The Servant Leadership Theory!

When searching for other leadership theories that we had not discussed in class, I came across a few different ones, but the theory that caught my eye the most was one called Servant Leadership. My first assumption of this type of leadership was a leader who treated his followers like servants, somehow motivating them by pushing them to work hard. My assumption was very wrong once I started researching about just what Servant Leadership is. “Servant Leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in an essay that was published in 1970. In simple terms the Servant Leadership Theory states that servant leaders are servants first and leaders later. These leaders have the inclination to serve which aspires them to later lead. The main goal of a Servant Leader is becoming the leader whose main focus is serving the interests of the followers.  Greenleaf stated Servant Leaders should ask themselves two questions: 1) Does this help my followers grow as people? 2) Does it help the least privileged in society? The servant leader model was created and identifies 10 major attributes of being a servant leader.

1. Listening—a simple practice that can be difficult to adhere to amidst the many competing demands on a leader's attention
2. Empathy—understanding the perspectives and feelings of those around you
3. Healing—admitting to mistakes, asking for forgiveness and in turn forgiving others
4. Awareness—an astute grasp of what is going on within and around you
5. Persuasion—showing the way and inviting others to follow
6. Conceptualization—visualizing inspiring pictures of what could be
7. Foresight—predicting and preparing for what may be around the corner
8. Stewardship—taking temporary responsibility for the welfare of the people and things in your charge
9. Growth—using education, coaching, encouragement and empowerment to help others reach their potential
10. Building community—nurturing social identity and mutual responsibility

Servant Leadership is similar to Democratic leadership. This leader in a company wants their employees to be involved in decision making and empowers them to act. It is based off of value- based management. One criticism found for this theory is that it is based on popular philosophy not on research. A major strength found for the Servant Leadership Theory is its contribution to the all-round development of the employee. Instead of pushing goals onto the employee, the servant leader takes the time to help the employee reach their full potential and focuses on their needs. Because the leader was a servant first, it leads them to have a desire to better serve others, not for the power. The theory states that if the leader focuses on the followers needs, the followers will then want to reciprocate the attitude of their leader and lead to better performances as a whole.

http://theleaderlab.org/2010/04/servant-leadership-theory/
http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/sl_proceedings/2006/waddell.pdf