...Servant Leadership: A Philosophy and Set of Practices Lori Kleeberg BSN, RN CMSRN Pfeiffer University Abstract Servant leadership is a distinct leadership concept and needs further studying. It is a unique leadership philosophy that places the followers as the top priority. The attitudes, dimensions, characteristics, and virtues of a servant leader in the discussed publications all have shared themes. Self-interest of the servant leader is not important and does not motivate this type of leader. The motivation of the servant leader focuses on the needs of others. Honesty and integrity are held in high regard with this leadership style. Communication and listening are key components in engaging those they serve. Teaching, delegation, and guiding are the method in which the servant leader develops and empowers their followers. Servant leadership is a concept that must be adopted by the organization as a whole to have the intended impact. Servant Leadership: A Philosophy and Set of Leadership Practices Servant leadership is both a modern leadership philosophy and a set of leadership practices. The term servant leadership was created by Greenleaf in "The Servant as Leader” in 1970. In Greenleaf’s publication, he defined servant leadership as “The servant-leader is servant first” (Greenleaf, 2002, p. 29). This type of leader has a natural desire to serve and aspire their followers to lead. (Greenleaf, 2002). This philosophy has gained much attention over...
Words: 2159 - Pages: 9
...Servant Leadership Lynda Kosh Indiana Wesleyan University BSM 580 MGT 441 – Philosophy of Corporate Culture Facilitator: Nick Ipock June 21, 2012 Leadership today takes many forms and has numerous definitions and styles. Servant Leadership, though not a new concept, is at the forefront of discussion from leaders and observers around the globe. The final paper for Philosophy of Corporate Culture focused on the steps necessary for successful change implementation. This paper will expand upon the idea of Servant Leadership and whether it will help or hurt change implementation within a given organization. Prior to any discussion about the qualities, actions, and implications of being a servant leader, we must first take a look at its modern day origin and definition. The phrase “Servant Leadership” was originally coined 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 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” (Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, 2012)...
Words: 1667 - Pages: 7
...ETHICS AND LEADERSHIP Strengths of Servant and Transformational Leadership Greenleaf indicated that a great leader is first a servant to those being served and whose desire it is to help others, i.e. employees, communities and customers as well as sharing decision making and power. This is to make sure that others needs are first being taken care of or considered before the leader. The servant leader helps to grow others and this could in-turn help them to become servants and grow others. This will also help to create a positive impact in societies as well as have a transforming influence to others. Larry Spears (2004) extracted ten (10) strengths of servant leadership from Greenleaf’s writings that is essential for servant leaders. 1. Firstly, leaders need to be good listeners. Listening will help leaders to identify the needs of followers and as well as to clarify the needs to ensure that followers needs are addressed accordingly. 2. Leaders need to show empathy to those being served. Empathy will show that the leader understands and feel for others. This helps followers to feel that their concerns are being recognized by the leader and that the leader will give attention to their concerns. 3. Healing is identified as a great strength of servant leaders in that they have the ability to restore hurt of others such as emotional or broken spirits. In cases such as this servant leaders take the opportunity to console followers. 4. The fourth...
Words: 871 - Pages: 4
...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
...Servant Leadership The term “servant leadership” was labeled by Robert K. Greenleaf (1904-1990) in his significant work “The Servant as Leader” (1970, 1977). This theory reflects the recent change in the ideal of what a leader should represent. Whereas the figure of a leader almost mystical, a hero who leads for co-religionist, has lost supporters quickly, the ideal of a leader who serves directly to the followers taking precedence to the needs of the leader is widely settled in people´s minds within a few years. The short-term and personal bonus-oriented focus has turned into a responsible and socially conscious one (Van Dierendonck, Patterson, 2010). In servant leadership theory could be distinguished two unique elements: • In contradistinction to other leadership approaches the task in servant leadership is not the wellbeing of the leader, a servant leader is strictly concerned with the wellbeing of his/her followers (Greenleaf, 2002). • The servant leader is primus enter pares (i.e.,first among equals), the leader do not take advantage of the power to get things done, trough the act of serving the community he will try to convince the others (Stone et al., 2004 cited in Van Dierendonk, Patterson, 2010, p. 8) There are 10 recognizable characteristics in Greenleaf´s writings essential to the development of servant leadership. Characteristics and behaviors a servant leader should have and cultivate such as listening, empathy, healing (helping), awareness (general and self)...
