Identifying Servant Leadership
Need
In the article by Udani and Lorenzo-Molo, the need for servant leadership was viewed as the nation being a downward state and in the throes of transitioning from a dictator into an unknown future. Although viewed in retrospect, a valid case is made that a servant leader can be quite effective when leading a bounce back. The traits of Corazon were just the medicine needed to not only heal the Philippines but lead them into their path to democracy. In a general sense the need for servant leadership can come in other forms. In the article “Promoting leadership effectiveness in organizations” by Shekari and Nikooparvar two areas of the need for servant leadership is touched upon. They look at challenges
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In the Shekari and Nikooparvar article the authors propose several indicators of a true servant leader. This are not simply single word traits but actual scenario based examples that give traction to what a servant leaders should look like. Examples of these characteristics include they don’t walk behind with a whip, but in front with a banner; followers are partners working with leaders; they have faith in people; they lift up their employees; and leaders can be led. (Shekari & Nikooparvar, 2012) There are more instances of these in the article that further elaborate that there are tangible ways to identify servant leaders. In the article “Five necessary attitudes of a servant leader” by Boone & Makhani takes a slightly different approach into exploring characteristics by looking at attitude. These attitudes include vision as a beginning, listening being worth it, being a talent scout, it is good to give away power, and being a community leader. Some of these traits run counter to what we typically see in a leader and all involve some form of sacrifice and/or …show more content…
The authors narrow in on ten characteristics of servant leaders based on the 1998 research of spears. The characteristics include listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to growth in people, and building community. These all speak to how coaches both motivate and teach their teams. Several studies are cited by Parris and Peachey show athletes with servant leader coaches experienced increase motivation, higher mental acuity, were more satisfied, and performed better than athletes who were led by non-servant leader coaches. (Parris & Peachey, 2013) Findings of their studies at the team Florida games showed that servant leadership not only showed basic leadership, but combined it with a desire to help others through their position. Furthermore, servant leaders experienced self-healing in their leadership. (Parris & Peachey, 2013) By adhering to the common characteristics of servant leaders traits an organization can identify servant leaders. However, a remaining question is that of timing or when is it best to identify a servant leader. Hiring servant leaders external would apply the same methodologies outlined but as with any external hire there are
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
There has been a bit of research done on the nature of servant leadership. The belief is that many organizations are moving from the traditional style of leadership to a more servant based style. Larry C. Spears (2010) and Kent Keith (2016) note a few characteristics of one who is a servant leader. The characteristics proposed by Spears (2010) are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to others growth, and community building. These traits will often manifest naturally becoming more enriched as time goes by through experience. Keith (2016) references only four elements of servant leadership. He begins with an element of morality, then of the servant focus, concern for others’
They acknowledge people’s perspectives, and give them the support needed to meet their goals. Servant leaders involve members when decisions are appropriate helping build a stronger commitment within the team. Strong qualities of servant leadership are trust, appreciation for others, and empowerment. Honesty and integrity form the moral foundation of effective leadership through the four values of truth telling, promise
The importance of servant leadership should not be underestimated and it can be simplified and embodied in one timeless phrase: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When applied to leadership the result can be phenomenal. Those who wish to serve do so with their hearts, it is not forced nor is it with resentment. The servant leader serves out of acceptance and ownership of their ability and duty.
Integrity and servant-leadership are a huge part of being a leader. A leader needs integrity because this is a huge part of being dependable and trustworthy. An example of integrity is when a leader says they are going to do something, then they actually follow through with what they said. A leader with integrity will be consistent in all of his/her actions. Their values and principles will match what their methods are. Being a servant-leader means that the leader does not see themselves as being too good to do the tasks they ask of their followers. A servant-leader will do the task even if it seems below them. An example of a leader is a nurse. A nurse is a leader to a certified nursing assistant (CNA). A nurse can be a servant-leader by bathing a patient and changing the bedding, even though this is usually the job of a CNA, this nurse did not see themselves as too good to do some "dirty" work. A leader is willing to help out and follow through. Both of these characteristics help the followers trust the leader. This also helps build a firm foundation for a good relationship between the leader and the followers.
purpose for this book is dual. First goal is clearly defining servant leadership and second one is
Primary service is the key. Many view this as a contradiction because the leader is leading and serving. How can a person do both? Good servant leaders are good listeners. The communication between the leader and the follower being served allows the leader to listen to the follower first, in order to understand what the other person has to say and to understand their needs. These leaders practice empathy as well. Understanding what the follower is facing or feeling is comforting to the follower because it validates their importance to another person. The ability to heal a person through care and the concern for a person’s well being is another quality of a servant leader. These are only a few of the characteristics that generate a strong servant leader. Mother Teresa said, “The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.” Her words describe exactly what servant leaders do. Servant leaders serve others willingly because they find joy and pleasure in doing so. The outcome of serving others in this manner is growth and social impacts for a greater good. When there is an improvement in self-actualization, followers improve in their goal reaching or task completion by understanding their full potential to do
Servant leadership is defined as a philosophy that one carry outs to supplement the lives of others and shape organizations to become better. In order to become a servant leader, you have to first become a servant. One must be want to serve first. There’s a difference between servant leadership and an authentic leadership style. The impression of servant leadership can be traced back to have started two thousand years
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.
The interactive process between leaders and followers involves utilizing listening and communication skills (Northouse,2013). Leaders in servant leadership listen first and use empathy to better understand their followers. Empathy is the ability to better understand an individual by placing yourself in their shoes. Having this ability allows the follower to feel validated and worthy (Northouse, 2013). by finding solutions to personal problems a follower may have, is offering support. Awareness, or emotional intelligence, is another trait a servant leader possesses. Leaders must be aware of how their actions affect their followers. This can be how they dress or their correspondence in an email Northouse, 2013).
Introduction Through identification and ongoing assessment of her leadership style and ability, this leader is able to develop and understand her own strengths and limitations in order to grow and develop into a more effective leader. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of servant leadership, contingency, and path-goal styles of leadership to gain an understanding of current leadership models, identify this author’s style of leadership, and explore why leadership is important to organizations, society, and this author. A Personal Model of Leadership 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 autonomy, and become more like servants themselves (2005).
To be a servant leader you have to have certain qualities. Not only have the qualities but
Servant Leadership means to serve others and to lead. It puts everyone else first teaching to put others before yourself, with this leading qualities emerge. Just being or having leadership qualities doesn’t always work. Most leadership models show possessive towards the better for themselves, some work out while others don’t, mostly I think because the unwillingness to see others before yourself is a hard concept for some to understand and use. You can be a great leader but if you don’t understand servant qualities or serve for the benefit of others your probley not much liked. Most I don’t think know what Servant Leadership is or means, I didn’t until this course opened it up to me.