Servant Leadership
Servant leadership is a popular and unique leadership behavior that has proven to be effective for many leaders and followers. Robert Greenleaf (1970) first presented the term "servant leadership" in a 1970 essay, entitled "The Servant Leader" where he stated that servant leadership begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. Many servant leaders believe that the overall objective of the organization or community can be accomplished if followers are nurtured. Servant leadership emphasizes that leaders should be attentive to the concerns of their followers and empathize with them; they should take care of them and nurture them. A servant leader leads by pure example and equips followers by providing appropriate tools, equipment, and other resources so the followers can be successful in their completion of assigned tasks. Servant leaders do not rely on their power or authority, and instead rely on their innate abilities to promote equality, trust, respect, and collaboration. Mother Teresa's humanitarian work in India is an example of servant leadership. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Researchers have come up with the following characteristics/constructs/factors describing what servant leadership entails:
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Spears' 10 Characteristics of Servant Leaders (1996)
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Patterson's 7 Virtuous Constructs of Servant Leadership (2003)
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Page & Wong's 7 Factors of Servant Leadership (2003)
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Commitment to Growth of People
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Empowerment
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Empowering and Developing Others
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Empathy
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Humility
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Vulnerability/Humility
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Healing
Stewardship
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Agapao Love
Service
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Serving Others
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Listening
Building Community
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Open, Participatory Leadership
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Conceptualization
Foresight
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Vision
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Visionary Leadership
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Awareness
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Altruism
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Courageous Leadership (Integrity/Authenticity)
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Persuasion
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Trust
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Inspiring Leadership
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Page, D., & Wong, T.P. (2003). Servant leadership: An opponent-process model and the revised servant leadership profile. Servant Leadership Roundtable. Regent University School of Leadership Studies, Virginia Beach, VA.
Patterson, K. A. (2003). Servant leadership: A theoretical model. Servant Leadership Roundtable. Regent University School of Leadership Studies, Virginia Beach, VA.
Spears, L. C. (1996). Reflections on Robert K. Greenleaf and servant leadership. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 17, 33-35.
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Please begin by reading:
Savage-Austin, A. R., & Honeycutt, A. (2011). Servant leadership: A phenomenological study of practices, experiences, organizational effectiveness, and barriers. Journal of Business & Economics Research, 9(1), 49-55. Retrieved May 14, 2014 from ProQuest. (Document ID: 2255739791)https://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=2255739791&sid=7&Fmt=3&clientId=29440&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Please watch:
YouTube video: Leadership: Servant Leadership. Retrieved on May 15, 2014 fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHIKRmEaC6Y
YouTube video: Servant Leadership Based on Robert Greenleaf's Writings. Retrieved on May 15, 2014 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHd7s2OzpVI&feature=related
Case Assignment
This Case Assignment has two parts:
Part A (2-4 pages):
After doing some research, please prepare a paper (not including the cover and reference pages) in which you:
- Select a leader who you consider to be an outstanding example of a servant leader. Conduct independent research on this individual and create a profile of this leader that addresses the following:
- What makes this person a servant leader? Support your answer with examples.
- Discuss the added value of a servant leader based upon your leader's profile.
- What would an organization full of servant leaders be like? Justify your response.
- Do you think servant leaders are needed in all organizations? What are the significant contingencies that would lean in favor or against servant leadership?
Part B (1-2 pages):
After completing the first part of this assignment, please complete the servant leadership questionnaire below and then discuss your results. More specifically, do you agree with your results, how can you use your results to become a more effective leader, and how can this questionnaire be used for training and development purposes.
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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Strongly Disagree
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Disagree
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Undecided
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Agree
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Strongly Agree
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Please indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following statements.
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1
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I have the ability to put myself in others' shoes even when they are very different from me.
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2
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I encourage others to always do their best work.
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3
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I consistently meet or exceed what is expected of me.
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4
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I encourage others to provide me with constructive criticism of my performance so that I can improve.
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5
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Good bosses make all employees feel important.
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6
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I try to communicate a welcoming attitude to everyone I meet.
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7
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I seek out interactions with people who are different from me so that I can learn more about other people.
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8
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Some people have little potential for personal growth.
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9
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I work to create an environment in which each person feels understood.
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10
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When working as part of a group, I value the contributions of every member.
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11
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I am always looking for new ways to serve others.
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12
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My first priority in life is to serve.
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13
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Serving others is the best way to further my own personal growth.
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14
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It is not worth my time and energy to try to help others overcome their weaknesses.
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15
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I gain great satisfaction in knowing I have helped others strive for excellence.
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16
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I am always looking for new ways to encourage others to take initiative.
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17
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I can easily see the positive potential in others.
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18
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I get immense pleasure from seeing others grow and develop.
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19
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I often find myself thinking about how I can help people further their goals.
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20
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I spend more time thinking about others' needs than I do about my own needs.
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Directions for Scoring
After completing the questionnaire, please add all of your scores so you have a total score. Your results will indicate where you range for servant leadership propensities:
- 90-100 Very high range
- 80-89 High range
- 70-79 Moderately high range
- 60-69 Moderately low range
- 50-59 Low range
- 40-49 Very low range
- 39 or lower Need to research the benefits of servant leadership