K: The commitment to treat the people with compassion and kindness is the basis of servant leadership in the global perspective. W: What are some of the methods that the leaders of different countries could adopt so that the people serve one another and prevent crimes and other problems against mankind? L: The leaders, by serving others and setting themselves as models for the followers could change the attitude of people, empower them to reach their maximum potential to be successful in life (Carroll & Patterson, 2014).
Servant leadership isn’t applied or adequate to only one type of culture or even one type of culture. Servant leadership can actually be applied to all walks of life and all parts of the world. For example, the culture of the Japanese and the religion of the Hindu people both embrace a sense of what we call servant leadership. All religions and cultures have their own unique way in which they apply servant leadership, either based on their beliefs, history, or lifestyles. The significance of servant leadership is demonstrated in different ways within each culture and religion even when some cultures are not aware that what they are implying is servant leadership. As religions and cultures change and expand through time the concept of servant leadership is adapted and applied in different ways.
Servant leadership also focuses more on the need of followers, empower followers, and help them to develop their full human capacity (Northouse, 2015). A leadership that have the mindset of serving others first before
Servant leadership is best know for placing the needs and wants of others above those of the leader; this helps to create a trusting and empowered team of followers to help organizations reach their goals (Mahembe & Engelbrecht, 2014). The servant leadership model is able to help nonprofit organizations gain a competitive advantage in ways that are not necessarily profit driven, such as improving employee satisfaction and commitment to the organization (Center for Servant Leadership, n.d.). The improvement of employee satisfaction has been linked to improved customer satisfaction, which helps to build support for the organization (Center for Servant Leadership, n.d.).
In The Case for Servant Leadership, author Dr. Kent M. Keith proposes that servant leadership is the most beneficial wholesome for a leadership model. Keith presents that the power leadership model does more harm than good, lacks problem solving, fails to grasp opportunities, and does not have the intention to create a better world unlike the service leadership model.
From the group Biblical Integration Paper, it was understood that servant-leadership is not only a gift of purpose that God places in the hearts of His people, but it is also a calling in one’s life to truly touch the lives of others in need. Living a successful life, as a servant-leader is not one that focuses on self-fulfillment, rather it is in seeking a fulfillment that comes from Christ when one pours him/herself out for the sake of others. It is through servant-leadership that one is able to bring hope into hopeless situations (Group Integration Paper,
Parris and Peachey (2012) in a study of the characteristics of servant leadership state that “servant leaders are distinguished by both their primary motivation to serve…” (p. 379). The goal of service to others is not to fulfill others wants but to fulfill their needs (Hunter, 2014). Greanleaf (1970) stated that the outcome of service should be that followers will become wiser, freer, more autonomous, and desire to serve others as well (as cited in Parris and Peachey, 2012).
Michelle’s life embodies the idea of a person who has the x-factor, she shows that leadership is something that is developed over time and learned through experiences. The x-factor is when individuals in a society spark creativity, it is a multi-discipline that borrows and synthesis existing intellectual resources to generate new ones and approach causation. (Burns, 2003). Michelle is a prime example of the ideals of the x-factor that crates a leader.
Over the past six years of my career as a project manager in an IT company, I have been working as a supervisor to manage a team of programmers and designers. Reflecting on this period of time which I have applied my leadership philosophy, I believe the leadership type, servant leadership, aptly describes my leadership style. I agree with what a servant leader stands for, and I aspire to become a better servant leader in the days ahead of me.
When facing crucial conversations such as conflicts or negotiations, people tend to look to autocratic or commanding leaders; organizations seldom see servant leaders as the person for the job. Although servant leadership is finding its way into contemporary discussions of effective leadership styles, people still view it as the characterization of a “weak or meek” leader (Collins, 2001, Kindle location 531). The Gospels, however, reveal that Jesus, the epitome of servant leadership, competently addressed critical conversations throughout his ministry (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 11:15-17, John 6:25-60, Matthew 16:21-23). While some may credit Jesus’s success to his divinity, this argument does not hold for those who followed his example of servant leadership. In contrast, Wilkes suggests the effectiveness of Jesus’s ministry was because of his servant leadership, rather than despite it.
Servant leadership is a leadership style that puts others first and begins with a natural desire to serve first. According to Robert K. Greenleaf (1970), servant leadership is a “philosophy and a set of practices” that improves the lives of people. The “servant-leader is servant first” (Greenleaf, Senge, Covey, Spears, 2002 & Center for Servant Leadership, n.d.) and selflessly serves others, while empowering them to lead with a purpose. Although, the term servant-leader was first proposed and coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970, the concept of servant leadership can be traced all the way back to the life of Jesus. Servant leadership, according to Greenleaf, is a theoretical framework that considers a leader’s key role as being that of service
The foundation of my personal leadership philosophy can be found in the principles of servant leadership as spelled out by Greenleaf (1970, 1977). Leadership is granted to individuals who are by nature servants. An individual emerges as a leader by first becoming a servant. Servant leaders attend to the needs of those they serve and help them become more informed, free, self-sufficient, and like servants themselves. Leaders and those they serve improve, enhance, and develop each other through their connection. A leader must also be conscious of inequalities and social injustices in the organizations they serve and work actively to resolve those issues. Servant leaders rely less on the use of official power and control, but focus on empowering those they
Values of Servant Leadership Servant Leadership (DMC 4113) SCD 207/07 Ghana Christian University College 3068 Words October 2010
One of the key aspects of values-centered leadership is actually knowing what comprises it and how it is implemented. Within the Intelligence Community (IC) we often relate this to Servant Leadership. Unknown to most is that this style of leadership has been employed and practiced by many in past years.
The Leadership Theory presented in this document is Servant Leadership. The article summarised herein is “A systematic literature review of servant leadership theory in organizational contexts” published in the Journal of Business Ethics, pages 113(3), 377-393, written by D.L. Parris and J.W. Peachey in 2012 but published in the 2013 Journal.
Empathy. “The servant-leader strives to understand and empathize with others. People need to be accepted and recognized for their special and unique spirits. One assumes the good intentions of coworkers and does not reject them as people, even if one finds it necessary to refuse to accept their behavior or performance” (Spears, 2004).