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Servant Leadership By Robert Greenleaf And Dirk Van Dierendonck Essay

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Introduction It’s safe to say nearly everyone has a different definition of servant leadership. Some focus on specific characteristics required of leaders, others are more interested in the interactions with others. Nevertheless, there is more recently a large emphasis on servant leadership in ministry. Servant leadership is an incredibly integral part of being a healthy leader in ministry. Servant leadership requires you to be attentive, be a model of specific characteristics outlined by Robert Greenleaf and Dirk van Dierendonck, and the importance of having the desire to lead by serving.

Greenleaf’s Definitions Robert Greenleaf coined the phrase ‘servant leadership’ in a paper he wrote in 1970, so it makes sense that of all the different websites, books, and articles found, Greenleaf was the most referenced person. Whether the entire article was written by him, it quoted him, or was based on what he had written before; he showed up nearly every time. Greenleaf defines leadership as, “Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world.” There is a lot of truth to his definition of servant leadership. His concluding phrase ‘ultimately creates a more just and caring world’ is incredibly important in our world today. Everyday in the news we see articles and accounts of injustice, hate, and prejudice; and as a Christian leader, a servant leader, we

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