by Cody Gustaveson
Although leadership and servanthood stand at conceptual ends of a spectrum, the principle that a leader can act in the common interest of his followers does not deviate from the discussions of many other leadership theories. For instance, it is my view the bidirectional interaction between leaders and followers based on the use of relationship building behaviors can be interpreted to include a leader’s desire to promote the common interest of his followers. In the military there is a common objective of leaders to develop future leaders and an even more pronounced desire to nurture followers. With a complex system of paperwork and regulations it is important that military leaders devote a great deal of time to assisting their followers in order to free them up to learn and accomplish their job.
Robert K. Greenleaf introduced the name for servant leadership, and he states that leaders should, in addition to serving, be concerned for those that have less than the leader (Northouse, 2013). This takes on an interesting form in the military with the old adage, “Rank has its privileges.” Although this is absolutely true, this should not preclude those of higher rank from being genuinely concerned for their charges. This discussion tends to break when we look at the concept of inequality, but it is not necessarily a completely irrelevant discussion. While the structure of the military is well established and inequalities will likely never be removed, a servant leader can develop a leadership style that will promote empathy, a nurturing relationship, and express a genuine concern for their followers.
Spears (as cited in Northouse, 2013) identified ten characteristics of servant leadership, and we will discuss how adapting these to military leadership styles can promote a more efficient work environment.
- Listening is an important characteristic of many types of leadership, but it is especially central to servant leadership. In the military we are often overcome by the desire to have things done our way, but sometimes there is a better way to accomplish the task. It may not always be possible to deviate from prescribed manner to accomplish a task, but listening and evaluating the perspectives of subordinates can promote successful task completion and efficiency. In addition, it is critical that leaders in the military listen to the concerns and problems of their subordinates as sometimes it takes someone of more authority to get the job done for them. A servant leader should listen before acting, this helps validate the perspective of their subordinates (Northouse, 2013). Sometimes things cannot be changed, but the act of listening and providing feedback helps engage followers and lets them know you accept their value as a member of the team.
- Empathy is extremely valuable in the context of military settings. It is essentially viewing the world through the perspective of the subordinate. This shouldn’t be too difficult for most military leaders because at one point or another everyone started at the bottom. By showing a subordinate that you are empathizing with them you are validating their views (Northouse, 2013). The ability to empathize is an extremely effective tool in helping followers understand that you recognize their concerns. This can be as simple as understanding issues with housing, familial problems, and even being overworked.
- Healing is defined as making one whole (Northouse, 2013). It is valuable in the context of military leadership because it promotes a safe work environment. Many individuals in the military work in dangerous environments, and if someone is concerned about issues that are not related to the job, their lack of focus can create a hazard not only to themselves but to others working with them. This concept might seem ill-conceived since healing is the job of the health care professional, but in the context of military leadership it expresses a leader’s genuine concern to help their subordinates overcome personal problems.
- Awareness is the characteristic of a leader that allows them to understand their environment in a global way. Aware leaders understand the impact they have on others and they understand their own goals and desires (Northouse, 2013). Military leaders that have awareness are able to understand how they fit into the bigger picture, and can adapt their own behaviors to meet the common objective.
- “Persuasion is clear and persistent communication that convinces others to change,” (Northouse, 2013, p. 222). This is a necessity of a good leader in the military and is in contrast to coercion which is the use of authority and rank to effect change. Although a task may be accomplished with the use of positional authority, creating an environment that allows the follower to understand why they are doing something helps promote the dynamic of an empathetic leader.
- Conceptualization, the ability to understand where something fits into the big picture, allows a leader to respond to problems in the context of the overall goal. If a leader is only focused on the minor task at hand, they may not be able to adapt to larger issues (Northouse, 2013). This can be seen in concept of healing as it relates to military leadership. If a subordinate is facing family problems, it might be difficult to allow that individual to take care of them during their working day, but it may provide a better situation when viewed in the context of the big picture. A leader that understands this can develop creative ways to promote the overall goal, while allowing their subordinate to handle their personal issues.
