International Journal of Social Science and Business (IJSSB)

The Actualized Leader Profile (ALP) is based primarily on the seminal works in human motivation of David McClelland (1987) and Abraham Maslow (1954). McClelland's research into human motivation focused on the internal motive needs or "drivers" that direct and sustain human behavior: Achievement, Affiliation, and Power. In addition to McClelland's research, the ALP framework includes Abraham Maslow's concept of "self-actualization" as the fourth unique motive need and a modifier of the first three motive needs (measuring intensity of the other needs, and thus the participant's level of reactivity). The ALP is based on an effort to synthesize and integrate various and competing models of human behavior as they relate to leadership and leader behavior. Here we provide a Biblical perspective of those theories and models and demonstrate how the ALP framework is an organic embodiment of Christian teachings on leadership development. Psychology and spirituality are intertwined in a mysterious form that deserves greater scrutiny as an effort to de-emphasize the extremes of remaining politically correct or dogmatically faith averse in the world of business. The purpose of this paper is to explore the opportunity to understand a leader's proclivity toward specific leadership styles with balanced views of both psychological and faith-based principles. A deeper understanding of our humanity combined with a stronger belief in our connection to the divine creates a powerful catalyst for change in a society that’s increasingly blindsided by the bottom line.