Becoming A Mature LeaderSample

Becoming A Mature Leader, Part I

In their book, Rare Leadership in the Workplace: Four Uncommon Habits that Improve Focus, Engagement and Productivity, authors Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder unpack RARE as an acronym for how to become a mature leader. The first R stands for Remain Relational.

While in public accounting, a manager thought I had undermined her authority. Instead of rebuking me personally and appropriately, she called me into her office so that she and a partner could humiliate and belittle me. 

If she had remained relational, I would have learned the necessary lesson and corrected course. Instead, humiliated and angry, I quit.

Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

When problems surface at work, you can handle them as tasks or you can remain relational, solving the problem without damaging the relationship. 

Questions for Reflection:     

• What do you think it means to handle work problems as a “task” rather than an opportunity to improve productivity, morale, or performance?     
• Has a supervisor or superior ever reprimanded you without any effort on his or her part to remain relational? How could he or she have handled the situation differently?     
• What do you think is the key command in Ephesians 4:32? How can forgiveness help us remain relational in our work relationships?