When it comes to leading, one may use different styles and different theories. Some of the theories include trait, behavior, and contingency. Daft (2008) stated that the trait approach is an understanding of leadership which focuses on leader’s personal traits. The behavior approach focuses on the leader adopting the appropriate behavior. He also indicated that the contingency theory explains the relationship between leadership styles and effectiveness in specific situations. It combines the traits and behavior approaches (Daft, 2008, pp.38, 43, 64). There is an effective and popular leadership style that has integrated the contingency theory—it’s servant leadership. The term servant leadership, as Jones-Burbridge (2012) wrote, was first conveyed by Robert K. Greenleaf in his essay titled “The Servant as Leader” published in 1970. In his essay, Greenleaf gave the following descriptions of a servant leader:
The servant leader is servant first … It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then, conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions (Jones-Burbridge, 2012, par. 3).
Servant leadership style contributes to the ability of the leader to serve his/her constituents and empower them for a greater purpose. The effectiveness of the servant leadership depends on the leader’s personal attitudes, the leader’s service to followers, and the leader’s ability to build the organization’s community.
Servant leadership proves its effectiveness by starting with the leader’s personal attitude. This effectiveness comes from the inherent characteristic of ...
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...Retrieved from: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/09/09/assad-threatens-repercussions-if-us-launches-strike-on-syria/#ixzz2fiqwkHXQ
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Servant leadership, as defined by Kretiner and Kinkicki (2015, p.486), is putting the needs of others, including employees, customers, and community ahead of one’s own needs. This management style requires selflessness and humility from management so the organization can focus on serving key stakeholders. There are ten characteristics of a servant-leader as identified in the text
Servant leadership is a designation coined by Robert Greenleaf in 1970 in an essay entitled The Servant as Leader. In this essay, he describes the servant leader and a servant first contrary to one who is a leader first. The difference is the servant chooses to put others needs before his own while the leader first may later become a servant from the promptings of a sense of right and wrong or simply because they are coerced in that direction (Greenleaf, 1991).
Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that augments the lives of individuals, builds better organizations, and creates a more just and caring world, they put the team first, and themselves second (MindTools, 2015). Servant leaders are able to demonstrate their traits through interaction with followers and other leaders within the organization. The characteristics of servant leaders include their commitment to the growth of people, stewardship, and building community, and provide leaders with the opportunity to experience change and to invite followers to change (Savage-Austin & Honeycutt 2011). Servant leadership encourages leaders and followers to ‘raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality’, and set their leadership focus: follower’s first, organizations second, their own needs last (Sendjaya, Sarros, & Santora, 2008). The servant leader focuses on the needs of others to include team members.
The Servant Leader discusses the importance of leaders who adopt a service oriented attitude in which they care for the needs of others before their own. A servant leader need not be an actual servant or have ever been a servant to become a servant leader. Rather, a servant leader is born with or adopts an “others first” disposition. Climbing through the ranks may help to create a servant leader, though it is not necessary. When leaders choose to see that the needs of their followers or their organizations are the highest priority they become servants.
Servant leadership is becoming a more “sought-after” concept in today’s society, but what exactly is servant leadership? Does it mean different things to different people? Although the three books, The Servant as Leader, The Servant, and Lead Like Jesus, all center around servant leadership, each author takes a different perspective on the meaning of being a servant leader. Robert Greenleaf addresses leadership from a straight-forward stance; saying that a good leader must be a servant-first by finding the will within themselves to put the needs of their group before their own. James Hunter discusses servant leadership through a story involving everyday people that the reader can relate to. He uses Jesus as a guide to explain how to initiate character development that will, in turn, fashion servant leadership. Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges offer a new perspective on servant leadership by bringing Jesus into the picture on an even deeper level than Hunter. They explain that by knowing Jesus Christ and developing an intimate personal
3). Through the service of others, servants as leaders create positive changes in the lives of others that lead those served to act more autonomously (Block, Blanchard, Wheatley & Autry, 2006). The goal of a service leader is to help others achieve their highest level of functioning. Those served are then motivated to become service leaders as well (Block, Blanchard, Wheatley & Autry, 2006). Thus, servant leadership focuses on commitment to helping the individual served grow in their abilities. In turn this gives the served individual confidence in their work and personal abilities which then transforms into a desire to help others do the
Leading by example is the main idea. Servant leaders do not want to be in the first line and they prefer to guide their employees from a distance. They distinguish because of their personality, their behavior and their values. The only disadvantage is that in a competitive financial environment it is difficult from them to be recognized.
