Lensoffaith Academy is designed for businesses, churches, and organizations with senior-level executives and service positions that want to better understand servant leadership and learn how to become servant leaders. We provide leaders with a Biblical foundation and understanding of servant leadership through God's lens. The principles taught within this academy are all centered on the heart posture of the person serving, the purpose of serving, and the why behind the servant.
What's Inside
16 MODULES
32 WEEKS
1
LEADERSHIP BASICS
Ephesians 4:11-16 reads And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.
What is leadership? Leadership is defined as influencing people by providing purpose, direction and motivation while accomplishing a specific task, goal, or mission.
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In this module you will learn about the HEART, the place where leadership starts. Proverbs 16:9 reads: the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. This module further discusses the purpose of leadership, while learning more about the faith-based leadership principles, 9 key leadership traits and the Lensoffaith Servant Leadership Model.
Hebrews 13:7 (ESV) reads: Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
Now who's ready?
2
THE SERVANT IN LEADERSHIP
A servant leader must serve first. Servant is defined as one that serves others; one that performs duties for others. Leader is defined as something that ranks first; a person who leads; a person who has commanding authority or influence.
The one who is willing to serve first, is very different than the one who leads first.
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A leader who leads first does not place the needs of other’s at the forefront of their mind. The leader looks for power and how to be in charge, rather than cultivating the people. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served.
The servant is a human being whom God created in his image and likeness. John 12:26 (AKJV) reads: If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour
In this module you will learn about the servant as it is written Biblically. The 10 characteristics servants must possess in leadership, how FAITH is connected to leadership and how each of those characteristics are connected to one another. As you go through this module, write down any books that may come to your mind, as it relates to the different characteristics.
Learn to embrace Faith as we begin to walk this servant journey.
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Now who's ready?
3
LEADERSHIP IN BUSINESSES, CHURCHES, NON-PROFITS, AND EDUCATION
There are businesses, churches, non-profit and schools all around the world and we either support them or we don’t. What is the reason why we don’t support some organizations, especially if we like what they stand for? Could it be the way they treat people when one patronizes their organization? Could it be a power struggle? Could it be a lack of servanthood? Could it be a lack of love, support, or effort on the organizations part? Let’s get to the bottom of why businesses, churches, non-profits and schools need servant leadership.
In this module you will learn the reason why each of these organizations would benefit from a foundation of servant leadership and active participants to develop and grow each of the perspective organizations. In each of these organizations I ask you to think about this critical question- How May I Serve You?
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Now Who's Ready?
4
LEADERSHIP PERFORMANCE
Welcome to the Leadership Performance module. Now that we have pretty much broken down leadership and the servant in it, let’s learn how the two terms work together for your good. Romans 8:28 tells us and we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. If you have been called by God to serve, then serve.
Leaders in general spend time evaluating the performance of their employees or those on their team within their organization. According to Forbes (2019) article 3 ways to evaluate your leadership performance, effective leaders also spend time evaluating their own performance and continually seek ways to improve. The 3 ways leaders can evaluate performance are by creating opportunities for feedback, make time for self-reflection, and by checking the clarity of their vision.
Now Who's Ready?
5
LEADERSHIP AND TEAMS
Every team needs a strong leader. In order to build an effective team you must have a leader that provides direction, vision and influence. A team cannot even be called a team without a leader, that would be considered a group. The leader assists the team in achieving their goals and tasks in unison as opposed to individually.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 tells us that two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
In this module you will learn the importance of 10 ways that leaders can assist their teams.
Leadership and teamwork are important together because they provide clarity and understanding, that ultimately have an impact on the vision of the organization.
What does that look like in practice? As a leader, what kind of actions can you take daily to help your team succeed?
Now Who's Ready?
6
INTELLECTUAL ACUITY
Now I bet you are probably wondering, what is it exactly? Let’s break it down acuity is sharpness, keenness of thought, vision or hearing. Intellect is the power of knowing as distinguished from the power to feel and to will. Together intellectual acuity is the ability to maintain knowledge and be sharp and quick in thought, vision and hearing.
In this module you will learn about balancing intellect and spirit as a leader and why intellectual acuity is important for a servant leader.
