Experience

Publications

• The Moral Leadership of Martin Luther King Jr.

  2013 Virtual Conference on Moral Leadership

  Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most important and influential leaders of the 20th century (Mattson, 1999). King’s leadership was extremely effective because of his morality, which was developed in his life through his parents, church, and actual life experiences. Kohlberg's moral development theory is utilized in this paper as a framework to examine the moral development of King. Several of King’s writings and personal experiences are presented to illustrate his growth through the three moral stages of Kohlberg’s theory. The moral development of leaders is not something that occurs quickly, and a Christian’s moral development does not occur as a result of their own power but God’s power working in them (Ryan, 2012). King’s life illustrates an important point of moral leadership: a moral leader’s words are powerful because of the example that they provide in their own life (Scott, 2006). This study furthers the research on moral leadership by profiling one of the greatest moral leaders of all time.

• The Moral Leadership of Martin Luther King Jr.

  2013 Virtual Conference on Moral Leadership

  Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most important and influential leaders of the 20th century (Mattson, 1999). King’s leadership was extremely effective because of his morality, which was developed in his life through his parents, church, and actual life experiences. Kohlberg's moral development theory is utilized in this paper as a framework to examine the moral development of King. Several of King’s writings and personal experiences are presented to illustrate his growth through the three moral stages of Kohlberg’s theory. The moral development of leaders is not something that occurs quickly, and a Christian’s moral development does not occur as a result of their own power but God’s power working in them (Ryan, 2012). King’s life illustrates an important point of moral leadership: a moral leader’s words are powerful because of the example that they provide in their own life (Scott, 2006). This study furthers the research on moral leadership by profiling one of the greatest moral leaders of all time.

• A Qualitative Investigation of Self-Directed Learning in Senegal, West Africa and its Implications for Human Resource Development

  Transform: Regent University Journal of Kingdom Business

  The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of self-directed learning by SME leaders in Senegal, West Africa, and then to identify some of the human resource development (HRD) implications. This qualitative study collected data through two sets of interviews. First, eight leaders who were either the owner or manager of SMEs in Senegal were interviewed through questions that focused on the four factors that Confessore (1992) identified as necessary for autonomous learning: (a) desire, (b) resourcefulness, (c) initiative, and (d) persistence. Results were then discussed while incorporating the importance of understanding some of the basic elements of Senegalese culture and the impact that the French educational system has had on the country. There were three HRD Senegalese professionals who participated in the second set of interviews that provided additional insights into potential HRD implications in the country of Senegal. Results from both sets of interviews suggest that the Senegalese as a whole possess the Confessore’s four factors needed for autonomous learning, but they are extremely weak in the area of self-efficacy, providing an important opportunity for HRD leaders to help the Senegalese develop their businesses and their country. An important question for self-directed learning emerges: if people are found to be self-directed learners, yet fail to utilize the knowledge gained because of a lack of self-efficacy, is there a benefit to self-directed learning?

• The Moral Leadership of Martin Luther King Jr.

  2013 Virtual Conference on Moral Leadership

  Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most important and influential leaders of the 20th century (Mattson, 1999). King’s leadership was extremely effective because of his morality, which was developed in his life through his parents, church, and actual life experiences. Kohlberg's moral development theory is utilized in this paper as a framework to examine the moral development of King. Several of King’s writings and personal experiences are presented to illustrate his growth through the three moral stages of Kohlberg’s theory. The moral development of leaders is not something that occurs quickly, and a Christian’s moral development does not occur as a result of their own power but God’s power working in them (Ryan, 2012). King’s life illustrates an important point of moral leadership: a moral leader’s words are powerful because of the example that they provide in their own life (Scott, 2006). This study furthers the research on moral leadership by profiling one of the greatest moral leaders of all time.

• A Qualitative Investigation of Self-Directed Learning in Senegal, West Africa and its Implications for Human Resource Development

  Transform: Regent University Journal of Kingdom Business

  The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of self-directed learning by SME leaders in Senegal, West Africa, and then to identify some of the human resource development (HRD) implications. This qualitative study collected data through two sets of interviews. First, eight leaders who were either the owner or manager of SMEs in Senegal were interviewed through questions that focused on the four factors that Confessore (1992) identified as necessary for autonomous learning: (a) desire, (b) resourcefulness, (c) initiative, and (d) persistence. Results were then discussed while incorporating the importance of understanding some of the basic elements of Senegalese culture and the impact that the French educational system has had on the country. There were three HRD Senegalese professionals who participated in the second set of interviews that provided additional insights into potential HRD implications in the country of Senegal. Results from both sets of interviews suggest that the Senegalese as a whole possess the Confessore’s four factors needed for autonomous learning, but they are extremely weak in the area of self-efficacy, providing an important opportunity for HRD leaders to help the Senegalese develop their businesses and their country. An important question for self-directed learning emerges: if people are found to be self-directed learners, yet fail to utilize the knowledge gained because of a lack of self-efficacy, is there a benefit to self-directed learning?

• Groupthink in the Church

  Church Executive Magazine

  Groupthink refers to the increase of conformity within a group that leads to the acceptance of the prevailing viewpoint without critical consideration. Nine months prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, a military report concluded that a dawn attack by Japanese airplanes could achieve complete surprise, but senior levels of American command did not believe that it was feasible because the Japanese would never take such a chance. Janis explains that many of the false assumptions resulted from the American military’s decision-making group falling prey to groupthink, which explains their complacency and resulted in a failure to respond to clear warnings. Unfortunately, in this case, the failure led to the American involvement in World War II. Some of the attributes of groupthink are: 1. People are friendly and desire complete agreement on every important issue. 2. People avoid sharing harsh judgments of their leader’s ideas. 3. People avoid conflict and criticism with others. Are these behaviors exhibited in your church? Similar to the communication breakdown experienced by the American military before Pearl Harbor, many pastors may not be able to see that their churches are experiencing groupthink. Churches affected by groupthink often have illusions of invulnerability which create unwarranted optimism, causing leaders to take extraordinary risks because they are blind to clear warning signs....