Changing the Military with Servant Leadership Essay

Prior to his appointment as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (SECVA) Robert (Bob) McDonald was already well-known for his advocacy and promotion of the concept of “Servant Leadership” a term first coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970. The author first wrote about the concept of Servant Leadership in an essay titled “The Servant as Leader.” In his essay, Greenleaf recounted his reason for writing the essay, stemmed from the belief that the country was in a leadership crisis and he had a responsibility to attempt to address the problem. When Mr. McDonald came to the VA, he like Greenleaf intuitively recognized the need for and his responsibility to institute and nurture this style of leadership within the department’s leadership ranks. The MyVA Integrated Plan (MIP) dated July 2015, illustrates McDonald’s commitment to this theory by recognizing the need to cultivate leadership excellence in the department by developing “Engaged Servant Leaders responsible for establishing an organizational culture rooted in VA core values that inspires and empowers all employees.” In order to restore the trust and confidence of the Veterans and the American Public, leadership at all levels must understand what servant leadership is, embrace the concept, and inculcates the concept throughout the leadership ranks within the department.

The type of leadership most noticeable in the service activity was servant leadership. Servant leadership was first introduced in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf in the essay “The Servant Leader”. In his essay Greenleaf says “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…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.” (Greenleaf, 1970) Greenleaf essentially

The idea of “servant leadership” may be considered a paradox. Describe this paradox in the context of leadership.

When Keith talks about the servant leadership, I understand, what he means when he says leadership starts with a desire to serve (1). Serving others shows that we want to make a difference in someone else’s life. It also shows that it is universal and very important in everyone’s culture and religion.

Leadership and management for many go hand in hand, and may be perceived as one in the same. In the book titled, The Servant (1998), James C. Hunter challenged this mainstream view, and literally turned this concept, which so many are coached on, upside-down. The notions of what characterizes a virtuous leader, as well as what it means to serve others, are the primary focal points of Hunter’s book. He did an eloquent job of revealing his theory concerning effective leadership by using an allegorical approach which, made the content easier to digest and much more personable. The Servant deeply resonated with me, and I gained significant value from the attitudes Hunter presented which, I can apply to my schooling, personal life, and future career paths. I was also able to discern what I felt to be applicable elements regarding the mark of a worthy leader, and arrived at my own theories.

Leadership is the art of influencing others to achieve a mission by offering motivation, purpose, and direction. In the military, there is a concept called chain of command, which is the authority some individuals lawfully exercise over subordinates by virtue of their positions, assignment, or rank (Spyglass Hill, n.d.). Equally, the chain of command is the most important and fundamental organizational technique used in the military. It is the commanders’ responsibility to achieve the assigned unit objectives while caring for property and personnel in their command. Thus, the basic duties of a military leader include accomplishing a specific mission and safeguarding soldiers’ welfare. In essence, a leader in the military has three kinds of duties: implied, directed, and specified roles. Every leader must exercise professional ethics, which encompass being loyal to the unit, the military, and this nation. Thus, military leaders should offer selfless service when on duty by putting the goals and needs of the unit, the nation, and the military ahead of their personal interests.

5. Servant Leadership is our identity. If you’re too big to serve then you are too small to lead. Every leader is a servant first, from the parking lot to the pulpit, everyone serves.

In conclusion, we talked about Servant-leadership in the workplace. How that there are several individual that show servant-leadership, however, our first line supervisor has shown outstanding displays in Servant-leadership. How he displays most, if not all of the Ten Characteristics of the Servant-Leadership. Furthermore, using his skills, he learned as a First Sargent in the Air Force, which has help him out shine the other

Leadership and management for many go hand in hand, and may be perceived as one in the same. In the book titled, The Servant (1998), James C. Hunter challenged this mainstream view, and literally turned this concept, which so many are coached on, upside-down. The notions of what characterizes a virtuous leader, as well as what it means to serve others, are the primary focal points of Hunter’s book. He did an eloquent job of revealing his theory concerning effective leadership by using an allegorical approach which, made the content easier to digest and much more personable. The Servant deeply resonated with me, and I gained significant value from the attitudes Hunter presented which, I can apply to my schooling, personal life, and future career paths. I was also able to discern what I felt to be more or less applicable, and reasonable, elements regarding the mark of a worthy leader.

Tina Merte,l Carol Brill , (2015),"What every leader ought to know about becoming a servant leader", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 47 Iss 5 pp. 228 -

“Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” Luke 2:52 (Dake’s Annontated Reference Bible). It is important for a servant leader to grow and increase their wisdom by learning from their experiences so that they can become fair leaders who can guide the people around them. Servant leadership is important to the success of any organization. It is important for organizations to build adequate leadership development plans to produce strong and productive servant leaders. This paper will cover the current gaps in fleet leadership, the value to having a leadership plan, the need for the plan, and the problems of not having sufficient support in developing leaders.

Original foundation of servant leadership came from a man named Robert K. Greenleaf (Russell & Stone, 2002). Greenleaf’s theory of servant leadership is derived mostly from Herman Hesse’s Journey to the East (Greenleaf, 1977). He focuses on the interrelated quality of the role of servant and leader: assuming leadership because your personality of being a servant fits well into the role of leader (Greenleaf, 1977). The role of being a servant leader is defined by working as a servant for others, including the people you are managing, from a motivating source other than self-interest (Russell & Stone, 2002).

When one thinks of successful leadership, words like power, authority, and control often come to mind. Examining leadership in detail reveals that many different leadership styles exist. Some leaders may be authoritarian, where their rules are law and enforced in a utilitarian fashion. Others may prefer to lead in a more democratic manor, where employees help make decisions and feel involved in workplace happenings. Robert Greenleaf, who at the time was an executive at AT&T, developed another style, servant leadership (Marquis, 2014). Though the terms “servant” and “leader” may seem paradoxical when paired together, his style of leadership focuses on the idea that leaders should serve those who work for them. This does not mean catering to

Through the history of all the leadership theories, scholars have been trying to clarify the relations among leaders, followers and tasks to define and explain the most powerful and effective leadership approach. However, people have noticed that each leadership theory has its own emphasis on some distinctive leadership elements that can reflect on their historical backgrounds, authorial understanding and purposes of leadership. Among all the theories, servant leadership is one of the models that present a realistically positive and practical concept. It frames well the modern relationships among leaders, followers and tasks. It responds to the call of human nature and motivations. It has become one of the most popular leadership theories

“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.” – Robert K. Greenleaf