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Connected Leadership: Jeremiah 8:18-9:3 – a Case Study

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Connected Leadership: Jeremiah 8:18-9:3 – a Case Study Connected leadership: Jeremiah 8:18-9:3 – a case study W.J. Wessels Department of Old Testament & Ancient Near Eastern Studies University of South Africa PRETORIA E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Connected leadership: Jeremiah 8:18-9:3 – a case study The purpose of this article is to address the matter of connected leadership. The point of departure is a biblical passage from Jeremiah 8:18-9:3. The focus of this article is confined to the aspect of connectedness and related issues. The argument put forward is that the rhetorical nature of texts has the ability to engage many readers over time and generations. Not only did the poetic nature of Jeremiah 8:18-9:3 convey the words once spoken by a prophet, but the rhetoric also conveyed the passion of the prophet and of Yahweh for the wounded and broken people of Judah. Added to that is the fact that within the Christian tradition the belief is that the text will find meaning in new contexts as well. Jeremiah 8:18-9:3 brings to the table an element that leaders – especially religious and Christian leaders – need to take note of. Leaders should answer to a “higher power” and to ethical norms because of connectedness to this ‘‘higher power”. As a leader, Jeremiah identified with his people and their woeful condition. But because of his connectedness to Yahweh, he was willing to confront them and point out their wrongdoings. He was not prepared to sacrifice his beliefs and convictions for the sake of popularity. Opsomming In-kontakleierskap: Jeremia 8:18-9:3 – ’n gevallestudie Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die kwessie van in-kontak- leierskap te bespreek. Die teksgedeelte Jeremia 8:18-9:3 word as vertrekpunt geneem. Die fokus vir bespreking word beperk tot in-kontakkommunikasie en aangeleenthede wat daarmee verband hou. Die argument wat aangevoer word, is dat die reto- Koers 75(3) 2010:483-501 483 Connected leadership: Jeremiah 8:18-9:3 – a case study riese karakter van die teks die vermoë het om oor geslagte heen lesers te raak en betrokke te kry. Die poëtiese aard van Jeremia 8:18-9:3 bevat nie net die woorde van ’n profeet uit die verlede nie, maar die retoriek slaag daarin om die passie van die profeet en van Jahwe vir ’n gekwesde en gebroke volk van Juda oor te dra. Hiermee saam gaan die oortuiging in die Christelike tradisie dat tekswoorde nuwe betekenis kry in nuwe kontekste. Jeremia 8:18-9:3 is van so ’n aard dat leiers daarvan kennis moet neem, veral godsdienstige- en Christenleiers. Lei- ers moet verantwoording doen aan ’n “hoër mag” en etiese ver- eistes vanweë hulle verbintenis aan hierdie ‘‘hoër mag”. Jere- mia het hom as leier met die betreurenswaardige omstan- dighede van sy mense geïdentifiseer. Hy het sy volksgenote gekonfronteer oor hulle verkeerde dade omdat sy verbintenis aan Jahwe by hom die hoogste prioriteit geniet het. Hy was nie bereid om sy oortuigings en opvattings prys te gee ter wille van gewildheid nie. 1. Introduction The aim of this article is to address the matter of connected leader- ship. As a biblical scholar, it seemed suitable to address this topic by using a passage from the Old Testament. The passage in mind is Jeremiah 8:18-9:3. To address issues of leadership is quite a broad task, but for the purpose of this article, the focus will be confined to the one aspect mentioned and to issues relating to this aspect. An awareness of this leadership trait or characteristic came about by observing what has been taking place in the political arena in the last five years or so. South Africa had a leader who, despite having many competencies, was unable to connect with the people whose leader he was. This particular leader was then replaced by a more charismatic leader who indicated that he was in touch with the needs, concerns and – perhaps most importantly – the feelings of the people. The second leader is a good example of what is under- stood by “connected leadership”. 2. Motivation for the research The observations about the local leaders mentioned in the intro- ductory section are the result of reading the book by David Traversi (2007) entitled, The source of leadership: eight drivers of the high- impact leader.1 In one of the chapters he discusses the issue of 1 Traversi could be regarded as an advocate for the transformation of leadership (cf. Traversi, 2007:13). 