Jouejati, Murhaf. “Syrian Motives for Its WMD Programs and What to Do about Them.” Middle
Servant leadership consists of leaders helping their followers become leaders themselves. The use personal skills such as empathy, compassion and listening to help their followers succeed. It is not necessarily the most popular form of leadership but, it has been proven successful b those leaders who implement it in their work practices. Servant leaders typically have a strong bond with their team. They are the base and the foundation of their teams.
The night before the anniversary of 9/11 in 2013, Barack Obama delivered a speech to the United States of America on the subject of Syria’s inhumane use of chemical weapons on its own citizens. The United States’ intelligence analysts estimated that more than 1,400 civilians were killed due to the chemical warheads that were launched on the area right outside of Damascus. In President Barack Obama’s address to the nation on Syria, he attempts to persuade the American people to support his plan of a targeted air strike on Syria. By describing the victims of Syria, giving reasons for the inhumanity of the Syrian government, and reinforcing his credibility,
Servant leadership was a term that was first used by Keifner Greenleaf(1970) in his first essay, The Servant as Leader (as cited by Crippen, C., 2005). Greenleaf based his essay on his belief that a servant leader is a servant first, and explained that it would begin with the natural urge to serve and then the leader would make a conscious choice to become a leader, in doing so he makes the choice to ensure that others needs are met first (2005 ). As a servant leader develops he should always keep aware of those who he serves and strive to ensure that they are becoming healthier, wiser, freer, have an increase in autonomous, and are become more like servants themselves (2005). Leaders and organizations can use the principles of servant leadership to frame decisions, and service that include focus on the community, care of others and quality services (Waterman, R., 2011). Watermen states that working to higher purpose increases standards, integrity and should lead the followers through supports, shared visions and bring followers together in toward a common purpose to provide service to others.
...lecting convincing evidence that Syria has used Sarin gas in Ghouta, Syria. Currently, diplomacy has prevailed; the Security Council has shown rare unity on Syria by passing Resolution 2118 requiring Syria to destroy its current stockpile of chemical weapons and prohibits Syria from using, developing, stockpiling, or transferring any chemical weapons. Syria by not agreeing to these terms will face penalties under Chapter Seven of the United Nations Charter. Syrian government has yet to defy the resolution and the OPCW has declared they have successfully destroyed the sites used for production of the chemical weapons it remains to be seen whether the 2014 deadline for destroying Syria’s current stockpile of ammunition will be met in light of the ongoing destabilizing conditions. Despite this amount of progress fighting between the regime and rebels has continued on.
Before reading about characteristics of servant leadership, I tried thinking about what I already knew about this type of leadership. Some of the thoughts I had were: leaders put others before themselves and leaders go beyond their responsibilities to help others. When I read Chapter 7 from The Special Education Teacher as a Servant Leader, I found that I was correct but did not have the full answer.
Effective leadership relies on the ability to influence other and is important to the success and longevity of an organization. I believe that a servant style of leadership is most closely aligned with my beliefs. Servant leaders believe that “people can accomplish much when inspired by a purpose beyond themselves” (Economy, 2015). As an educational leader I will remind teachers that our purpose is prepare student’s for their future whether they are headed for college or a career. To play a role in the growth and development of another person is an honorable task.