Book Review: Relational Leadership

Book Review: Relational Leadership By Jason Byers Relational Leadership, A Biblical Model for Influence and Service, used the Bible (specifically Jude, Philemon, and Colossians) as a blueprint to draw five leadership principles for modern organizations. Adding academic appeal to this work, its author Walter C. Wright served as president of Regent College (Vancouver, BC) and founding director of the Institute for Christian Organizational Development at Fuller Seminary (California). Walter C. Wright, Relational Leadership, A Biblical Model for Influence and Service (2nd Edition) (InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2009), 3. He believed that proper relational leadership started with theology that influenced others with vision, values, and relationships. Wright, Relational Leadership, 34-35. Organizations that value team-building advice from a Biblical perspective centered around servant leadership stand to benefit best from Wright’s research. Several threads of thought wound throughout this 275-page book, but this paper follows the Biblical thread Wright used to knit relational leadership theology. Wright used five admonitive leadership illustrations from Jude as the outline for this book but spun them into positive advice for his readers. Wright, Relational Leadership, 21-26. Jude (verses 12-13) chastised first-century church leaders as shepherds who only fed themselves, clouds without rain, fruitless trees, wild waves of the sea, and wandering stars. Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced employ the English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008). For each image, Wright extracted its underlying importance, coupled it with an additional illustration from Philemon and Colossians, and then contextualized it to our conventional setting with proven advice from years of experience and research. Wright also added a flow chart of organizational influence that moved from God to leader, from leader to organization, like a map. Wright, Relationship Leadership, 35. Each chapter included a zoomed-in snapshot of the flow chart as a “you-are-here” orientation to help the reader effortlessly progress through the big picture. The author also interacted with and expanded this flow chart several times throughout the book to keep the reader engaged with the Biblical outline expressed in Jude. The author included Philemon and Colossians as constructive illustrations to balance Jude’s harsh leadership reprimands. For every Judean rebuke, a complimenting lesson from real-life people in the Bible helped the author transition to teachable moments. Wright recited the stories of Paul, Tychicus, Philemon, and Onesimus as support references for each chapter, which anchored modern ideas with ancient wisdom. The Biblical thread woven throughout the book told the story of a slave, Onesimus, who fled from his master, Philemon, a respected Christian leader in the Colossian church. Reading between the lines of the book of Philemon, the author surmised that Paul’s involvement equated with Onesimus’ conversion and eventual familial bond. Wright, Relational Leadership, 38-40. Paul advised Onesimus to reconcile with his former owner and championed him with a letter to Philemon accompanied by another Christian brother, Tychicus. In the letter, Paul appealed to Philemon’s leadership status to accept an old bondservant as a new beloved brother. Philemon verse 16. Onesimus’ test of loyalty and Philemon’s challenge of practicing what he preached became the theatrical backdrop of Wright’s relational leadership charismata. When Jude spoke of shepherds who only fed themselves, Wright highlighted the importance of servant leadership and connected Onesimus’ livelihood as a slave with future leadership influence. With cautious insight, the author wrote, “Onesimus does not go back a free man. He goes back as Philemon’s servant.” Wright, Relational Leadership, 42. Wright elaborated about the term leadership as “a relationship of service – a relationship in which influence and leadership flow from service, not from position or status.” Wright, Relational Leadership, 43. He spent the rest of chapter two describing leadership styles and strategies like mentoring, coaching, and team building. Wright said, “Leader and follower exchange something.” Wright, Relational Leadership, 60. He spoke of mentoring and coaching as the best way to teach and learn and said, “Research has shown that, while knowledge can be transmitted in a variety of forms and media, learning occurs in interactive relationships.” Wright, Relational Leadership, 66. Onesimus’ growth in spiritual maturity allowed him to embrace service as a form of influence, so long as Philemon became a willing participant in the exchange. In the third chapter, Wright alluded to Jude’s second illustrative rebuke: clouds without rain. He combined this lesson of false hope with Onesimus and Philemon’s story to shed light on leadership vision. The more Philemon dwelt on the betrayal, the lesser likelihood of Onesimus’ reacceptance into the tribe. Paul’s letter reminded Philemon that the Christian community included people