When someone mentions servant leadership, you probably think that it’s counterintuitive because a servant serves others and doesn’t lead. However, there are people in the world who lead in a style that matches servant leadership. The background idea of this theory is that someone who is a servant leader feels the need or desire to serve others, so that they can develop themselves and therefore perform to meet organizational needs (Hamel, 2021). From there, the followers turn into servants to help the organization perform. A good example of this idea would be parents and how they serve their children so that in turn, their children will grow up and develop into healthy adults. Those children then develop into servants themselves when they reach the stage to be parents themselves, so they can have children of their own and help them develop and continue the cycle.
Some of the characteristics of a servant leader are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, and foresight. Doesn’t that sound very similar to most mothers and fathers when dealing with their children and their affairs? Servant leadership is designed so that growth can extend beyond the organization or family, and be put forth into society. Another example of an organization would be a charity that is designed to take on charity cases to better the community, rather than create a tax write-off for themselves.
As a student, I feel as though I deal with servant leadership all the time, especially in group projects. I often find myself taking charge in a group project setting because I want my group overall to succeed, and I need to put my best effort forward to make that happen. If I ever help someone out on a project regardless, it challenges me to think creatively and helps me just as much as it might be helping them. Overall, I think that servant leadership is used in everyone’s lives more often than we think. It’s all about compassion and helping others, so in turn the greater good of the community you are in is benefitted.
References:
Lesson 11 Servant Leadership, Hamel 2021
eqb5375 says
Hi there!
I really enjoyed your post. In my own post I also touched upon how the use of the word “servant” is almost counterproductive, because that word has a negative connotation, but in reality, servant leaders are anything but negative. Servant leadership is based around basic charismatic attitudes and behaviors, and have proven time and time again that you really do catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Obviously, in a business world we are not literally catching flies, but it proves that people are almost always more receptive when they are being considered and respected. Therefore, this leads to better work environments, better relationships, and better performances overall from both the leader and the followers.