Exploring the World of Servant Leadership – Nu Leadership Series

“A man who does not die for something is not fit to live.”
Martin Luther King Jr.

Why would a leader want to be a servant? You work hard to be on top. Why should you care about these employees? Isn’t servant leadership just another management fad? Let’s explore this topic of servant leadership closely. Outstanding leaders care about the needs of their followers. Many employees watch the actions of their managers. Are they selfish? Do they have a disinterested vision? Here are things to consider if you want to earn employee loyalty:

o Put your employees’ needs before your own.

o Provide a vision that employees can embrace.

o Carry out its daily operations in an ethical manner.

o Model the clothes you want your employees to follow.

o Communicate regularly with your employees.

o Go through the spaces of the employees so that they know you exist.

o Reward your employees for achieving organizational goals before rewarding yourself.

Employees want to follow a leader they respect. Leadership experts Hackman and Johnson argue that followers are most inspired to be productive when they believe that successful completion of a task will yield a worthwhile goal. Much of the concept of servant leadership derives from a religious context. Winston, a leadership guru, points out that the paradox of Jesus’ teaching is that whoever is first must be last. The philosophy of Jesus is contrary to the conventional wisdom of the world. I think this would explain how some people live a very confused lifestyle. They become takers. However, true leadership is about giving. Do you have the courage to serve? Get started today and change your organization for the better.

References:

Johnson, C. and Hackman, M. (2000). Leadership: a communication perspective. Waveland Press.

Winston, B. (2002). Be a leader for God’s sake. Virginia Beach, VA: Regent University.

(c) 2006 by Daryl D. Green

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