The Role Of Cultural Perceptions That Were Reinforced By Servant Leadership

Dr. Kent M. Keith is the Chief Executive officer for the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. Over the past thirty years, Keith has become an advocate of servant leadership. According to his website, Keith focuses on aiding to others and has a mission to help people find personal meaning in the world. In one of his most recent publications, The Case for Servant Leadership, Keith highlights the servant leadership model while explaining how and why it can be used in order to establish a better world.

“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.” (greenleaf.org)

Servant leadership is an effectual way to motivate the employees. Its unique emphasis on concern for

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.

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.

As with the companies in the case studies, United Service Automobile Association (USAA) illustrates different facets of servant leadership (Northouse, 2013, p.236). The company displays servant leadership based on a mixture of a few of the ten characteristics of servant leadership (Spears, 2002) and the four of the seven servant leadership behaviors (Liden, Wayne, et al.’s, 2008). The characteristics are empathy and listening. The behaviors displayed are putting followers first, helping followers grow and succeed, behaving ethically, and creating value for the community. Servant leadership is seen in USAA from the creation of the company in 1922 to present.

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

Servant leadership is always looking for other the followers needs and other people who needs his/her help (see: Kelly A. Phipps, J.D., Ph.D. , 2010). “ Don't do anything from selfish ambition, or from a cheap desire to boast. but be humble towards each other, never thinking you are better than others. And look out for each other's interests, not just for your own”. (Phil 2:3-4). As well as values that character of servant leadership consisted of it, There; trust and appreciate other as well as empowerment. that is the most aspect for servant leadership (see: Robert F. Russell, 2001).

In the wake of financial scandals the demand for ethical or value based leaders became a reality (Copeland, 2014 ; George , 2003). Further, ethical leadership is not possible in a global environment is the leaders does not have a global mindset (Cohen , 2010). However, besides being ethical and having a global mindset more is still required to complete the picture. According to Patterson, Dannhauser, and Stone (2007) “global leadership requires a focus on understanding and respect for others” (p. 3). The leadership style that resonates with serving others is servant leadership.

Michael, your post was well written and you organized your thoughts in a concise and easy to read format. Servant leadership does require specific moral virtues, as you mentioned in your post. Servant leadership was first introduced in the late 1900’s and brought a previously absent moral dimension to the leadership field (Sousa & Dierendonck, 2017). Servant leaders are distinguishable from other leaders because servant leaders, instead of serving their own needs, focus on the needs and interests of others and serving them (Peterson, Galvin, & Lange, 2012). You stated, “A leader does not have to surrender their leadership abilities when it comes to serving others.” This is a correct and appropriate assessment. Leaders must continue to lead and simultaneously assess the needs of their subordinates or their organization.

The manager who practices this philosophy challenges, encourages, and develops their team, and as a result, their team grows with them, thereby making servant leaders easy to spot. Instead of the traditional top-down hierarchy, these authors espouse that servant leaders knock the traditional hierarchy of the past on its side, working alongside their co-workers instead of giving orders. Trompenaars and Voerman (2010) describe organizations where people are working beneath their level, never being allowed to perform other functions than their job description commissions. Servant leaders look for the hidden talents in their staff and recognize that by empowering their employees, they are allowed to reach their full potential, and everyone

 The group’s first unanimously chosen topic/concept, selfless service or servant  leadership, is important to organizational leaders because of the positive influence this character trait has on employee motivation and job satisfaction within organizations (De Clerq, Bouckenooghe, Raja, & Matsyborskam, 2014; Blanchette, 2015) “Servant leaders provide strong empowerment to their followers, allowing [followers] to experience high levels of  ... [job satisfaction]... [The study also] demonstrated that a follower-friendly leadership style [was] an important source of employee work motivation” (De Clerq, Gouchkenooghe, Raja, & Matsyborska, 2014 p. 189, 206). “Maj. Gen. Dees’ definition of selfless service is related to Organizational Management and Leadership, since selfless service is a

The Servant Leader discusses the importance of leaders who adopt a service oriented attitude in which they care for the needs of others before their own. A servant leader need not be an actual servant or have ever been a servant to become a servant leader. Rather, a servant leader is born with or adopts an “others first” disposition. Climbing through the ranks may help to create a servant leader, though it is not necessary. When leaders choose to see that the needs of their followers or their organizations are the highest priority they become servants.

, 2000). Leaders that create a vision, use power in socially constructive ways to serve others, are sensitive to the followers' needs, and help develop their abilities for empowerment are more effective (Howell & Avolio, 1992). Effective leaders set the ethical climate of the organization. Effective leadership requires intelligence, hard work, dedication, and an intense understanding and appreciation of human nature and human beings with a set of technical competencies and a set of emotional competencies, diverse and flexible enough to move with the changing times (Campbell, 2004). Servant leadership may be a unifying theory from which many leadership styles may be integrated. The basis for any leadership behavior, which may encompass any

Instead of asking an individual to do something for him, he or she instead does it himself. Sometimes going hardly noticeable by others because to them it becomes expected of them. Servant Leadership is associated with theological and orgazational values ( Paul and Blanchard, 1988). It is in regards to caring, elegance, importance and management being highly regarded with servants feeling better about their employees and themselves. Servant Leaders benefit from insights, information, contacts which makes it productive and effective in what they do. Recommending and suggesting new ways of doing things gives leaders an effective way to self-replenish