Words: 388 - Pages: 2
...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
...Servant Leadership Tamara Graham Walden University MMPA-6420-1 Organizational Management and Leadership January 21, 2016 “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant” (Jones-Burbridge 2012, pg. 46). The principle of service guides servant leadership. When applied as a style of management in an organization, servant leadership requires leading by serving others. In the general context of leadership, serving others is oxymoronic. Leaders dominate, delegate, direct, and monitor. They do not often take it upon themselves to 'grow' employees into capable decision makers or self-directed project leaders'. Servant leadership offers a paradigm shift; moving from self-interest to primus inter pares: first among equals. It optimizes team and individual efforts by building leaders among peers. Servant leadership does not support micromanaging staff, or missing opportunities to develop authentic leadership. Servant leadership leads from behind. Sadri and Bowen (2011) explain that Motivated employees move beyond basic work duties to provide their organization with their genuine efforts. They take ownership of the mission and vision of the company building organizational effectiveness. Lichtenwalner (2010) believes servant leadership emphasizes service to all stakeholders regardless of title or position. The focus of this type of leadership is the individualized support that enhances...
Words: 918 - Pages: 4
... 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
...very challenging and rewarding career. Young people are taught very early, the essentials of management and leadership. Many times, sailors are put in a position to lead early in their careers. The mission is the most important responsibilities of a leader in the military. Maintaining the welfare of the sailors is secondary. Seeking out responsibility and taking responsibility for your actions are the essentials of military leadership and are the factors that will drive a sailors career to new positions of authority. Serving in the military for over 20 years, I have held various positions of leadership. Throughout that time, I have had opportunity to improve my skills as a leader, as well as evaluate the type of leader that I am. Due to the ever-changing political climate, different leadership styles demand new types of leadership roles. There is not a one-size-fits-all type of leader in the military. All missions are unique, and personnel are always changing positions in the Navy overall. Therefore, leaders in the military must “adapt and overcome”. Chances are the command may not be successful at the mission at hand if they cannot adapt and overcome. While I was in the Navy, and now in civilian life, I have witnessed many different examples of leadership, good and bad. The style that I especially admire, which I also see in myself, is the servant leadership style. This style is not always applicable in the military, and often not favored, its role can be beneficial...
Words: 791 - Pages: 4
...Servant Leadership Rick Purvis Indiana Wesleyan University Servant Leadership Though there are many styles of leadership, servant leadership suggests that possessing certain quality’s will allow the leader to lead with authority and not just power. In this paper, we will examine servant leadership and how servant leadership is used in a business setting. We will also compare and contrast an example of servant leadership using the Maxwell leadership bible and Jim Beam Brands in Frankfort KY. Finally, we will discuss how Rick Purvis uses servant leadership in his place of employment. Now, lets get started by describing what servant leadership is. Servant leadership is described in an essay published by Robert K. Greenleaf. In his essay, Robert 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 (www.greenleaf.org, 2008). Servant Leaders are respected, listened to, and valued, even though they may not manage others (Davies, 2006). In short, servant leaders are individuals that lead by asking how they can help. They...
