...REGENT UNIVERSITY The Understanding and Practice of ServantLeadership Servant Leadership Research Roundtable – August 2005 Larry C. Spears President & CEO The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The best test is: do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? —Robert K. Greenleaf The mightiest of rivers are first fed by many small trickles of water, and an apt way of conveying my belief that the growing number of individuals and organizations practicing servant-leadership has increased from a trickle to a river. Servant-leadership is also an expanding river, and one which carries with it a deep current of meaning and passion. The servant-leader concept continues to grow in its influence and impact. In fact, we have witnessed an unparalleled explosion of interest and practice of servant-leadership in the past fifteen years. In many ways, it can truly be said that the times are only now beginning to catch up with Robert Greenleaf’s visionary call to servant-leadership. The idea of servant-leadership, now in its fourth decade as a concept bearing that name, continues to create a quiet revolution in workplaces around the world. This article is intended to provide a broad overview of the growing influence this inspiring...
Words: 4875 - Pages: 20
...CONTEMPORARY THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP There has been much research compiled that compares the differences of the classic theories of leadership and management versus contemporary style of leadership and management. Both styles have been found to have their unique advantages, depending on the type of organization the theories are being utilized in. In this paper, I will be discussing the key variables needed in a leadership theory to effectively lead and manage others. I will also examine major components of each theory, and how they compare to one another. Finally, I will examine which theory best fits my leadership qualities, and my ability to lead others in an organizational setting. SERVANT LEADERSHIP theory 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. While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said: “The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possession. The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types...
Words: 2440 - Pages: 10
...Wladislaw Rivkin, Stefan Diestel, Klaus-Helmut Schmidt* The positive relationship between servant leadership and employees’ psychological health: A multi-method approach** Servant leadership is thought to encourage socially responsible and moral behaviors. In the present article, we test the positive relationship between servant leadership and employees’ psychological health. We argue that servant leadership is positively related to employees’ health because servant leaders shape employees’ needs and create work environments that fulfill these needs. We examine the proposed relationship of servant leadership (a) competing for variance with different well-known stressors, (b) in multiple samples, (c) at the within- and between-person level, and (d) in relation to long- and short-term indicators of strain. On the basis of this multi-method approach we seek to demonstrate that our results are invariant across different methodological conditions. In Study 1 (N=443), we simultaneously tested the between-person level relationships of servant leadership and job ambiguity to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization as the core symptoms of burnout. In Study 2 (N=75), we simultaneously tested the relationships of person-level servant leadership and day-level emotional dissonance to day-level ego depletion and need for recovery as outcomes. The results of both studies demonstrate that servant leadership is negatively related to strain and accounts for unique variance in short- and long-term...
Words: 10028 - Pages: 41
...leader is seen as servant first…” – Robert K. Greenleaf I could not say it any better than what Mr. Greenleaf said. Before even taking this class, I have been interested in the thoughts and theories of Robert Greenleaf who started the beginnings of Servant Leadership. Servant Leadership is the theory of leadership that I want to model my leadership style around. This short quotation, a fragment of a sentence from an essay written in 1970, captures the essence of servant-leadership theory. A simple, yet profound and powerful concept, it has spawned countless journal articles, books and multimedia productions in the 35 years since its introduction. So what is servant leadership? The very notion of a servant as leader, or “servant-leadership” as it has come to be known, is purposefully oxymoronic and arresting in nature. The theory’s originator, Robert K. Greenleaf, intentionally sought a descriptor that would give people pause for thought, and challenge any long-standing assumptions that might be held about the relationship between leaders and followers in an organization. Although aware of the negative historical connotations associated with the word ‘servant’, he felt it a necessary choice to turn established conceptions about the organizational pyramid on their head, and jump-start insight into a new view of leadership. Larry Spears, Executive Director of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, succinctly defines servant-leadership as: …A new kind...
Words: 2319 - Pages: 10
...Community-based Organizations and Servant Leadership Abstract This work will examine the framework of community-based nonprofit organizations and explore characteristics and challenges that affect their relevance and sustainability. It will also reference the key tenets of servant leadership as initially described by Robert Greenleaf in 1970 and describe how principles of servant leadership might effectively be applied to community-based nonprofit leadership, board governance and volunteerism. . Nonprofit organizations are an integral part of life; they operate to provide public benefit rather than serving their own special interest. A large percentage of nonprofits are community-based and especially vulnerable to the volatile nature of the economy and labor market, despite providing services and aid to the very segments also affected by those factors. Limited resources also restrict a small nonprofit’s ability to attract and retain talent capable of creating, sustaining and effectively achieving a viable vision for the nonprofit. By utilizing the tenets of servant leadership, community-based nonprofits may have an opportunity to tap into, and effectively develop, local talent that has an innate desire to serve the community. The principles of servant leadership are a natural fit for leadership framework in community-based organizations due to the innate nature of one serving the community in which they reside or work. This work will examine the framework of...