- The ability to utilize one’s experience to predict what will happen in the future, foresight, can help minimize problems. This is extremely useful because leaders are held accountable for failures and problems, thus the ability to recognize these and prepare for them is invaluable.
- Stewardship is an ethical aspect to leadership that is highly valuable in a military setting. Taking responsibility for one’s role as a leader and understanding the organization’s place in society is essential to being an ethical leader (Northouse, 2013). This can be seen in ensuring environmental protocols are upheld to effective utilization of resources.
- Being committed to the development and growth of subordinates is extremely valuable in the context of the military. With the rank structure leaders are training followers to one day do their job. This requires that each individual be treated in a unique way, and it is important that leaders understand and recognize differences in their followers to promote personal and professional growth (Northouse, 2013). In the military followers need to learn the ropes, doing everything for them isn’t the best way to allow them to learn and forcing them to do tasks devoid of guidance does not foster progress. A successful leader should be able to adapt to the needs of his followers to help individuals succeed.
- Building a community is valuable as it allows followers to identify with something greater than oneself (Northouse, 2013). In the context of the military the promotion of many levels of community exists from the country as a whole, to the military, to one’s command, and all the way down to one’s smallest unit. A good leader will develop their follower’s sense of unity and provide them with an environment in which they feel connected. This is accomplished with outside activities, games, and even instruction on the purpose and value of their job. Some aspects of the military already promote this idea, esprit de corps, with pledges, oaths, and codes of honor and conduct.
In conclusion, servant leaders are concerned with the their followers and are actively engaged in their development on a personal and professional level. Servant leaders are aware of the ethical considerations that exist as they are entrusted to preform their duties, and they behave in an ethical manner towards their subordinates and as an extension of their organization both within the military and as a general representative of the military. By placing their followers before themselves, they promote a more connected work environment. This theory and style of leadership can be adapted to military leadership styles and still promote the same system that has been place for many years. It can provide leaders with better tools to effect change and promote the common objective.
References
Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice (Sixth ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.
Cody Gustaveson says
I think there is a lot of overlap between many of the theories that we have learned specifically in this class. For instance contingency theory is very closely related to many of the other theories, but in many ways they differ. For instance, I believe that servant leadership differs from path-goal leadership in that it places more of a premium on the aspects of development of individuals. It occurs to me that path-goal leadership focuses a great deal on persuasion and accomplishing a task. In the military, I feel as though coercion is the common way of getting things done.
In the end, the purpose of this blog article is less to describe how military leadership is and more discuss how servant style leadership can benefit a leader in the military. I think it is valuable to understand how being concerned does not mean you are soft and useless. As I have progressed, I have often been told the higher I go the more I work for those who work for me.
Larry Joe Mushinski says
I enjoyed reading this blog so much I had to read it a few times. Everything you are saying is absolutely true “servant leaders are concerned with the their followers and are actively engaged in their development on a personal and professional level” but I think you and I both know that in the Military this is not always the case. I do have to say that most leaders that I had the privilege to serve for and under did meet the servant leader definition but there are always those that wanted to rule with an iron fist and it’s their way or the highway attitude.
“Path goal theory was developed to explain how leaders motivate subordinates to be productive and satisfied with their work. It is a contingency approach to leadership because effectiveness depends on the fit between the leader’s behavior and the characteristics of subordinates and the task. (Northouse, 2013) ” I have found through my leadership experience that what you are talking about and using the “path goal” to help both the leader and the subordinate to obtain the same goal. For the leader it is to keep the future of leadership moving forward and for the subordinate it is their path to leadership.
I never could understand those leaders that felt like the world could not run unless it was for them controlling it. People tend to forget where they came from on the path to becoming a leader and those are the ones that ruin it for the motivated subordinates unless that leader is there for them.
Great Post!!
References
Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice (Sixth ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.