Words: 1883 - Pages: 8
...Servant Leadership Servant Leadership is not a leadership style but a state of being. The decision to embark on the mission of Servant Leadership cannot be relegated only to the office. If fully committed to being successful, a servant-leader will embrace all the components needed to be a servant and a leader in every aspect of their life. In this paper, I will explore the origins of Servant Leadership, how it can be implemented to build a successful “leader”, and how Servant Leadership effects employee satisfaction. I also found that Servant Leadership is often synonymous with some sort of religious foundation. Many of the articles I read likened Servant Leadership to religious models. I personally found it difficult to connect with this interpretation, even though I see the relationships, so I chose instead to make a broader “spiritual” connection that would appeal to the “non-believer”. By applying the principals of Servant Leadership to all aspects of one’s life, I believe, true satisfaction and success is possible. What is Servant Leadership? Robert Greenleaf coined the phrase Servant Leadership in his essay titled, The Servant as Leader, in 1970. He says that “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.). The word “servant” may conjure up visions of maids scrubbing floors or perhaps a “man of the cloth.” Webster’s dictionary...
Words: 2789 - Pages: 12
... 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 Melanie Halpin Grand Canyon University Servant Leadership LDR-630 Prof. Carolyn Broner July 11, 2012 Servant Leadership Northhouse wrote Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. My favorite is a statement from Peter Drucker, “the only definition of a leader is someone who has followers.” That is a simple statement, and that puts it in a simple form. Leadership is not a simple form, and Warren Bennis and I agree that Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having vision that is well communicated, building among colleagues and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential. The 2012 Summer Project and the Servant Leadership Work Issue are going to be combined in this paper to produce a result using at least three different models of leadership. PROJECT The project is to implement 660 new HP 6000 Series laptop/desktops computers into the 7 elementary school classrooms, carts and get ready for teachers by the 2nd week of August. This gives the Department of Technology six weeks to complete the job. There are two Schools that have summer schools going on until August 28th. All old equipment has to be removed and brought to the warehouse for central storage then final pickup. The schools are listed DJM, JBBES SES, MWES, and JRES. The last two are going to be held because of summer school that is MES, and CBB, they will start on August 28th. STAFF The Department...
Words: 1330 - Pages: 6
...Servant Leadership Essay by AnQuil Davis July 2, 2010 Servant Leadership Servant Leaders are defined as people who serve those whom they lead rather than control them. The posture of a servant leader is to put the needs and interests of others above themselves. Servant leaders invest in others to help them grow and become empowered, which assist and motivate the team to reach their full potential in every area of their life. In today’s global marketplace, the concept of servant leadership seems to have been discarded and replaced with self-leadership; leadership which puts their needs and desires before those of the people. Serving others has to be a passion, not an act for recognition or accolades. Leaders possess characteristics such as stewardship, foresight, empathy and humility. These characteristics allow the leader to understand and attend to those they are serving, develop visions and plans to move forward, while not taking ownership of its success, but acknowledging it as a team effort. These qualities give a person authority over power. The concept of servant leadership in the global marketplace has an existence; however its existence seems to not be as prevalent today as past years. Most leaders in our global society today are not interested in creating an environment for growth and advancement of the individual, but for wealth and success for themselves. By not engaging others in the vision it cannot fully mature to reach every...
Words: 449 - Pages: 2
...PSC 410 Individual Leadership must be based on core values that render balance between achieving a goal based on your mission statement and leading people to accomplish that goal, without disregarding the value of those whom you lead. To lead with love is a vital behavior to me because love requires me to treat people with dignity and respect. As a leader I cannot expect from them what they do not see in me or see me doing. From a personal perspective, I have decided to treat everyone equal and with respect. I believe if you cannot treat people of all races and nationalities with dignity and respect you do not qualify as a leader. I want to treat those who follow me with the same respect as I would want. Organizational Hence one of the main problems in bad leadership is the absence of love and respect in top leadership. Many leaders love their company, organization, and the mission, yet they lack love for the people who work for the company and carry out the mission. This lack of love can be noticed by employees. They will eventually know that their leaders only see them as tools to accomplish the bottom line, not people who deserve respect and dignity. Such company that identifies its central focus on the mission apart from the people is doomed for destruction. The doom of the company is because of poor leadership. The success of any company is built on people. Even if such company has no employees, most likely it uses people to buy its products or use its services...
Words: 552 - Pages: 3
