Servant Leadership Weaknesses

“Servant leadership refers to a leadership approach by which leaders set aside their self-interest and altruistically work for the benefit of their followers, and the communities in which they operate” (Newman, 2017, p.49). To accomplish this, a leader must be thoroughly engaged in their environment and an active listener. My third strength is active listening. Active listening relates to the servant leadership theory because active listening “enables a servant leader to build trustful relationships with others and to understand the needs of followers to create an effective working climate and culture and to grow and release individual talent” (Coetzer, 2017, p. 13). Active listening requires one to listen respectfully, to engage in questions, provide time for reflection, and to be consciously seek out and interpret subtext. Open and honest communication between a leader and employee are integral to the proper function of a work environment. Employees who feel unheard may disengage and become less productive. A decline in employee morale, productivity, and engagement are failures of a leader and are generally the result of poor communication and listening skills.

One study found that servant leadership leads to higher levels of commitment to the supervisor and efficiency in work. My experience agrees with this finding. By exercising the four servant leadership practices mentioned above, I believe one will not just become a better leader, but also a better person as

By taking the Seven Habits Profile I was able to identify some of the leadership weaknesses I see in myself. These weaknesses include how stress affects my behavior, a lack of creativity, and how my perception influences my leadership.

Listening and learning from other are two of the essential skills needed to be a servant leader. When running and/or leading an organization, having experience in listening to their followers/peers is fundamental in understanding servant leadership. The nature of servant leadership is not only the character of the leader but the positives behaviors and matter in which the leader conducts themselves. Relationships are significance to a servant leader, it is vital to have individuals around the leader that has some of the same values and goals.

Servant leadership breaks the tradition of top down leadership. According to Schwartes (2015), there are ten characteristics an effective servant leader should follow. The effective leader utilizes active listening and thoughtful responses with their followers. They use empathy; they listen without demonstrating judgement. The environment should be safe and the leader should feel that they are a whole person. The leader is aware of the surroundings; they are the expert in their environment. The leader utilizes persuasion and conceptualization; the followers are free to express their thoughts without repercussions and that problems will be solved proactively. The leader also demonstrates a commitment to their community by showing that they serve the overall need of the servants and environment.

Throughout this past week I have had several misconceptions resolve regarding servant leadership that have resolved. The main misconception or preconception that I had was that servant leaders were pushovers and that they would have difficulty in leading others to reach a common goal. Through the readings that were assigned, specificially in chapter 6, I now understand that a servant leader values relationships with their follwers and by doing so that they can use the gained trust to influence them to reach a common goal (DelHousaye & Brewer, 2004). I had never really thought about how much influence played a part in the success of a leader until this class and yet I completely agree. I think back to the mangers that I have had

I think a weakness that I have is Enable Others to Act: Foster collaboration through trust & relationships. I think for the most part they know how to do their job. Although they do not talk so much with each other I think they know their job in their own way. What my weakness comes with the adding of my job to their job. I won’t have any control over it when I am gone and I can only hope that they will offer all the information to the members.

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

Weaknesses: My effective follower weaknesses include me not patiently waiting for my boss to suggest an alternative plan first. Instead, in this particular assessment I chose to take the initiative first and did not wait for an alternative plan to assist the problem we were faced with. This takes away from me being an effective follower, simply because I am rushing to take lead. Whether I knew what I was doing or not, I have to follow before I can

One strength is “loyalty: servant leadership has the needs of an organization’s staff become primary importance.” (Root). Another strength is “involvement: a workplace that runs under a servant leadership style can choose to operate for the needs of individual employees or it can operate as a collective, where the group makes decisions as a whole.” (Root). I believe that making decisions as a whole along with open and effective communication is a huge part of what helps a business become

Listening. “The servant-leader seeks to identify the will of a group and helps clarify that will. He or she seeks to listen receptively to what is being said. Listening, coupled with regular periods of reflection, is essential to the growth of the servant-leader” (Spears, 2004). In addition, “employees understand a deaf ear equates to a closed mind. Servant leaders understand that listening gains knowledge. Listening is a wonderful benefit, it enables leaders to obtain information and find meaning in what is being said” (Spears, 2004).

2.Be Empathic - Do people believe that you will understand what is happening in their lives and how it affects them? Servant leaders can "walk in others' shoes" and recognize the unique value of each employee. They understand and empathize with others' circumstances and problems. Leaders who are empathetic have earned confidence from others by understanding whatever situation is being faced. This characteristic is a skill that comes more naturally to some than others, but it is pertinent for all who aspire to be a servant leader.

Some may think of the term servant leadership as a negative word, thinking they will have job duties such as getting your leader coffee, running errands, or making you do assignments you may feel is you are doing thankless, unpleasant, or tedious work. This is not what servant leadership is. Individuals who are in the position as a servant leader will take his or her associates and contributions into consideration and appreciate their work by being consistent and allowing them to voice their ideas and thoughts. One of the main focuses of servant leadership is to build and make more servant leaders to be as good as you are or better than you are. In doing so, the servant leaders must be willing to allow other individuals to grow by giving them the capacity or weight to delegate other individuals to advance. Servant leaders should also provide an open-door policy where employees or individuals can get work assistance and personal assistance they may need outside of the workplace that with help them grow. In leadership models, a common mistake has been made often, and that is servant leaders take individuals for granted and make them responsible for all task. This problem should be corrected by servant leaders having a positive attitude of including self in the daily tasks and not just giving and ordering other employees or others to always get the job done. Servant leaders do not use their power to demand things or summons workers. The

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

Several reviews have been conducted to provide insight into servant leadership as a theory. Parris and Peachey (2013) state that Russell and Stone reviewed the theoretical framework of servant leadership and listed nine distinct character traits of servant leaders, namely; integrity, honesty, vision, service, trust, modeling, pioneering, appreciation of others and empowerment. Parris and Peachey (2013) appreciate the conceptual framework in the work of Russell and Stone yet they note that it lacks a methodology.