Admittedly, out of all the times I pictured myself as a nurse in my future dreams and plans, I never once pictured myself in a managerial position. The thought never crossed my mind. I am not sure if that is because of my underlying fear of making mistakes, or of my lack of knowledge about the process of managing a department, or a combination of the those things. However, after reading The Servant by James Hunter, I feel that I have more of an understanding of the qualities that a leader must possess in order for their employees to be content and successfully work as a team. I am going to discuss the three characteristics that changed my views about leadership the most. Then I will explain the ways in which I will put these characteristics …show more content…
This term is described in The Servant as treating others as important people (Hunter, 1998). That seems like it should be an easy concept, but the example given in the story really made a lot of sense. Hunter points out to the drill sergeant in the group that he knows how to be respectful, but is only willing to reserve that show of respect for those that he feels are deserving of that respect, which in the drill sergeant’s example, was the general. The point Hunter made was that if a manager treats every single employee as if they are the general, and shows respect to even those that are the lowest on the ladder, that those employees will rise to the occasion and they will be successful in their …show more content…
This leadership characteristic was the one that caused the most reflection out of all of the characteristics defined in this book. Nurses as a whole are inherently kind, and I have always recognized myself as being excellent at showing kindness to others. But the point that taught me most and the quality that I am actively working to improve is that of active listening. According to many of my friends, I have always been a good listener. But the way that this term is described makes me reconsider my previous notions that I was good at it. Hunter states that though we think we are good listeners, often we are making judgments about what the speaker is saying. We are often only listening selectively, because we are thinking about what we want to say in response to their words. Active listening takes effort and practice and does not take place when we are thinking about how to please ourselves. It means that we have to quit thinking about how we are going to reply and really be a part of that person’s universe. It means putting ourselves in their shoes, feeling empathy, and being present in that
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).
Active listening puts attention to the needs of the nursing staff and supports their decision-making for providing quality patient-centered care. In The Servant (1998), a teacher of leadership principles explained that listening is one of the most important skills a leader can choose to develop (pg. 25).
Servant leadership is a fundamental skill that is of great importance in today’s health care system. Health care workers who follow effective leadership that promotes teamwork are provided with the opportunity to effectively conquer challenges during stressful situations. In order for an individual to posses the skills needed to carry out servant leadership, they must first have authority over the people they are leading. It is a complex task to gain authority; I believe that an important way to obtain authority is to show love to others. The book, The Servant by James C. Hunter describes love not as a feeling, but rather as a behavior or action towards people. As a leader, one might have good intentions, but without following through with the intended action, the leader loses their authority. The act of love requires having good intentions followed by acting out those intentions. I believe the three most important aspects of love and servant leadership, which are
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
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).
Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.
As I have developed in my job, school, and as a person, I found that I enjoyed helping others and want to become a leader. This paper will further describe how my experiences and background have shaped the leader I am today.
Although there are many outstanding, albeit necessary qualities of a good leader, it is the leader’s beliefs in which greatness is given its first breath, fostered by action, and spread throughout the institution. A great leader believes in encouraging, not destroying; in setting the precedence instead of yielding to prominence ; in collaboration, not division; in giving, not taking; and in having high standards and volunteering to be the first of many to be held to them. A great leader does not take advantage of the people being lead, but instead, creates an advantage for the people by giving them the opportunities to lead. Only when people take ownership of an institution will passion be cultivated, action be taken, and greatness be achieved.
This leadership paper will explore the Servant leadership role and connect it with the Agile Development Scrum Master methodology. It will demonstrate the leader that exists today through assessments and describe my leadership aspirations as a Scrum Master, future adjunct faculty and project manager. In addition, the paper will communicate the history of Medical Mutual as well as outline the company’s current organizational expectations and future objectives for leaders. I will also explain my 10-year leadership development plan which involves developing an agile team, being g...
Other attributes of a leader are selflessness, knowledge, organization, humility, and trust. Perhaps the most difficult part of being a leader is knowing that each decision you make will h...
Leadership can be exhibited by many different personalities and characteristics and is defined by Porter and O’Grady (2013) as the ability to influence others through developing relationships and focusing on people to collectively achieve goals that align with their organization. Developing the skills to lead others is an ongoing process that requires self-awareness and evaluation in order to build the techniques to improve one’s leadership ability (Porter and O’Grady, 2013). The following will be a reflection of my current leadership style, my strengths, and my weaknesses for the purpose of gaining insight for personal growth and development in my leadership abilities within my nursing profession and determining actionable items to improve
In my view, people employ certain traits that differentiate us from our neighbor next door, and leadership is no different. The test produced by the University of Kent in the United Kingdom (University of Kent, n.d.) has developed a process that I feel accurately defines what sort of leader you are based on 50 simple questions. I was not surprised by the results and found them to be quite accurate and expected. In this essay, I will explore why I feel the test is an accurate way to determine your leadership style due to my personal experience with
Throughout my life I have encountered the chance to experience position of being a leader. Being part of groups in university for class presentations, being the organizing secretary of my campus fellowship, being a youth leader in my church and the church admin, also being part of a family. Leaders are charismatic, inspirational and trust worthy. I have gained some important qualities of being a good leader through these experiences. Most of the valuable leadership’s characteristics that I obtained and strengthened are: learn to become a better leader every day, how to be a team player, to be a better listener, to be an effective communicator, to have more patience, not afraid of constructive criticism, to be outspoken, and to be a problem solver. Even though I have gained a lot, I still have more things to learn to become a better leader such as being more assertive, being more disciplined, becoming a better public speaker, and learn how to be realistic and not too optimistic. You are a leader if someone else choses to follow you.
Northouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Maxwell, J. C. (1999). The 21 indispensable qualities of a leader: becoming the person that people will want to follow. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.