Leadership is one of the most comprehensively researched processes in the behavioral sciences, because the success of all economic, political, and organizational systems depends on the effective and efficient guidance of the leaders (Barrow 1977). Therefore, to better understand the success of an organization, study its leaders.
Great leaders create a vision for an organization, articulate the vision to the followers, build a shared vision, craft a path to achieve the vision, and guide their organizations into new directions (Banutu-Gomez and Banutu-Gomez 2007; Kotter 2001). According to Schneider (1987), the most important part in building an organization with a legacy of success is the people in it.
Servant leaders are identifiable by certain characteristics, including the commitment to listen, to empathize, to look at the big picture in any situation, to communicate clearly and to grow community. Any one of those characteristics would be seen as important in the service to others. Every characteristic of a Servant Leader can be developed. Once developed, and put into practice, the Servant Leader gains the trust of others, which leads to inspiring followers. Inspired followers are the key to transforming an organization. (Carroll, 2005)
Hunter (1998) maintains that “you manage things, you lead people” (p.28). Servant leadership is based on authority which stems from a trust relationship established when needs are identified and met. A servant leader utilizes the tools of
A servant leader must listen to a person fully without interrupting or judging them. While doing my service at the animal shelter there were two other people doing service. They were prisoners wearing the orange jumpsuit. Although most people would assume they are bad and not to talk to them, me and my group had a conversation with them about the dogs. They showed a lot of compassion about what they were doing. Although it was work they were forced to do they gave it their all. I listened and communicated with them the entire time without judging whatever they might have done. This was showing servant leadership in one of the hardest
Originating in the seminal work of Greenleaf, servant leadership is a paradoxical approach to leadership that challengers our traditional beliefs about leadership and influence. Servant leadership emphasizes that leaders should be attentive to the needs of the followers, empower them, and help them develop their full human capacities. They build strong relationships, with others, are empathic, and ethical, and lead in ways that serve the greater good of followers, organizations, and the community.
Simply, servant leaders hold a view as a servant first and leader second (Owens & Hekman, 2012). Moreover, servant leaders emphasize personal responsibility for the organization and all internal and external stakeholders (Peterson, Galvin, & Lange, 2012). As stated, expressing a genuine concern and care for people are a basis of servant leadership. In addition, servant leadership also focuses on the growth of
Leadership is, and always has been, a vital aspect of social and economic constructs. It is essential to the survival of societies, industries, organizations, and virtually any group of individuals that come together for a common purpose. However, leadership is difficult to define in a single, definitive sense. As such, theories of leadership, what constitutes a great leader, and how leaders are made have evolved constantly throughout history, and still continue to change today in hopes of improving upon our understanding of leadership, its importance, and how it can be most effective in modern organizational cultures.
Over the course of my career, I have tried to model various leadership behaviors based upon successful leaders that I have worked with or for. This has led me to incorporate different styles into my own. Considering my current leadership strengths and how I view successful leaders I will use a servant leadership theory to analyze my own competencies. Servant leaders have 9 different aspects comprised of: emotional healing, creating value for the community, conceptual skills, empowering, helping subordinates grow and succeed, putting subordinates first, behaving ethically, relationships, and servanthood (Boone & Makhani, 2005, pg. 86). The aspects of a servant leader are those that I personally value and identify with. In addition to this, it is my belief that servant leaders, because they are people oriented, are more effective in a variety of environments and situations.
Servant Leadership is “an approach to leadership with strong altruistic and ethical overtones that asks and requires leader to be attentive to the needs of their followers and empathize with them; they should take care of them by making sure they become healthier, wiser, freer and more autonomous, so that they too can become servant leaders” (Valeri, 2007). Although there is not many servant leaders in this world but the concept of servant is one of the most leadership approach leaders today struggles with. Servant leadership is mainly about the leader helping to grow their followers or members personally and professionally through empathy, listening skills and compassion. The concept of servant leadership which was proposed by Robert K. Greenleaf in his 1970 writing indicated that servant leadership is a theoretical framework that advocated a leader’s primary motivation and role as service to others.
The servant-leader will communicate diplomatically and carefully (Marquis & Huston, 2015). The servant-leader has moral maturity and thinks, acts, and judges ethically with a strong sense of self (Liden, et al, 2014). The list can be enhanced depending on the situation, but as a nursing student, there are characteristics I value as the most important servant-leader qualities.
Servant leadership is based on two components of leadership which is vision and direction. There are four parts of vision. One: What business are you in, and why are you doing what you are doing? Two: If you do a good job leading, what will happen to your business? Three: What is going to guide your journey, your values? Four: What are your ultimate goals? These are significant questions to be an effective leader. Blanchard et al. (2012) explains leadership is about direction and going somewhere. If people don’t know where you’re going, your chances of getting there are insubstantial. Along with servant leadership is implementation and how you are living based on the vision and direction and the ultimate goals? Implementing the vision and direction is working for the people you are leading. This means doing everything you can to help them implement the vision and or direction which is the traditional leader role, and implementation, which is the traditional manager
As a servant leader, people come first and giving back to the community is an integral part of it’s philosophy. Servant Leadership is the practice of serving others with your time and energy, which builds an improved and more considerate world. It is all about leading by example and supporting people, which generally creates a much better work environment and world. Servant leadership requires selflessness, which is the biggest component of the philosophy. A genuine servant leader requires many characteristics such as: passion, dedication, sympathetic, generosity, and a desire to learn from others while also teaching them. With the aid of class discussions and my personal experience from volunteering, these characteristics are imperative for a leader to be considered a servant leader.
A leader is a person who takes risks, attempts to achieve shared goals, and inspires others to action (Marquis & Huston,
Servant leadership. Servant leadership is a complementary approach to transformational leadership that concentrates on others’ needs (Greenleaf, 1991). The emphasis of servant leadership is that the organization is
A leader and a servant leader are not one in the same, while every servant leader is a leader not every leader is a servant leader. What then sets apart a servant leader from other leaders? Servant leaders can come in all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life, but as Robert Greenleaf proposed, it begins with the desire to serve. Servant leadership is about moving from a self-serving heart to a serving heart. For some this is a natural occurrence while for many it is a conscious decision one makes daily. Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges contend:
Being a servant leader can by definition empower your followers. Attending to the needs of your employees and creating a nurturing environment can create trust. Yukl (2010) states, “The servant leader must stand for what is good and right, even when it is not in the financial interest of the organization. Social injustice and inequality should be
Leadership is a complex term to define because different people define it differently. Proper leadership is essential for the success of every organization. A leader is supposed to influence the others towards the achievement of the organizational goals. Moreover, he is also supposed to motivate the employees to work hard, towards the achievement of common goals. Some people believe that the leaders are, nurtured, while others believe that the leaders are born, depending on their different perspectives. Many theories have arisen, trying to explain the concept of leadership, according to different theorists. However, these philosophers have not come to an agreement, and debates about leadership have
Servant leadership is basically a set of leadership practices and the philosophies regarding leadership. Surely most of us know what leadership really is. Leadership is seen simply as the accusation and exercise of power for someone who is on top of the pyramid. This is the conventional and simple form of leadership that we all know and love. Where on one hand there is the conventional form of leadership, the servant leader model is the form where the needs and concerns of others are put first. In this model, the needs and concerns of others are placed