Hotline Asia -- Social Concern Notes

Parish Social Concern Groups - Church's Social Teachings
~ Leadership ~
Lesson 19

Question & Answer || Church Teaching || Thinking About Justice || Facilitators' Notes
 

Introduction

Grandma Wong is the president of the Ladies Sodality. After morning Mass, Grandma Wong announces: "I would like to go to 'drink tea.'" Mrs. Lai says: "That's a good idea. Let's go to the Bamboo Restaurant!" At the mention of the "Bamboo Restaurant", Mrs. Sz-to frowns. So Grandma Wong says: "I suggest that we go to the "Fat Fish Restaurant." And they did.
 
Question & Answer
Question:   Describe the above anecdote from the perspective of leadership.
     
Answer:   Mrs. Wong: ______________________________
    Mrs. Lai: ________________________________
    Mrs. Sz-to: _______________________________
    Other Ladies: _____________________________
 

Social Teachings of the Church

"... It belongs to the laymen [women], without waiting passively for orders and directives, to take the initiative freely and to infuse a Christian spirit into the mentality, customs, laws and structures of the community in which they live." Joseph Gremillion, The Gospel of Peace and Justice, Catholic Social Teaching since Pope John, (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis,1976) Populorum Progressio #81 p. 411.
 

Thinking About Justice

  1. Explain: "A leader is a person who has followers."
  2. List your three leadership strengths.
  3. List your three leadership deficiencies.
  4. Describe how you exercised leadership recently.
 
Facilitators' Notes

Jesus tells Christians to be "simple" like doves. But be smart like serpents. (Cf. Matt. 10:16). Catholics are good at being "doves" but often failures at being "snakes." In this exercise, we help our Catholics to be sensitive to the phenomenon of leadership. Definition: "A leader is a person who has followers." We hope to help our Catholics to be discriminating followers and responsible leaders.

In our anecdote, the three women, possibly illiterate, exercise leadership.

Mrs. Wong is the designated leader of the Ladies Sodality. She announces that she is going to tea. Notice she does not have to say: "I order you to go to tea." In this case Mrs. Wong leads by example. But she only becomes a leader if she influences the thinking or behavior of another person.

By agreeing to follow Mrs. Wong's example, Mrs. Lai becomes a "follower." Now suppose for a moment that Mrs. Lai had said: "I am going home." Mrs. Wong would not have been a leader because she would not have had a follower.

Mrs. Lai, who is a follower in the first instance, attempts to exercise leadership by suggesting: "Let's go to the Bamboo Restaurant."

However, Mrs. Sz-to frowns indicating that she dislikes the "Bamboo Restaurant." Without saying a word, she exercises leadership. Perhaps the others fear her displeasure or are afraid that she will boycott the tea or she will cast a pall over an otherwise jolly gathering.

Mrs. Wong does not challenge Mrs. Sz-to's leadership and decides to follow her "non-verbal" leadership in the interest of harmony. In this case Mrs. Wong is on the one hand a follower and on the other hand a leader. Since no one boycotted the gathering, Mrs. Sz-do exercised leadership in the choice of the restaurant.

THINKING ABOUT JUSTICE

Time permitting, pass out a little questionnaire and let each person quietly answer each of the questions. If the group is small, it might be interesting to have the members quietly evaluate one another. Then share your responses. Another approach would be to do an analysis of leadership in the Social Concerns Group or the parish community. Who are the formal leaders? Who are the "powers behind the throne?" How do these people lead: example, intimidation, persuasion, guilt, encouragement, gratitude, occupying vacuums etc.?
 

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