Words: 3259 - Pages: 14
... SERVANT LEADERSHIP Servant leadership offers a of a kind point of view to the leadership writing as it is the one hypothesis that is focused on the leader as a servant; this goes past the attention on the association with the emphasis on the needs of adherents. As such, servant leadership is about the leader being servant first according to Page & Wong (2000).While the needs of the association are constantly show, servant leaders put resources into the needs of their supporters, empowering, engaging and supporting them, and delivering servant leaders at all levels of the association, which at last prompts authoritative achievement. Trompenaars and Voerman (2010), in the book Servant Leadership crosswise over Cultures, refer to illustrations from Indian society to demonstrate that servant leadership was rehearsed in antiquated India. This can be exhibited by the way some famous Indian leaders lead their kin. India is a captivating and different nation with numerous dialects, societies, ranks, and religions. India has been formed by different incredible leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, and Ambedkar. These leaders are good examples for leadership, and their remarkable leadership qualities have numerous similarities with the qualities proposed by the servant leadership philosophies. The accompanying are the standards of servant leadership as showed in the Indian social setting...
Words: 1425 - Pages: 6
... SERVANT LEADERSHIP Servant leadership offers a of a kind point of view to the leadership writing as it is the one hypothesis that is focused on the leader as a servant; this goes past the attention on the association with the emphasis on the needs of adherents. As such, servant leadership is about the leader being servant first according to Page & Wong (2000).While the needs of the association are constantly show, servant leaders put resources into the needs of their supporters, empowering, engaging and supporting them, and delivering servant leaders at all levels of the association, which at last prompts authoritative achievement. Trompenaars and Voerman (2010), in the book Servant Leadership crosswise over Cultures, refer to illustrations from Indian society to demonstrate that servant leadership was rehearsed in antiquated India. This can be exhibited by the way some famous Indian leaders lead their kin. India is a captivating and different nation with numerous dialects, societies, ranks, and religions. India has been formed by different incredible leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, and Ambedkar. These leaders are good examples for leadership, and their remarkable leadership qualities have numerous similarities with the qualities proposed by the servant leadership philosophies. The accompanying are the standards of servant leadership as showed in the Indian social setting...
Words: 1425 - Pages: 6
...Leadership Theory Taxonomy Walden University March 20, 2016 Abstract This report focuses on four distinct leadership theories and how they affect leaders and those they lead. The leadership theories are; servant, transformational, authentic and XY. Leadership Theory Taxonomy Leadership theory taxonomy is the process of analysing different leadership theories with the aim of having a deep rooted understanding of the principles in the different theories and how these principles can be applied to practical leadership situation in the present day. This report will focus exclusively on four distinct leadership theories which are the X and Y theory, servant, transformational and authentic. Leadership in a simple way is seen as the act or process of leading a person or a group of people to achieve a certain goal Avolio, Walumbwa and Weber (2009), this definitely seems simple but most scholar believe the leadership is more than just leading people. The truth is that there are lots of ways that leadership has been defined over the years. The mere fact that you are a leader does not mean that people are being lead in the right way. Chen and Silverthorne (2005) explains that effective leadership combines some factors, there must be goal, while trying to achieve the goal, both the leaders and followers must grow in character and wisdom...
Words: 1412 - Pages: 6
...How Global, Corporate, and Community Values Servant Leadership Cathy R. Palmer Charleston Southern University Introduction Leadership is all about harnessing people power for the attainment of a desired goal and thus the concept of leadership cannot be restricted to the Organizational context. It pervades through all realms of society, whether it be in politics, religion or the corporate world. I am conducting a case study on the Values of Servant Leadership globally, corporate, and community. I will be taking into consideration the state of global affairs, the state of U.S. corporate affairs, small businesses, and the society around us, what is true value of servant leadership, both to corporate world and to the community at large? Global Affairs Management is no longer constrained by national borders. There is significant importance from globalization, and the world has definitely become the global village. Managers in organization of all sizes and types around the world have to confront the challenges of operating in the global market. Managers face challenges due to an array of environmental factor while doing business. He must effectively plan, organize, lead, control and manage cultural difference to be globally successfully. Creativity is the first step on the road to innovation, and has become vital for an organization to survive given the complexity of global change. Creativity is the ability to produce new ideas through imagination and...
Words: 1609 - Pages: 7
...Biblical Integration Paper: Group 1 Paul Cobb Anastasie Destouche Jennifer Kearns Paul Pirkle Mark Ricker Liberty University Abstract Servant-leadership is widely researched and discussed from a secular and Christian worldview (Fischer, 2010; see also Blanchard & Hodges, 2005). A Christian is called to follow God in all he does but life experiences can be conflicting in dealing with the spiritual and secular context; however, Christ wants his followers to operate within the context of the secular world. True servant-leadership is to emulate how Jesus led those around him - with complete selflessness and by serving others. Moreover, it is challenging for humans to be servant-leaders as they often desire personal recognition in life; yet, dedication to the Word and quiet reflection in God can help one to lead like Jesus. Larry Spears labeled Greenleaf a Grandfather of empowerment movement in business leadership (Greenleaf, 1996) because of his zeal toward servant-leadership. Greenleaf’s viewpoint, though commendable, conflicts with biblical principles. Thus, this paper analyzes Greenleaf’s work from a Christian worldview and institutes a biblical basis for servant leadership. Keywords: servant leadership, biblical perspective, gifts, loving, individual Introduction Servant-leadership is widely researched and discussed from a secular and Christian worldview (Fischer, 2010; see also Blanchard & Hodges, 2005). Paul encouraged believers to be imitators...
