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Understanding Servant Leadership

Understanding Servant Leadership

Aspects of a Servant Leader

Servant leadership is a leadership model where the leader’s main goal is to serve the subordinates. A servant leader’s main aim is to put the needs of the subordinates first and ensure that their goals and objectives are met before the interests of the leader (Dennis, Kinzler-Norheim, & Bocarnea, 2010). One of the aspects of a servant leader is their great communication skills. Servant leaders value the opinions of all team members. To have all members have the chance to give their opinion, they create good communication cultures. Another aspect of a servant leader is that they cultivate a culture of trust. Servant leaders ensure that the subordinates can trust them to have their interests put first in the team activities (Spears, 2010). A servant leader is also a person with the capability of inspiring others and helping them to become leaders. As a servant leader, a person has to be able to nurture the skills of the subordinates, thus enabling them to become better leaders.

Why does Servant Leadership Appeal to Me?

One of the main reasons why servant leadership appeals to me is that it is characterized by minimal politics and power issues. Servant leaders do not care about the status they get from a position but rather their effectiveness in serving the people that they lead. Therefore, a team that is guided by this form of leadership is less likely to have conflict issues relating to power and position in the organization. Another appealing factor about servant leadership is that it encourages accountability. Since servant leaders are serving their subordinates, they are forced to be accountable for their actions. They are impelled to perform the activities that contribute to the success of the team or else the team members will hold them accountable. This form of leadership is also appealing because of its ability to increase employee engagement. Servant leaders help to make employees to feel like they are a part of the team. They enable them to belong to the team and be engaged in all the activities that take place because the servant leader involves them in all the key information.

What Concerns do I have?

My main concern with this leadership style is that people’s perception of leadership is in most cases associated with authoritative styles. Therefore, a servant leader may easily be perceived as weak. As a result, people may take advantage of the characteristics of the leader and become less productive in the things that they are required to do. Additionally, I am concerned that this leadership style may take a lot of time to complete tasks. In less engaging leadership models, the leader can make decisions without involving the subordinates, which makes the process quick. On the other hand, this model requires the involvement of the subordinates because they are the ones being served. Having to involve others in decision-making increases the amount of time that is used in the process.

Why does servant leadership seem appropriate given The Thinking Habits?

The thinking habits are complementary to servant leadership. These are habits that enable people to form great interpersonal relationships, which are important in servant leadership (Jaisle, 2000). For example, the habit of communicating effectively is essential in servant leadership because it enables the leader to involve the subordinates in all the decisions they make.

References

Dennis, R. S., Kinzler-Norheim, L., & Bocarnea, M. (2010). Servant leadership theory. In Servant leadership (pp. 169-179). Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Jaisle, A. (2000). Thinking Habits of Mind, Heart, and Imagination for the 21st Century. Capella University

Spears, L. C. (2010). Character and servant leadership: Ten characteristics of effective, caring leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, 1(1), 25-30.

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Question 


Based on your reading on the Greenleaf Center website (linked in Resources), write several paragraphs describing the aspects of a servant leader. Why does it appeal to you as an approach to leadership?

Understanding Servant Leadership

Understanding Servant Leadership

What concerns do you have? Why does servant leadership seem appropriate given The Thinking Habits? Choose one of The Thinking Habits and elaborate