This week’s lesson about Servant Leadership really spoke to me in terms of my own personal motivation. My goal is to one day be a psychologist in some capacity, but my hope is that I will be able to work with children, helping them to escape any distressful feelings in their life that are keeping them from reaching their true potential. With my career, I hope to always present myself in ways that is highly consistent with the qualities that are representative of servant leadership. I believe that my goals are very similar with the definition given to servant leadership as I have the desire to serve others so that they can develop in healthy, adaptive ways and will also be able to serve the needs of the community. I believe there is no better purpose in the world than helping our future generations to succeed and as a child psychologist, I will be able to help those who may have had more difficult lives to be able to have a better chance at becoming successful leaders of the world in their own right.
The characteristics of a servant leader are all required tasks for one to successful perform the job of a child psychologist. I will need to actively listen to the family as they describe their child’s behavior as well as the child’s own expression of their feelings. By listening to them while also showing that I am understand their situation and am here for them, they will feel much more appreciated and willing to discuss their problems. In order to proper heal them through treatment, I would need to be very aware of what is causing them having them distressing faults. Through proper persuasion, I can tell them of behaviors they should avoid that are causing them distress and show them how much better it is thinking positively. It would be very helpful to conceptualization their issues so that they understand themselves better and with proper foresight, I can address possible situations they may find themselves in and how to properly deal with them. By showing them my commitment to them, I will instill a commitment in themselves to grow. By providing them with a more positive outlook on life, I will be able to help them become successful members of their community.
I believe I can be successful as a servant leader as I have always had this innate desire to help others. I also believe that instilling success in others is one of the most important contributions a person can make to another. I will make sure never to forsake the trust my clients will hold for me because without trust, they will never feel comfortable in listening to my direction. I also feel that servant leadership is meant for me as I just don’t have the typical desires for power that most people hold. As long as I am providing happiness with my career, then I believe all my desires will be satisfied.
References:
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice, 6th Ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
PSU World Campus. (2014). PSYCH 485, Lesson 11. Retrieved from Penn State University World Campus: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su14/psych485/002/content/11_lesson/printlesson.html