Premium Essay

Servant Leadership In The Army

Submitted By
Words 474
Pages 2
A team consists of two elements, the leader and the follower. A servant leadership is a great asset to an Army team. A good leader may have both bad followers and good followers and still be successful. Both roles coincide with each other, you cannot have a leader without the follower, and you cannot have followers without the leader. Each one fulfills a role that is unique to itself and only achievable by them.
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 (Greenleaf, n.d.). Being a servant leader is an embodiment of the creed of the noncommissioned officer, especially the line; I know my soldiers and I will always place their …show more content…
The army revolves around this concept and indoctrinates new soldiers in this belief with the warrior ethos. Followers need to understand a willingness to be led, there has to be both hope and trust in a leader for them to work effectively. At the same time, a good leader needs good followers. A good follower knows their rolls and fulfills them effectively.
As said in our class; understanding and mastering the relationship between leadership and followership, can make the difference between mediocrity and excellence. Each role in a team goes hand in hand. You can still be a good follower with a bad leader and vice versa. Both roles share the same attributes, character, presence, and intellect. The way the use them for each role differs. To say the least, both roles do not share the same goals, a selected leader cannot be a follower to his subordinates, if he takes orders from them that invalidates his role. Followers are meant to be a part of a team and work under their leader, in normal operations it is expected for them to follow exact orders and not to deviate from the plan. A followers plan to lead soldiers the wrong way after receiving direct orders can have a detrimental effect to mission

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Servant Leadership

...Servant Leadership Why is it someone can achieve things that seem to defy all the odds? Why is it George Washington, a Virginia farmer with a love for the military became the “Father of our Country” ? An honorable, virtuous, adventuresome, solider who fought for independence from the British. Why him? Why is it that Mahatma Gandhi was the architect of civil disobedience that influenced the world? A struggling, shy, student who had tremendous difficulty speaking in public. Gandhi was unsuccessful as a lawyer in Bombay. He found his calling working for the downtrodden Indian minority in South Africa. Why him? Why is it Mother Teresa, a convent school teacher dedicated to her student’s education became a Noble Prize humanitarian? Her clinics now care for tens of thousands. Why her? Why is it that Jesus, (whether one believes he is just a man or truly the Son of God), became the most influential person who ever lived? Born in a barn to poor parents; Jesus relied on friends and strangers for food and shelter. He changed the culture of the world. Why him? There is something else at play here, Servant leadership. Servant leaders show proof of their character through behavior. They display the common practices of model leadership by modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act and encouraging the heart (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). Leadership is about service, stewardship, and shepherding those; at...

Words: 2810 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

The Servant

...The Servant by James C. Hunter The Servant is a very inspiring story about the true meaning of leadership. I found this story to be skillfully written to capture daily lessons, powerful terms, concepts, principles, thoughts, ideas, etc. in each class session. The monk, who was once a renowned former business executive, Wall Street legend and published author, taught the class. He gave up riches and a wealthy lifestyle to live as a monk in a monastery. Even though, the book was centered around John Daily a general manager of a large firm, it also depicted classroom sessions from other participants in John's class. John was advised by his pastor to attend a weeklong retreat at the Christian monastery after confessing to his pastor about his failures as a boss, husband, father and coach. As with John, each participant had their own personal reasons for attending the retreat where they all came from all walks of life. The participants included an army sergeant, a nurse, a preacher, a Hispanic principal, a black female basketball coach and so on. Each class session was a learning experience for all the participants including me. I felt like an invisible student in each class session. Each class was filled with knowledge, wisdom and understanding about the true meaning of leadership broken down into simple terms. Throughout the weeklong sessions, the meaning of leadership was defined and refined according to the daily teachings by the monk. The monk illustrated the old paradigm...

Words: 569 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Flim Paper Gladiator Leadership

...name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius; father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.” In the 2000 film, Gladiator, Russel Crow plays a victorious Roman general, Maximus, whose charismatic leadership and order to return Rome back over to the Senate led the emperor’s son, Commodus Aurelius, played by Joaquin Phoenix, to murder his father, Marcus Aurelius, and plot the condemnation of Maximus. After escaping his own execution, Maximus is captured by slave traders and sold to Proximo’s business of harvesting gladiators. After growing in popularity he and his fellow gladiators are sent to Rome where he later forms a plot with Lucilla, Commodus’ sister, and Senator Gracchus to overthrow his nemesis, Commodus, and to return Rome to a senate-based government. Maximus was successful in his attempt to lead his followers and defeat his enemy through his charismatic leadership style and his reliance on his expert and referent power. Maximus exudes charisma through his self-confidence and humility in which he leads his followers. In the beginning of the film, Maximus walks the talk by fighting on the front lines of battle amongst his army with the Germanic barbarians. In order to inspire his men, Maixmus uses imagery and rhetorical language to motivate his army to be strong and succeed. “Three weeks from now, I will...