Intellect is a faculty of the soul along with your personality, will, feelings, and emotions. The human spirit is that part of God, when he breathed into humanity and created us. In Genesis 2:7 it tells us the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.
How might you use your intellect and spirituality to lead? Does one out weight the other or do they work in concert together to bring a cohesive balance to leading? And lastly, as a leader should your knowledge base be quick and sharp when using vision, thought or hearing?
Now, who's ready?
7
LEADERSHIP AND TEAMS
Leaders must have the ability to comprehend the logical connections between innovative ideas, the relevance and importance of arguments, inconsistencies and making the proper decision even in a chaotic situation. Leaders need critical thinking skills in order to think and understand beyond the surface of a situation or circumstance. The impact of a decision made can be critical to the function of any organization. A leader must ensure that there is proper alignment between ideas and decisions with organizational goals and accountability for results.
In this module you will learn 8 elements of the critical thinking process and why they are important to servant leadership.
The purpose of critical thinking is to make sure that people think clearly and rationally about what to do or what they believe. It is vital to construct rational arguments in support of what you think or believe.
2 Timothy 2:7 says: think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
Now, Whose ready?
8
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Organizations should actively embrace diverse perspectives and change the culture of the organization to reflect them, instead of just hiring a diverse population and expect them to fit into the current culture. Every leader should make it their priority to ensure a culture of diversity and inclusion is within their organization.
Diversity refers to the traits and characteristics that make people unique.
Inclusion refers to the behaviors and social norms that make people feel welcome.
Why does this even matter? What does this have to do with servant leadership? Think about those questions while navigating this module. You should have the answer by the end of this module.
In this module you will learn why diversity and inclusion is important within organizations and 5 strategies to create an inclusive workplace.
Now, who's ready?
9
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Here is where the fun begins. In this module you will be required to complete 10 hours of community service and log it. You must print the attached community service log and take it to each location that you perform community service in. Each location must verify your attendance by printing a name, signature, time and date of your service. Each community service entry will be verified.
Community service should definitely bring out your servant leadership characteristics because it is designed to help others. Matthew 23:11-12 tells us that the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Community service is important because it teaches empathy, compassion and understanding. One thing I know for sure is that community service gives people the opportunity to leave their mark globally and locally within their community of effort. It can also open doors to explore areas that you express interest in or are passionate about.
In this module you will learn 7 ways to develop a leader through community service and why service and leadership work together for your good as a servant leader.
Now, Who's ready?
10
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Conflicts will occur one way or the other and there is no sense in avoiding them because the problem will only get bigger. Conflicts offer everyone involved an opportunity to address problems that need to be brought to the surface. Conflict is often necessary to take the appropriate steps to move forward and resolve whatever the issue is. A leader’s skill at resolving conflict can place him or her at a greater level of effectiveness within the organization.
When conflict resolution is effective it will increase the level of understanding, empathy and self-awareness. Conflict resolution can also help build cohesive teams, especially after the team has worked through and resolved a conflict.
Proverbs 15:1 tells us that a soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
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James 4:1-2 says what causes quarrels and what causes fights among us? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
In this module you will learn why conflict resolution is important to servant leadership, how to separate emotions from conflict, and four ways to train leaders in conflict resolution.
Now, Whose ready?
11
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Innovation is associated with change. Innovation definitely requires leaders to encourage others in order to win their hearts and minds. There needs to be a strategy when implementing innovation, especially in the world we live in today. In the course of COVID19 plaguing the world, someone had to be quite innovative to create all the different masks and personal protective equipment that we see. Exercising your imagination is exactly what allows innovation to come alive. Many people have ideas, but leaders specifically need to know how to fortify their ideas and turn them into wealth and allow their ideas to be a beckon of life for others that they impact.
In this module you will learn about six innovation leadership skills that you need to master for servant leadership. Each of these skills will allow you to communicate the merits of taking a certain course of action. It’s time to be creative.
Now, Who's ready?
12
DIGITAL LEADERSHIP
In this day and internet era we need a digital footprint and presence because everyone uses technology to stay current. With the changes people are constantly making with how they want to communicate, digital leadership is essential to understanding technology as much as you need to understand how to spend your money.
