Robert K. Greenleaf's Definition Of Servant Leadership

A servant leader must listen to a person fully without interrupting or judging them. While doing my service at the animal shelter there were two other people doing service. They were prisoners wearing the orange jumpsuit. Although most people would assume they are bad and not to talk to them, me and my group had a conversation with them about the dogs. They showed a lot of compassion about what they were doing. Although it was work they were forced to do they gave it their all. I listened and communicated with them the entire time without judging whatever they might have done. This was showing servant leadership in one of the hardest

Simply, servant leaders hold a view as a servant first and leader second (Owens & Hekman, 2012). Moreover, servant leaders emphasize personal responsibility for the organization and all internal and external stakeholders (Peterson, Galvin, & Lange, 2012). As stated, expressing a genuine concern and care for people are a basis of servant leadership. In addition, servant leadership also focuses on the growth of

A servant leader for me is an individual who simply puts others ahead of themselves, with the main purpose of achieving results for their organization, by keeping in mind the needs of everyone else around them. A servant leader is one with personality traits like; empathy, compassion good listening skills, stewardship, and an honest commitment to the growth of others. Servant leaders are individuals who have a natural inclination to serve, and such a conscious choice makes them desire to lead. This is in sharp contrast to the traditional leaders who aim to gain power or to acquire material belongings.

Servant leadership, as it applies to the modern world, is a concept that Robert Greenleaf defined in his influential 1970 essay, The Servant as Leader. Greenleaf’s essay explains that servant leadership is an amalgam of concrete leadership styles and “fragments of data” that came to him through “intuitive insight” (1970). Having worked at AT&T from 1926-1964, he accumulated a number of leadership qualities throughout his professional career. After retirement he began teaching at Harvard Business School, but became distressed by younger generations and their rebellious attitudes. After careful consideration, he decided institutions were doing a poor job of serving, so they were doing a poor job of leading. His

“Servant Leadership” throughout history has always been a vital concept to grasp as leaders, however the actual term was not coined until the 1970’s by Robert Greenleaf in his essay The Servant as a Leader. Greenleaf depicts the concept of servant leadership as being a servant first meaning the leader is always willing, ready, and eager to assist those around them in order to create the best environment for everyone to work towards achieving goals.

3. Servant leadership is when a leader works not out of his own self-interest, but that of his followers. This is, as claimed by many, the best form of leadership that all should follow. It has been present in the military, specifically the Marine Corps, but

Organizational consultant S. Chris Edmonds defines servant leadership as “a person's dedication to helping others be their best selves at home, work, and in their community." I totally agree with this philosophy, as I believe an employee will benefit his team and company the most if he can perform the best he can.

Whenever a teacher needs help, I am ready to help whenever they need it. I enjoy community service and I am volunteering to help at the Cuyahoga Heights Corn Roast. I have assisted leaders at my church. I am also planning on volunteering for sound technology at the church I attend.

Robert Greenleaf’s idea of servant leadership is a new concept to this era and for many people, it is a difficult theory to grasp. Although Greenleaf faces criticism and disagreement from people about his perception of servant leadership, his philosophies are unwavering because he holds true to what he believes. Throughout his writings, Greenleaf believes that in order to be a good leader, one must be a servant first. He supports his servant-first idea by using examples of extraordinary leaders of our time.

I am always exercising Leadership in and outside of school. I have always led or motivated others. For example, I am the Alto Section Leader in Chorus here at school. Every time I am with the Chorus, I am doing my best to help my section improve. I always try to find solutions to the problems we face. Another example is at my church. My Father and I teach a class at my church. We teach 4th and 5th graders who haven't made all of their sacraments at the right age.

In Chapter 14 of Ken Blanchard’s Leading at a Higher Level, we learn that servant leaders are a part of a different type of leadership. “Servant leaders want to make a difference in the lives of their people and, in the process, impact the organization” (pg.262). Ken Blanchard also offers several different scenarios of those that can be referred to as a servant leader for example, the DMV manager mentioned on pg.263, although the examples were helpful in understanding this concept I have found that the character of Norma Rae offered the best understanding. Norma Rae was a hardworking, determined, and independent woman. She was a servant leader who put herself aside to help change other people’s life for the better.

Dr. Kent M. Keith was a presenter on behalf of the Greenleaf Seminar on Servant Leadership at the 53rd annual conference for the Arizona School Boards Association in December, 2010. He correctly pointed out that servant leadership is about serving others, about becoming distinguished through the altruistic desire to serve, and about the "…universal recognition of the importance of serving others" (Keith, 2010).

Robert Greenleaf argues that a leader is a servant. For one to be a leader, he must be willing to serve the others. Service to man is a natural feeling that is self-driven. It is the human consciousness that aspires people to become leaders. (Greenleaf, & Spears, 2002).

Servant leadership is a type of leadership whereby the leader serves the needs of the people, empathizes with them, and involves them in solving their needs. Servant leadership is all about involving the people you are leading in your decision making, being ethical and caring for the people to enhance their personal growth at the same time improve their life. A servant leader does not simply delegate roles; he starts the work and energizes the others to join him and get the work done. According to Spears (2004), the servant leader as defined by Greenleaf is one who gets the natural feeling of wanting to serve first and then a conscious choice brings him/her to lead. This leader makes sure that other people’s highest-priority needs are take

In our textbook, Leadership Theory and Practice, chapter 10 discusses servant leadership. Servant leadership is described as “…the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first” (Northouse, page 226). Robert K. Greenleaf coined the term servant leadership and declared ten characteristics that make up a servant leader. Many of these imperative ten characteristics were found in East Lincoln Elementary on that Saturday afternoon.