Words: 627 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

World Civilization Cortez

...headed to conquer Mexico, which he heard is a country full of riches. Cortes’ use of leadership played a fundamental role the result of the conquest of Mexico. From the very beginning he to induced fear into the Mexicas with the usage of technology, he made them believe they were tueles by acting god like, he befriended many enemy states and most of all his military technique when they entered Tencohtitlan lead to their conquest of Mexico. Moctezuma’s leadership on the other hand lead to the conquest of Mexico, he would give gifts and praise the Spaniards not inflicting fear. He lost all power over the Mexicas once he was captured which lead to their conquest. Leadership, military and political strategies led to the conquest of Mexico. The Spaniards finally arrived at the Port of San Juan de Ulua, they were greeted by two ambassadors sent by Moctezuma. These ambassadors were accompanied with painters to take pictures back to their prince. Cortes saw this as a chance to make an impression of their technology and strength. “Cortes Ordered our gunner to load the lombards with great charge of powder so that they should make a great noise when they were fired” (Schwartz 87). This passage is an example of how Cortes used his leadership to their benefit. He also told the horsemen to get ready so Moctezuma’s servant would see them. Cortes ordered these actions to place fear on Moctezuma’s servants and on Moctezuma himself. The Mexicas never saw horses or heard these loud noises,...

Words: 2452 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Servant Leadership Paper

...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 1970). This definition allows many different groups of people to be considered servants leaders. The definition is too broad and inaccurate in today’s workplace. Throughout this paper, the term “servant leadership” will be used in a more specific manner using direct examples to back its true definition. Transactional leadership theories are characterized by a transaction made between the leaders and the followers. For transactional theories to be effective and as a result have motivational value, the leader must find means to align to adequately reward or punish his follower, for performing leader-assigned tasks (Leadership Central 2013). After reading the definition of the transactional leadership theory, the statement, “Although servant leadership is often associated with the Bible and Jesus Christ, it is totally compatible with most religions and theories of philosophy” does not match at all with the transactional leadership theory. To be more specific, using the transactional leadership theory in a religious environment would do nothing but separate the following. To reward/punish specific groups or individuals within a religious setting could have devastating results. This is where the term “cult” could potentially come in to play. A cult is a particular system of religious worship...

Words: 1239 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

King David

...ADU-302 Servant Leadership 08/09/2012 Jason Flejter King David was an extremely influential person in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic doctrine and will always be considered a pillar in the foundation of all three cultures. King David was known for being “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). He has been portrayed as not only a righteous King, but as a shepherd, noble warrior and poet as well. He is accredited with many of the psalms in the Holy Bible and is best known for reuniting the people of Israel. Character Traits Displayed by David David was born the youngest child of Jesse, a descendant from the tribe of Judah. Being the youngest child, David grew up with little respect from his siblings. As a shepherd attending his family’s flock David learned to be brave and courageous. “When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine (1 Samuel 17: 34-37). It is with character trait by the blessing of God that David faced and defeated Goliath. While David is best known for his courage, he has many other characteristics a strong servant leader...

Words: 1175 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Dq University: a Leadership Analysis

...D-Q University: Leadership Analysis The rebirth of D-Q University describes how none of the leaders of the American tribal college movement and one of the nation’s 34 tribal colleges faced financial difficulties, accreditation challenges resulting in the college being faced with the decision whether to close its doors or not. Leadership failure to reach Indian students before the accreditation was revoked is thought to be a primary issue creating low student enrollment. We will discuss background, issues, analysis, and make recommendations addressing the leadership failures in the areas of power structures, leadership, systems thinking, organizational culture, and ethics impacting the college ability to re-open its doors to the Indian student population its purpose to educate and serve. Background The desire for a Native American university can be traced back to the writings of Jack Forbes in the 1960s. Forbes, who was also a professor at UC Davis, eventually became a co-founder of D-Q University (D-QU). Other founders included David Risling and Carl Gorman. When his proposals largely fell upon deaf ears, he formed a committee for the establishment of an actual university. When an Army communications facility near Davis was decommissioned in 1970, the committee filed an application to use the land for a school. UC Davis filed a competing application for the space, and scandal erupted when Senator George Murphy publicly revealed, while the applications were still supposed...

