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Servant

In: Business and Management

Submitted By yves561992
Words 786
Pages 4
Servant leadership
By bagula aganze yves
Cornerstone university professional & graduate studies

Abstract

This paper reviews the existing literature regarding values in leadership. It identifies issues relating to both personal values and organizational values. The literature indicates that values affect leader behavior, as well as organizational performance. The paper also provides an overview of servant leadership theory and extrapolates applications of the values in leadership literature to three aspects of servant leadership: trust; appreciation of others; and empowerment. Values constitute the foundation of servant leadership. Fundamentally, leader values may be the underlying factors that separate servant leaders from all other leadership types.

The first followers of Jesus assumed that leadership meant power and glory, positions of honor. One day two of them explicitly requested positions of authority at Jesus' left and right. Jesus used the occasion to clarify to the disciples that greatness is not defined as “lording it over others” but as serving others, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve. . .” (Mark 10:45). Jesus modeled the style of leadership he taught when he washed the disciples' feet and called them to play the servant role for others (John 13:12-17).

If the term “servant-leadership” had been born in reflection on the nature of Christian ministry , that should not have surprised us. In fact, however, the term originated elsewhere.

Christians are called by God to bring servant leadership in the marketplace. There is critical need for servant leadership in the world today and this is especially true of the marketplace where so much of the world’s agenda and the pace for development is set. The marketplace can and should be a primary context for God’s redemptive action.

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