A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of individuals and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership often involves the accumulation and exercise of power by the 'top of the pyramid', servant leadership is different. The servant leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform at their best. A servant leader sees people as valuable to God and manages their time and talents well.
This type of leader brings out what is good and true in the people they lead, giving them instruction and encouragement on how to serve God well. A servant leader uses his time for God's glory, not his own. As a servant leader, you are a servant first - you focus on the needs of others, especially team members, before considering your own. You acknowledge others' perspectives, give them the support they need to meet their work and personal goals, involve them in decisions when appropriate, and build a sense of community within your team.
This leads to greater commitment, more trust and stronger relationships with team members and other stakeholders. It can also lead to greater innovation. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, What is Servant Leadership. Under a servant leader, people come together to achieve a common purpose.
They are able to create a sense of belonging to something larger than each individual, and foster team spirit and a sense of community.
Servant
leaders also care deeply about this community they create. Servant leaders use persuasion - more than their authority - to encourage people to act. Barter, who now heads the California-based Servant Leadership Institute, came to the concept by a circuitous route working for companies that did not follow his practices.But servant leadership also brings the potential to witness to others and demonstrate Jesus in ways that other positions would not have allowed at all. It is easy for a servant leader to influence the opinions and actions of others through their ability to persuade. Servant leaders are committed to the personal and professional development of all members of their teams. Over the years, the concept of helping others grow has become an important part of any leadership theory; true leaders want to help others succeed.
Becoming a servant leader means putting the needs of others before one's own and continually developing the 10 characteristics mentioned above. While in ASEC there are many positive impacts that can be seen from servant leadership, it is important to also consider the problems that can arise from the application of servant leadership models. According to researchers, servant leadership can be considered a kind of universal concept, as it has roots in both Eastern and Western cultures. The 8 characteristics of servant leaders and quotes from real servant leaders that emphasise the impact of education on servant leadership.
By paying full attention to what others say, servant leaders are able to gain a full understanding of all the interpersonal situations they deal with. To become a servant leader, one must change one's mindset, which is an obstacle that many people have faced, even those who have come to fully embrace the concept. The concept of servant leadership provided the theoretical basis for ASEC's largest and longest running programme, the Sister Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI). Although servant leadership has been proven to be an exceptionally effective leadership style, the first challenge is the negative connotation implied by the name.
Servant leaders practice flexibility and are willing to adapt to situations and the environment.