Words: 2988 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Leadership & the Quran

...LEADERSHIP & THE QURAN LEADERSHIP & ISLAM • Islam is a complete way of life • God’s commands thru the last of the divinely God s revealed books, the Qur’an. • 2 sources of principles and practices are th f i i l d ti the Qur’an and the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) M h d(PBUH) • A leader in Islam is said to be not free to act as h chooses, nor must h submit to the he h he b i h desires of others - he MUST act in accordance to God’s laws d G d l I Introduction Hadiths of the Prophet • “Whenever three of you are traveling, you should Wh h f l h ld elect one as your leader.” (Abu Dawood) • “Everyone of you is a lleader and you shall b E f d d h ll be asked about those you lead (on the Day of Judgment). Judgment) Imam is a leader over the people and shall be asked about them; a man is a leader of the house and shall be asked about his household ; a woman is a leader over her children and she shall be asked about them.” (in Bukhari and Muslim ). Ag Agenda • Ch Characteristics that should not exist h h ld • 9 Qualities of Leadership based on the life Q p of Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) • Model Leaders in Islamic History • Conclusion – the principle of being a Servant-Leader Servant Leader Characteristics that should not exist • Pride and arrogance. P g • Seek recognition and notoriety. • Desire to seek leadership or other benefits. • Considering him/herself perfect or better than others. This can lead to: • jealousy j y • suspicion about others • backbiting g •...

Words: 1081 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Leadership

...1 April 2008 pp. 33 - 50 FEATURE Leadership Styles of Information Technology Administrators in Selected Philippine Adventist Educational Institutions Adrian Schmidt Abstract: This study investigated the relationship between the Leadership Style of Information Technology (IT) administrators in selected Adventist colleges/universities in the Philippines, and the perception of the consumers about IT services. Significant differences were found in the perceptions of IT services when consumers were grouped by age, number of years in the institution, and level of education completed. Significant differences were found between the faculty, staff and students, with students indicating less favorable perceptions of IT services. Negative correlations were found between the attitude of consumers toward the IT department and the authoritative component of leadership, and a positive correlation was found between a laissez-faire style and attitudes of consumers toward the IT department. Information Technology (IT) departments are often perceived as being characterized by a lot of movement, speed, and the sense of never having enough time. But, are there differences between IT departments? Is there a way to differentiate between IT departments that produce better results and those that are always behind schedule? Between the best IT leaders and the mediocre ones? What are the factors that influence people’s perceptions of IT services? Does leadership style influence their perception? Are...

Words: 4606 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

Ddwdwdw

...26/04/2015 Leadership:
 Understanding its Global Impact
 Lecture 7 1. The Integrative approach to understanding leadership: Charismatic, Transformational, Servant 2. Application of Leadership theory to case study – Kevin Rudd   What to study for next TEST 2? •  Lecture notes - Week 4 to Week 7 •  Book Format of Test? •  Multiple questions – 10 questions •  Subjective question- 1 question •  40 minutes •  Will start at 9.15 am / 2.15 pm 1 26/04/2015 QUIZ •  How does situational leadership theory build on behavioural leadership theory? 4   Suggested answer: Example of Situational building on Behavioural is Hersey’s model Situational leadership theory builds on the behavioural theory as it introduces the idea that the most appropriate leadership style should be a combination of: •  task •  relations-oriented behaviour And that key factors in the work situation will determine the emphasis on task and relations behaviour in each combination We now have four possible leadership styles: (See diagram next slide) 5   Situational theory expanding on Behaviour/Style theory Leadership behaviour/style orientation Task Relations Both should be either High/Low – depending on follower maturity 6   2 26/04/2015 Example of Situational building on Behavioural is Hersey’s model Q: What is the right amount of emphasis on task & relations? Ans: It depends on the situation Q: According to Hersey...

Words: 1958 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Leadership in the 2/29th Infantry Regiment

...Leadership in the 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army: An Evaluation & Critique by RAB April 2015 Table of Contents Foreword …………………………………………………………………………….………….. 1 Introduction ………………………………………………………………….…….……………. 2 Organization & Objectives ………………………………….……………...…….………………3 Figure 1: 2/29th IN Organizational Structure …………………………………………….4 Theory of Leadership & Leadership Practices..………………………………….……….…….. 7 Figure 2: James Collins Level Five Leadership Model…………………………………..8 Effects of Leadership Practices on Organizational Culture ……………………….………….... 10 SWOT Analysis ………………………………………………………………………..…….… 11 Application of the Level Five Leadership Theory …………………………….…………….… 13 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………...…… 16 Figure 3: James Collins Level Five Leadership Model, applied………………………..17 NOTES …………………………………………………………………………………….. 18 Foreword This leadership critique is an analysis of my own personal thoughts and impressions of a unit in the U.S. Army. While I was in the Army, I was a young company grade officer. I want to stress that this is one young officer’s opinion. When I cite a fact or research, I will source it. Otherwise, please take this as a young officer’s critique and analysis. In other words, this critique is intended as a spring board for a discussion; it is not a multi-page paper designed to be entered as evidence in a court. This evaluation is my attempt to reconcile how my...

