KEY COMPONENTS OF STEWARDSHIP - CARING, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND LEARNING

I’ve been busy this week coordinating my schedule around trips to Ireland, North Carolina, and teaching two days a week.  I’ve been blogging about stewardship for the last three weeks – with the intention that there’s someone out there reading this blog who has innovative ideas and feedback regarding their implementation experiences.

 Several individuals I know were recently laid off.  For some, the situation was a surprise.  Others had known in their gut that reductions in staff were coming along with the poor financials their company was reporting.  Some individuals were bitter, recounting how much they cared about their career and the organization. 

How does the steward model of leadership assist individuals in these situations?  I see it in terms of caring, accountability, and learning. 

In a steward organization, leaders and followers care for the people they serve.  Care is an interesting word – I prefer to say the leaders and followers are accountable to those they serve, whether it’s employees, the board of directors, stockholders, the community, and customers.   Accountability and caring give meaning to what we've accomplished – even when we are no longer a member of the organization. 

In addition to losing their job and their income, many individuals may feel that they've lost more - their meaning and purpose - when they walk out that organization's door for the last time. 

Losing one's job doesn't alter the contributions we’ve made in that segment of their career.  Instead it adds meaning to our roles and our growth as humans.  Through caring and accountability, through stewardship, we leave a legacy to those we've served and will serve again.

Stewardship also means that leaders and followers are both accountable to providing and seeking opportunities for learning and growth in one’s competencies. 

How have we provided opportunities for learning and continuous improvement so that when organizations make choices regarding who stays and who must go, the ones who go leave with dignity and respect and the knowledge that they have competencies, skills, and experience that they can readily apply for the next role in their work career?  What leadership decisions are we making to keep people working? 

None of this is easy.  And I have to ask.  How are you accountable to your employees?  How are you providing opportunities for learning and growing your employees' competencies?

Til next week,

Dr. M.