from all walks of life, handled conflict well, and took precedence over personal agendas. Wright, Relational Leadership, 97. Paul recapped the church’s vision, which allowed Wright to elaborate on strategic planning, vision, and mission. “Articulating the vision,” Wright said, “remains a leader’s single most important responsibility.” Wright, Relational Leadership, 108. The author then supplied a ten-step process using questions to help the reader construct a vision tailored to their organization. The fourth chapter, and third rebuke, opened with fruitless trees that symbolized leaders who lacked character and values and stifled organizational growth. After Tychicus accompanied Onesimus with a letter to Philemon, Philemon instructed the church with Paul’s second letter, which addressed the Colossian church at large. Tychicus informed the church of Paul’s activities and vouched for his character as well as Onesimus’. Colossians 4:7-9. Wright understood that Philemon read the rest of Paul’s letter to the congregation, presumably with Onesimus in their midst. Wright, Relational Leadership, 136. Philemon’s Godly values and character (to accept Onesimus back into the fold) served as the rest of the chapter’s leadership material about organizational culture. “Every organization,” Wright said, “has a hidden culture that has developed over the years and controls what is actually done regardless of the values we espouse.” Wright, Relational Leadership, 150-151. If stated values conflicted with current culture, Wright advised patiently reinforcing stated values until the community adopted them to last. Wright, Relational Leadership, 158. With Philemon’s vision intact, the whole church benefited, not just Onesimus. Chapter five opened with Jude’s fourth rebuke, “wild waves of the sea,” to illustrate leaders who made a big splash with nothing to show for it. Wright, Relational Leadership, 195. They understood the power of relationships but misjudged the purpose of relationships. Wright used Tychicus’ role in the Biblical narrative to illustrate how Paul entrusted him with the two letters to sort matters out. History shed little light on the person or position of Tychicus, and Wright guessed he served Paul as a friend, or at best, part of Paul’s ministry team. Wright, Relational Leadership, 197. “If leadership is about empowering people to own and implement the mission, Tychicus is the classic example of the empowered follower – the purpose of the leadership relationship.” Wright, Relational Leadership, 198. After he developed a good foundation in the first four chapters, Wright’s central concept of relational leadership began to build up in this fifth chapter as he explained leader/follower dynamics that shape an organization. In other words, Wright found his stride as he talked about “influencing through relationships.” In his final chapter, Walter C. Wright used Jude’s fifth scolding image of wandering stars to emphasize the leader’s lack of accountability. Wright highlighted Paul and Philemon’s tension when Paul expected Philemon to practice what he preached. Wright, Relational Leadership, 242. Wright spoke of personal and corporate accountability as the integral backbone of one’s success because vulnerability initiates reliance on God. Personal (or spiritual) accountability to God necessitated daily renewal and dependence on God for help and guidance. Wright, Relational Leadership, 245. The author revealed his schedule of reading the Scriptures and praying every day because of spiritual deficiency exposed in proper assessment. Wright, Relational Leadership, 246. Corporate accountability must also begin with assessments, end with action, and embrace mercy and forgiveness throughout the process. Wright concluded his book with these last words of flexibility because relationships need constant accommodation. Other topics for additional research include finetuning an organization’s vision and culture, establishing step-by-step planning for implementation, and creating staff goals coupled with organizational assessments. Wright’s flow chart of organizational influence (pg. 35) shows immense detail and deserves an individual study. I also enjoyed Wright’s description of leadership to include any relationship between two people that influences behavior, values, or attitudes. Wright, Relational Leadership, 8. Walter C. Wright wrote Relational Leadership from a theological standpoint and used Jude, Philemon, and Colossians as the foundation and structure of his proposal. His experience and research cloaked that outline with color and warmth. This paper followed the Biblical thread lined throughout the book as the story of Onesimus and Philemon developed. I highly recommend this book to all Christian leaders and extend an invitation to secular leaders as well. Wright’s experience, coupled with the wisdom of God’s word, made this book a joy to learn about relational leadership in a modern world. Bibliography Wright, Walter C. “Relational Leadership, A Biblical Model for Influence and Service (2nd Edition),” (InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2009). Scriptures Cited Colossians 4:7-9 Philemon verse 16 2 2