Norma Rae Servant Leader

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

Being a servant does not disqualify someone from leading, it simply implies that this person wants to help and learn. They see a need to take care of a problem and want to fulfill it. They know when a problem is at hand and that is very good quality to have when it comes to leading because one has to see the problem first and attack it when it is in front of them without hesitation.

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

Servant leadership, as it applies to the modern world, is a concept that Robert Greenleaf defined in his influential 1970 essay, The Servant as Leader. Greenleaf’s essay explains that servant leadership is an amalgam of concrete leadership styles and “fragments of data” that came to him through “intuitive insight” (1970). Having worked at AT&T from 1926-1964, he accumulated a number of leadership qualities throughout his professional career. After retirement he began teaching at Harvard Business School, but became distressed by younger generations and their rebellious attitudes. After careful consideration, he decided institutions were doing a poor job of serving, so they were doing a poor job of leading. His

“Servant Leadership” throughout history has always been a vital concept to grasp as leaders, however the actual term was not coined until the 1970’s by Robert Greenleaf in his essay The Servant as a Leader. Greenleaf depicts the concept of servant leadership as being a servant first meaning the leader is always willing, ready, and eager to assist those around them in order to create the best environment for everyone to work towards achieving goals.

In order for an organization or movement to have success, it is extremely important that their leaders are effective. Every leader does not possess the same qualities and skills as the next leader, but that doesn't make them less effective. Each leader may also have a different leadership style than the next person. This paper will define a leader as well as servant leadership and transformational leadership styles. Finally, Eleanor Roosevelt's leadership style will be determined to be either servant leadership, transformational leadership, or both.

The phrase “Servant Leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as a Leader, an essay he first published in 1970 ("What is servant," ). The servant leader serves first, while aspiring to lead second. The servant leader serves the people that he or she leads, implying employees are an end in themselves rather than a means to organizational purpose or bottom-line. Servant leadership is meant to replace a command and control, top-down, model of management. Servant leadership encourages collaboration, trust, foresight, listening, and the ethical use of power and empowerment. A few famous examples of servant leaders are George Washington, Gandi and Caesar Chavez.

In the Komives article on leadership, servant leadership is defined as “viewing the leader first as a servant - a person who first wants to serve others,” (Komives 2013, p. 69). Empathy for others plays a huge part in this leadership theory. In order to serve others, you have to understand their struggles and what they need. Komives continues on the say that a leader leads “with the sole goal of serving others to make a difference,” (Komives 2013, p. 69). My identity as a woman has informed my understanding of leadership by opening my eyes to the reality of dealing with stereotypes while in a leadership position. I gravitate to the servant-leadership style because I am a woman.

Servant leadership is a theory based on Robert K Greenleaf’s belief that all men have a primary motivation to serve others and through this service they aspire to lead (Parris & Peachey, 2012). Although this leadership model has very little in common with charismatic and situational does however compare to transformational leadership in several areas. The main area of commonality between the two can be found as transformational leaders serve as stewards to change enable the followers to accept the change and move forward with the organization (Tichy & Devanna, 1990, p. 75). In essence, servant leadership becomes the long-term transformational approach to life and work.

Dr. Kent M. Keith was a presenter on behalf of the Greenleaf Seminar on Servant Leadership at the 53rd annual conference for the Arizona School Boards Association in December, 2010. He correctly pointed out that servant leadership is about serving others, about becoming distinguished through the altruistic desire to serve, and about the "…universal recognition of the importance of serving others" (Keith, 2010).

Servant-leaders desire to build community with a compelling shared vision to accomplish. Robert Greenleaf, who coined the modern day use of the term ‘servant leadership’ says, “It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.” (Greenwood, 2002)

Throughout the semester, we have listened to speakers, attended events, and toured a variety of businesses and campuses that exemplify servant leadership. However, the majority of these people and places were not at all similar to each other. We have listened to a coach, a councilman, an executive, military personnel, professors, and even the mayor speak. So how can people from all different walks of life represent servant leadership within their careers? And what even is a servant leader?

Servant leadership is a type of leadership whereby the leader serves the needs of the people, empathizes with them, and involves them in solving their needs. Servant leadership is all about involving the people you are leading in your decision making, being ethical and caring for the people to enhance their personal growth at the same time improve their life. A servant leader does not simply delegate roles; he starts the work and energizes the others to join him and get the work done. According to Spears (2004), the servant leader as defined by Greenleaf is one who gets the natural feeling of wanting to serve first and then a conscious choice brings him/her to lead. This leader makes sure that other people’s highest-priority needs are take

Norma Rae is a true story set in a Southern mill-town in the summer of 1978. Norma Rae and the mill workers were victimized by the mill owners - low, unfair wages, and poor health conditions from the work in the textile mill. During this time Norma was fearful for her family's health and becomes aware of a labor organizer trying to bring the union to the mill. Norma decides to join forces with the union organizer, Reuben Warshosky. Management saw her as a threat and ordered her out of the mill, but not before she inspired the mill workers. It is greatt leadership that finally brings the mill workers together and they vote in and start a branch of the Textile Workers Union of America. The film is a real testament to the

“If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.”