Words: 5614 - Pages: 23

Free Essay

First Biz Paper

...The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is located in Huntsville, Alabama. The facility is one of the nation’s top science centers and is home to America’s Space Program. Huntsville, Alabama, is the birthplace of the US Space program and the Center is used as a location to help that story. More than 60 years ago, German Rocket scientists were moved to Huntsville following the end of World War Two. The US Army tagged their mission, “Operation Paperclip.” The Army used that name to describe more than 100 German scientists whose names were inside a folder. The materials were held together by a simple paperclip. The name stuck and became one of America’s greatest accomplishments as the Germans began working for the United States Army to develop missiles. At the end of World War Two, the Army allowed the German scientists to continue their work. Their dreams were not to create, build or deploy army rockets, but rather to create rockets that could go into space. In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the agency under the name The National Aeronautics and Space Act. The NASA mission, according to President Eisenhower, was to encourage peaceful applications in space science. As the program grew, President Kennedy challenged the nation to go the moon in the decade of the 1960’s. In Kennedy’s words, “We choose not to do this because it is easy but because it is hard.” NASA, using more than 20 billion dollars in federal funding, began building the Saturn V rocket...

Words: 742 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Howard Zinn And The American Revolution

...Howard Zinn continued to talk about the American Revolution. The main argument for Zinn in this chapter was that the revolution was fought mainly by the poor people, but it led by the rich who controlled and gained the most benefits of the war. In this chapter, Zinn wrote about the revolution and its results and the conflict between the poor and rich people. The first thing was the revolution and its results. The revolution was against the British rule. The American leaderships wanted the independence. So, they consisted Revolution army and colonial militia; and allowed to only white men, who Zinn described them as, “hall-marks respectability or at least of full citizenship.” But then, they allowed to less respectable white men. One of the...

Words: 650 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Jackie Robinson Leadership

...April 15, 1947, and went on to thrive breaking the strong color barrier that had been around the Major Leagues since 1876. He not only was the first African America to play baseball but he displayed honor and respect to every person on the field and off the field he came in contact with. His career helped drive the civil rights movement that started in the 1950s and 1960s. Jackie had a way of presenting himself to people no matter what color they were. He was known to be an aggressive man yet only when standing up for his civil rights. He always hated injustice things and would do whatever was in his power to seek out solutions to anything he could. I particular event that occurred and that many people honored were when Jackie was in the army. He had the courage to stand up on the bus and tell the sergeant who wanted him to go to the back of the bus ‘No’. This caused an outrage and Jackie went on to be court-martialed for his guts to fight for civil rights. Jackie was a firm believer in facing his problems head on and he was never an ‘avoider’. Upon most of all Jackie’s success in the Major Leagues, it was mainly because he had the courage and guts not to fight back at times and lead by example. What I mean by this is that he was such a strong leader that when the Brooklyn Dodgers drafted Jackie, the president Branch Rickey wanted Robinson to not fight back and restrain himself to any racial situations. A great example of this comes from a conversation that I researched from...

Words: 2337 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Entrepreneurial Leadership Paper

...VICTOR ADEJAYAN | ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP PAPER | DR. WALTER W. DINGMAN | | BUS 508 | 2012 | A short analysis of the entrepreneurial approaches of Samuel Walton and Christopher Zorich | Profit oriented entrepreneurial approaches of Samuel Moore Walton. Sam Walton, the man Samuel Moore Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, was archetypal leader with some level of consistencies in his lifetime that stayed with him until his death. Sam was a servant-leader who listened quietly to the customers and sought to please them. He believed in hard work, worked hard and had fun doing it. His leadership style If ever there was a true born leader, Samuel Walton was one. Sam, as he was popularly called, was born the first child of his parents, Thomas and Nancy Walton on March 29, 1918. By virtue of his birth, he took some amount of responsibility for his only sibling, J.L. "Bud" Walton. Maybe, this helped him in developing very strong leadership skills early in life. Sam attended Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri where he served as class president. He played football in the school’s team which had no defeats as long as Sam was the quarterback. Sam attended the University of Missouri at Columbia where he got a degree in business and he was about to commence graduate studies in insurance when he decided for engagement in retail business. I personally believe that Sam deduced from his exposure to business studies that he had some of the qualities that success in...

Words: 1519 - Pages: 7