HOW STEWARDSHIP ACHIEVES MORE - MERE COOPERATION BECOMES TOTAL COLLABORATION

HOW STEWARDSHIP ACHIEVES MORE - MERE COOPERATION BECOMES TOTAL COLLABORATION

Stewardship as a concept is phenomenal, historically a steward was an officer in a royal household  and if one looks up the definition of this word we find among others these three meanings given as follows;
(i)A person employed to manage and take care of another's property, big house or estate.
(ii) An official appointed to  supervise arrangements or keep order at a large event
(iii) A person who looks after the passengers on a ship, aircraft or train and brings them meals

It is interesting to note that in one dimension the steward seems to be a lowly individual who looks after passengers, brings them meals whilst they sit and give orders, in another dimension the steward is an official who is appointed to manage the property of another, supervising with authority.

The two dimensions may seem to be on the extreme opposite ends with one wielding power and the other having power wielded over them. However reading between the lines we realise a common thread in everything that is stewardship, it is all about taking care of something or someone it is looking after. That is the common denominator of stewardship whether one is a high or low ranking official it is being at the service of others.

Stewardship almost always comes
by appointment, we are entrusted with the wellness of beings and affairs of the appointing authority, however the execution of this duty is up to us as we determine how best to go about doing it.
Stewardship is  good opportunity and tool for achieving cohesion in any business where people are brought together with resources between them.
Management to a very large extent is stewardship although not all managers realise or accept this premise. Stewardship is all about taking care of things, making sure they go according to plan and that order is maintained in delivering on one's mandate be it a one time event or ongoing stewardship in an establishment - this is exactly what management is all about too! Right? It matters to care and look after that which has been entrusted to us as if it were our own.

If one is looking after property it is imperative as a stewart to keep it in the best possible state and as profitable as it can be if it is an enterprise. One must learn and master the best practices of taking care of  the particular item entrusted  to them. It is very easy for one to get lost in the lavishness and become wasteful degenerating to plunder, recklessness and pillage if one has been entrusted with something of value.
In business environments the most glaring example of such behaviour is seen in the running down of state owned enterprises (SOEs) and parastatals. SOEs do not necessarily fail because the officials lack qualification and skill to perform but they fail when those managing them forget or fail to realise  that they are actually stewards whose mission and brief is to look after and take care of the business entrusted to them with all the resources at their disposal.

Stewardship also involves looking after people either above or below us in rank. As a steward working with people rank is not the most important thing, what matters most is respect. Respect begets respect,  everybody even those below us deserve to be respected more-so if we expect their respect and cooperation. By respecting those we work through as managers being stewards we get more than cooperation which is their willingness to take instructions from us and execute, instead we get collaboration which is total buy-in and ownership of the work presented to them, we become partners, ideas flow and bounce they give their best and consciously want to see us succeed because it becomes common success. An ordinary unenlightened manager only gets cooperation even through coercion at times but one who understands stewardship gets collaboration.

The rewards of stewardship are infinite and invaluable, they go beyond promotions and paychecks.
It is fulfilling and heartwarming to be recognised and acknowledged for building cohesion, honouring people and instilling a sense of value and dignity in other people.
The results keep showing and one's efforts continue to bear fruit even after one has moved on because the example of stewardship establishes culture-like behaviour in those whom we work with and how beautiful it is to witness this. Even the appointing authority seeing the results delivered by managing as a steward can only but respect you more and admire the work of a great steward and still not be able to say thank you enough because it is invaluable.

St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:2 KJV
[2] Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
 We can all strive to be more than supervisors , managers and leaders  to become stewards, faithful stewards

THE GOLDEN WORD FOUNTAIN - (TGWF)