Leaders need to have a great understanding of digital leadership to make confident, informed and effective decisions for the people that they serve. Digital leadership is needed to transform any organization to fit into the internet-era, through a process of building new capacities, structures, and ways working. The goal for servant leaders is to thrive in the internet era, transform cultural leadership and move away from limiting ourselves to in person platforms.
In this module you will learn about six characteristics of digital leadership and why they are important to the servant leadership model. Are you thinking about Zoom, social media, and video chatting?
Now, Who's ready?
13
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public relations is a strategic function of leadership. A thorough research-based understanding of the public and the communication environment in which you operate will increase your ability as a leader to build relationships and communicate with the public.
The heart of public relations is all about building a great relationship. The official definition of public relations as adopted by the PRSA board of directors is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.
As a servant leader can you answer the following questions? What are your communication goals? What research led you to adopt those particular goals? Who are your organizations stakeholders? Which of these are your target publics, the ones you need to prioritize in your communication plan? What issues are on the minds of your target publics? And What are the key, core values held by each of your target publics?
Leaders who effectively utilizes public relations into their management process should consider the answers to these questions. The answers to these questions ensure that leaders are climbing the right ladder to success.
Now, Who's ready?
14
EXECUTIVE WOMEN AND MEN IN LEADERSHIP
In many organizations men continue to hold the most executive positions and board seats than women, but women are equally qualified to hold the same seats. There is a known gender imbalance in leadership positions all around the world.
Research indicates that women – even high-ranking women in leadership positions face a fundamental obstacle when negotiating: women come to the negotiation table with lower perceived status and less power than men.
In this module you will submit a three-page essay arguing your perspective on gender bias at the executive level in leadership positions. You are required to use three scholarly articles, with at least three in text citations using APA format. You must address the following questions within your essay: What is gender bias? What are the key differences between women and men in leadership positions? What are the power and gender dynamics within an organizational environment? What effect does gender bias have on an organization? And, lastly why does gender bias matter in the servant leadership model?
Now, Who's ready?
15
EXECUTIVE PRESENCE
Executive presence is #2 on the list of top 20 leadership traits that make a huge difference in an organization. There are some specific traits that leaders must possess as it pertains to executive presence within organizations. What does executive presence mean? Look around you, who seems to stand out? Who does everyone look to for answers? Who commands respect and attention in a positive way? Leaders with great executive presence are very good at relating to others and reading others to understand their needs, this all begins with active listening.
In this module you will learn about seven different traits that servant leaders should possess in order to display strong executive presence. You will also create a two-page scenario about a leader that practices each one of these traits to successfully lead a team of eight members to developing a robot that does common household chores. This robot will be available in stores worldwide to assist homeowners in firing their maids and relying solely on this robot. In your scenario make sure that you include a detailed vision, strategic plan, and outline of marketing strategy. Make sure you carefully assign roles to each of the members on your team.
16
SERVANT LEADERSHIP WALK
BY FAITH
Servant leadership walk by faith. You have reached the last module in your journey to servant leadership. Matthew 21:22 says and whatever you ask for in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. Hebrews 11:6 says and without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently seek him. Romans 10:17 says so faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Hebrews 11:1 says now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
These scriptures represent the faith walk that servant leaders take when helping others as God wants us to do everyday. I am Chaundra Nicole Gore, the Chancellor of Lensoffaith Academy and I am a lens of faith. I am also a servant leader, woman, and mother that decided to walk by faith and not by sight in June of 2016 as a member of the United States Army. I have reclaimed my life, wrote my vision, and made it plain. I stepped out on faith to move by the beat of God’s drum for my life. I now have a different perspective on life, a closer relationship with God, and a walk by faith mentality like no other. There were three things that allowed me to reach this stage in my life- Prayer, fasting and meditation.
In this module you will learn why prayer is essential as a servant leader, the purpose of fasting and how meditation can assist in producing positive results.
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You will need a copy of the Holy Bible, a journal and in your last 7 days you will pray, fast and meditate. Now is the time as you conclude your course to develop a routine to begin practicing servant leadership daily.
Now, Whose ready?
