Leadership and Paradox: The Role of Servant-Leadership in Recognizing, Accepting, and Responding to Paradox

Abstract

As much as we would like to live in a world that is logical, straightforward, and simple, this is not the world in which we live. The world we inhabit is full of inconsistency, irony, and paradox. Improvement requires change, but the security needed to navigate change is rooted in stability. Diversity is both a powerful force for creativity and community and a source of tremendous myopia and conflict. We engage in in-depth strategic planning knowing that much of what we do to navigate our world once our plans are set involves deviating from those plans; and yet, the existence of a plan makes deviation more effective. Organizational efficiency and environmental sustainability seem ever at odds; however, they are fundamentally both focused on the same thing: minimal waste of resources. In short, paradox is everywhere. To navigate the challenges and paradoxes we encounter in the world around us, we tend to look to leaders. Leaders help us navigate the paradoxical world we live in and move forward to achieve our goals. For centuries, it seems they have been doing so, even if it has been with mixed results. However, as our world becomes increasingly complex and paradoxical, it is likely that our approaches to practicing leadership and developing leaders will need to embrace and reflect the paradoxes that surround us. This can likely only be achieved as leaders embrace an understanding of the nature of paradox and engage in paradoxical leadership practices like those embodied in the concept of servant- leadership.