Words: 2397 - Pages: 10
...MGT 5133: Management of Organizational Behavior The Servant Leader 2/16/2016 I. Introduction This essay will describe the true meaning of servant leadership. How the servant leader is inspired and performed his/her job within the health care organization? The paper will also inform readers of how each individual can unleash the servant within described by Larry Spears in his book “Reflections on Leadership.” Everyone has a deep need for serving, sometimes adults find it very difficult to unleash this desire to serve. Having worked in a large Hospital for over five years, it is easy to see why many people get frustrated and depart the health care industry. There are many complicated situations that happen working in healthcare. Throughout the majority of these situations between registered nurses, patient care technicians, and some doctors; there are solutions for dealing with most of those problems. Compassion, empathy, trustworthiness, faithfulness, respect, honesty, integrity, and rapport are all words that will be used frequently within the body of the paper. In my personal quest to better understand how to work well with people in a highly stressful environment as in healthcare, I begin to do my own research on process improvement and better systems that works in the hospitals. I turned my mind to various leadership books on healthcare and process improvements in the hospital setting. Some of the books I read was tremendously inspiring, interesting...
Words: 2306 - Pages: 10
...Leadership Without Easy Answers and The Power of Servant Leadership: A Comparison of Leadership Theories The world is changing. Business now engages billions in international currencies, and the constant movement of supplies and services, and particularly oil, chemical, and dangerous goods is essential. This traffic requires good collaboration between government branches like shipping, defense, agriculture, organizations, and corporations involved, as well as individuals and the community. Furthermore, expectations of a long-term career mean that leadership is a necessary discipline. Leadership as never just an academic discipline: it is a mix of the theory, tools, and applications that will give an individual the best chance of developing a winning reputation for themselves and the organization they work for. In a modern business environment the skill of building great relationships within and without the organization gives a strategic edge. Organizations are not only looking for renewable contracts, lower turnover of staff, and greater return on investment, they are also looking for individuals with vision who can understand what work is, and make it better. Who act with courage, competence, and commitment and yet remain themselves. The Power of Servant Leadership by Robert K. Greenleaf: The slogan “Servant Leadership” was presented by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, he said: "The servant-leader...
Words: 2944 - Pages: 12
...What Is Servant Leadership? 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. While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said: “The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.” “The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?“ A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional...
Words: 2310 - Pages: 10
...follow him that leadership was to be the first and take the front to an act of service. Blanchard &Phil Hodges thought Jesus Christ is a servant leader because as servant leader is to do all; so he can to make life better for others--to free them to be everything they can be. If someone want to be a successful leader God will intended that one to be. They also assert we have a confident to become a servant leader, not self-servant leader. A servant leader is a leader who serves rather than be servant. Also, the Blanchard & Phil Hodges focused on four “H” (heart, heads, hands, Habits) necessary to be a true servant leader. First for heart, “heart “this word is define in our soul, emotions, and passions. More clearly, the heart of a leader is the foundation of her/his life, this drives in passion for lord and make the passion for services in effect other way. In servant leadership, using our heart can affect other people because everyone have opportunity to influence the thinking and behavior of other. Second, the author describe the head of a servant leadership. The head is someone perspective and visions. The clear vision is critical to success in anything we do because it is a good idea and strategy with tactics. The vision must have a purpose, a picture of the future and values. Third, the author talking about the head contains someone’s perspective and visions. A servant leader’s perspective must have intent and must have motivation to others. A servant leader must...
Words: 912 - Pages: 4
...Dami Oni MBA 506 Leadership Profile #3 Pope John Paul II One of the most constructive philosophies of contemporary leadership is servant leadership. Aimed at showing forth the leader as a servant, it focuses on the followers rather than having the leader ultimately ‘be the leader’. According to its proponent, Robert Greenleaf, “it begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” There is almost no farther example of an individual who interprets this statement than Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul made decisions and set various examples that culminated in the evidence of him being an interpreter of the ‘servant leadership’ theory. Pope John Paul II believed he was called to serve rather than be served and showed this in the smallest way possible. Servant leadership is one of the few schools of thought in leadership that makes the adherent, employee or follower, as the case may be, feel as human as possible, rather than seeing himself a slave. The leader puts others before himself, ensuring that he serves before even becoming the leader to assign roles or responsibilities. In Nahavandi’s (2015) words, ‘at the heart of servant leadership...is the focus on followers rather than the organization or the leader’. The focus of this philosophy is the development of the followers; to ensure that the leader does not let them remain the same after assumption of his position. His purpose is to be an example...
Words: 1016 - Pages: 5
