Open communication—The ability to communicate with others in an open,
honest, tactful way is a skill that must be continually honed. Much like Abraham
Lincoln, the power of a good communicator in a leadership position cannot be
understated.
Kindness—Albert Schweitzer, physician and Nobel Peace Prize winner,
succinctly stated that, “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun
makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to
evaporate.”
Legacy building—To quote Charles Spurgeon, “A good character is the best
tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you
when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.”

Developing personal leadership is an on-going process which requires regular

reflection and self-evaluation. But with conviction and perseverance, you can develop
the qualities of an effective personal leader to determine your life course and the
positive effect you can have on those around you.

What is Social Responsibility?

Social responsibility is when one takes into consideration how their actions affect
the world around them. Making the decision to pick up litter or donate to a charity that
supports the common good are two ways people can be socially responsible. Truly
successful socially responsible leadership occurs by fostering an environment where
other people’s needs are placed above your own.

Social responsibility means that individuals and companies have a duty to act in
the best interests of their environment and society as a whole.

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 Social responsibility is a means of achieving sustainability. Adopting key social
responsibility principles, such as accountability and transparency, can help ensure the
long-term viability and success of any organization or system.

The responsibility of an organization for the impacts of its decisions and activities
on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behavior that:

 Contributes to sustainable development, including health and the welfare

of society
 Takes into account the expectations of stakeholders
 Is in compliance with applicable laws and consistent with international
norms of behavior
 Is integrated throughout the organization and practiced in its relationships

Characteristics of the Socially Responsible Leader

Socially responsible leaders demonstrate largely the same characteristics that I
define in my new book The Intelligent Leader. Such leaders are fair and compassionate.
They are authentic and willing to be vulnerable and learn new and better ways of doing
things. They’re honest and their decisions are value-driven. They understand the value
of building strong teams and they lead by example, tolerating no violations of ethical
standards.

References:

Boorom, R. (2009).Spiritual Leadership: A Study of the Relationship between Spiritual,

Leadership Theory and Transformational Leadership. PhD thesis, Regent
University, School of Global Leadership and Entrepreneurship. Covrig, D. M.,
Ledesma, J., & Gifford, G. (2013). Spiritual or religious leadership: what do you
practice? What should you practice? The Journal of Applied Christian
Leadership, 7(1), 104-113.

Grahn, T. (2011, August 11). Jesus: The role model for Christian leadership. Retrieved
from http://christian-leadership.org/ jesus-the-role-model-for-christian-leaders/

Karp, Tom. (2003). Socially responsible leadership. foresight. 5. 15-23.

10.1108/14636680310476230.
https://www.sketchbubble.com/en/presentation-personal-leadership.html

https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Sc-Str/Spirituality-in
Leadership.html#ixzz6njPWcO4F
https://www.forgingbonds.org/study-topics/spiritual-leadership-at-home
https://www.cru.org/us/en/blog/leadership/spiritual-leadership.html
https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn u/what-spirituality

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