484 Koers 75(3) 2010:483-501 W.J. Wessels “connected communication”. This concept is defined by Traversi (2007:174) as follows: “Connected communication is an exchange between two or more people, facilitated by empathy, honesty, and clarity of purpose and message”.2 It argues cogently that a well- balanced leader should excel at connecting with people he/she wishes to lead. Leadership is not just to exercise power, to demand certain things from people or to order them to do something. It has to do with connecting with people and communicating with them on a deep level. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is Dr Martin Luther King Jr, best known for his “I have a dream” speech. It is said of him that he succeeded in leadership for the reason that his communication with people was “highly strategic and well articula- ted” (Traversi, 2007:187). As a leader in a difficult time in the history in the United States of America, he managed to communicate with people in a sincere way and on a deep level. He was able to communicate understanding and empathy to his followers. Traversi (2007:188) says that if he had to summarise what he has read and heard from King, it would boil down to the following: What King communicated was “I feel your pain, humiliation, fear, oppression, and isolation. I feel how the injustices of our society wear on you. And I know what you want. I know you yearn for freedom, accep- tance, respect, opportunity and love.” The result of this connected communication was that people trusted him and were willing to follow him. Well-balanced leaders communicate an understanding of people’s needs, fears and aspirations, and convey sincere interest in and empathy for that matters in their lives. After reading this fascinating description of King’s communication during the civil rights struggle in the USA, the passage in Jeremiah 8:18-9:3 immediately came to mind. This passage communicated to the reader experiences and feelings similar to those in the quotation from King’s speech. It is much more than good communication; it is leadership that connects with followers on a deep level of under- standing. It is leadership which shows maturity and sincerity. We tend to regard and speak of leadership mostly in terms of poli- tics. Leadership is, however, displayed in many instances and in various situations and structures where people are involved. Leader- ship principles are usually generic in nature, but in their application 2 Although this definition is clear, it does not elucidate whether this connected communication is used for good or bad purposes. Each case of such communication should be critically assessed. Koers 75(3) 2010:483-501 485 Connected leadership: Jeremiah 8:18-9:3 – a case study they become more specific. Each and every context where leader- ship is displayed makes its own demands on leadership. The appli- cation of leadership principles should be context specific. These so- called generic leadership principles apply not only to politics, but also to business leadership, civil leadership, church leadership, and even leadership within relationships. The principle of connected lea- dership, in particular, is applicable to most situations where leader- ship is required. In this article the interest is particularly in leadership as far as it relates to a religious context. We should acknowledge that, whereas religious leadership is not detached from other forms of leadership in a particular society, it is exercised within a context where God is ac- knowledged. But, as stated, even if the point of departure is leader- ship from a religious perspective, it will have a bearing on civil and political leadership as well. By reading the selected passage in the book of Jeremiah, it is clear that the prophet has a concern for ordi- nary people with regard to both their relationship to Yahweh and how they conduct their lives in their everyday relationships. This is where the prophet shows himself as a leader in society. With the idea of connected leadership and the particular interest in religious leadership in mind, the passage in Jeremiah 8:18-9:3 seems appropriate to analyse. Whilst reading this passage in Jere- miah very closely, the realisation dawned on the author (WJW) that the passage has a voice of its own that needs to be heard. The approach followed in this article is to read the passage on its own merit, allowing the rhetoric of the text to invoke certain emotions and responses from the reader. The aim is for the reader to hear the text in its attempt to involve the reader, to challenge the reader and to convince the reader of views expressed and ideas highlighted. This entails reading the text within the context it intends to create and understanding it as it appeals to the situation that serves as background. After listening to the text and acknowledging what (possibly) the reader subjectively hears from the text, the aim is to capture what the text conveys in a broader context. The idea is to engage the results emanating from the text in the dialogue on con- nected leadership.
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