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LEADERSHIP DURING A LOCKDOWN
management to apply them in pastoral or religious contexts. Rojas and Alvarez?
argue that while these fields share some features, such as the need for vision,
influence, and decision-making, their foundational goals, values, and opera¬
tional dynamics are fundamentally different. For instance, managerial lead¬
ership often emphasizes metrics, performance outcomes, and organizational
growth, whereas pastoral leadership may prioritize relational depth, spiritual
care, and the moral and ethical dimensions of leadership. Leadership and
spirituality have often been treated as distinct and independent areas of aca¬
demic study, with only limited exploration oftheir interconnectedness. Bindlish,
Dutt, and Pardasani" highlight this separation, noting that leadership research
tends to focus on concepts such as influence, decision-making, organizational
effectiveness, and the development of skills and strategies to achieve specific
goals. On the other hand, spirituality is generally studied in the context of
personal growth, values, inner meaning, and the transcendental dimensions
of the human experience.
Barentsen" highlights hybrid professionalization in pastoral leadership,
with the religious leader acting as entrepreneur, sense-making guide, shaper
of culture, and identity artist; this illustrates models of modern and postmod¬
ern leadership. Barentsens hybrid model reflects both modern leadership, with
its focus on structure, strategy, and tangible outcomes, and postmodern lead¬
ership, which emphasizes adaptability, relational dynamics, and meaning-mak¬
ing. This perspective underscores the unique and complex challenges faced by
pastoral leaders, requiring them to blend traditional spiritual responsibilities
with the adaptive skills of contemporary leadership. It also calls for a reeval¬
uation of leadership development in religious contexts to prepare leaders for
this diverse and dynamic role.
The concept of quiet leadership has gained traction in recent decades", with
works emphasizing the power of subtle, thoughtful influence rather than loud,
directive authority. Badaracco” argues that effective leadership is often demon¬
strated through small, incremental decisions that align with ethical integrity
and long-term organizational success. Quiet leaders operate with pragmatism,
recognizing the constraints of complex environments and the need for careful,
B R. Rojas — J. Alvarez: The challenges of pastoral leadership: Concepts and practice. Author¬
House, 2012.
P. Bindlish — P. Dutt — R. Pardasani: From growing convergence of spirituality and leadership
towards a unified leadership theory. Journal of spirituality, leadership and management, 6(1),
2012, 3-23.
J. Barentsen: Practicing religious leadership. In The Routledge companion to leadership, Rout¬
ledge, 2016, 282-299.
E.g. J. Badaracco: Leading quietly: An unorthodox guide to doing the right thing. Harvard
Business Press, 2002; Rock: Quiet leadership; and A. Mahadevia: Quiet Leader, Loud Results:
How Quiet Leaders Drive Outcomes that Speak for Themselves. Post Hill Press, 2022.
Badaracco: Leading quietly.
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