Developing Leadership Skills - Assignment Example

150952 There is a sea of difference between an ordinary manager and leader, because ordinary manager simply adheres to rules and principles and works within its framework, whereas a leader goes beyond those boundaries, paves a path where none existed and sets a goal to reach out visions. "Becoming a leader is much more difficult. It involves setting the right goals, communicating ideas, and delivering results. A leader must be able to prudently influence and inspire others to execute a plan1". As I had never been a very keen autocratic leader, nor do I have any plans or skills to be one in future, I am sure I could be more comfortable with Servant Leadership that would enable to serve people around me. In 1970s Robert Greenleaf coined this term while describing a leader who wants to serve people. Leader of this mould would be noble and help people around him without any desire of returns. He is highly democratic, selfless and achieves power on the basis of ethical values and right approach; but would never demand it. These leaders would not resent if leadership and power are above their reach. They are just, honest and sincere in their work and do not expect returns. They do not compete for leadership; mostly leadership comes to them unsolicited. They are neither power-grabbers, nor power-snatchers. Servant leader would serve first and may or may not be a formal leader. It is about collaboration, trust, listening, foresight, honesty, sincerity, and ethical use of power and empowerment. Greenleaf said "It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. He or she is sharply different from the person who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions" http://www.greenleaf.org/leadership/servant-leadership/What-is-Servant-Leadership.html He thought that in the late 20th century, traditionally autocratic and hierarchical leaderships are vanishing and Servant leadership with ethically caring involvement is emerging. It is succeeding through trust, bravery and forgiveness. Greenleaf Centre for Servant leadership lays down the mission statement with 10 principles: "Listening, empathy, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people and building community". "Servant-leaders are aware that the shift from local communities to large institutions as the primary shaper of human lives has changed our perceptions and caused a send of loss. Servant-leaders seek to identify a means for building community among those who work within a given institution" http://www.butler.edu/studentlife/hampton/principles.htm I am of the opinion that all these principles suit my temperament and the ultimate goals I have and they would shape my career in life. In this context, I am impressed by Peter Shelden, whom I met in Pakistan during my last visit there after earthquakes. Peter Shelden is an American, in charge of a non-government organization that is working in the earthquake hit areas of Kashmir. It is difficult to see a worse example of disaster compared to what happened 'when the mountains moved'. In October 2005, earthquake left three million people homeless and 200,000 people injured in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and North-West Frontier Province. Peter's team was providing health services, psycho-social service and training and rehabilitation. Understandably, it was not an easy job. They were braving the Himalayan winter in temporary sheds and tents and the country was not theirs and the suffering people were not their countrymen. They owed nothing to this sufering lot. Still, throughout my stay there, trying to help the people in distress, I had seen an amazing commitment in him, with a focussed desire to serve humanity, irrespective of race, region and colour. Slowly, I came to know him well and in one freezing night, he allowed me to ask him a few questions. Q: This is neither your country, nor your people. How to you motivate yourself to serve them A: I never wonder about diversity because it least bothers me. After this work, I am scheduled to go to Somalia and once you start serving people, you cease to notice differences. Q: Do you ever wonder about their religion so different from your own A: My religion is serving the needy and their religion is their concern. Q: What do you look for in return A: Nothing. It is my chosen path and I am happy I had chosen it. No regrets or disillusion. Q: How much do you think you have achieved A: In a mass humane operation of this scale, one individual or organisation hardly matters. But it is part of contribution in the outcome. There are health issues, long term monitoring, artificial limbs, laboratories, X-ray machines, prefabricated shelters. We have diagnosed, given treatment and relief to an amazing number of victims. They need constant medical follow up. Shipment of medicines and equipments to remote mountain regions had been a challenge. Q: Any other areas you would like to mention A: Yes, we had been able to get a number of sponsorships to orphaned children. Pulling people out of emotional apathy and numbness had been almost impossible. Impact of trauma, bereavement and horror was enormous. Another concern had been to keep affected people out of clutching terrorists. When they are at their most vulnerable, it is easy for gossipmongers and radicals to create an atmosphere conducive to militancy. We have successfully rendered psychological help to an unlimited number of victims. Q: You are in charge of your organisation. Did you want to be placed in that position A: No, it was the decision of organisation. It hardly matters to me as my intention is only to work with needy. Q: How do you think of your future A: I rarely plan my future. This is the work I want to do and I am doing it and for me, it is important. Critically evaluate the research and current thinking in that area of leadership development that you have chosen and produce a summary of the results in the form of a short paper of no more than 850 words (weighting 30% of task). The views expressed by Peter and the cheerfulness that accompanied them have still remained as beacons of light with me. Peter needed nothing for himself from this service to distant people, although I knew that he was trying to write a book based on these experiences. Even that was done as needed information for others who could choose an identical path of servant leadership. Watching him it seemed he derived ample satisfaction and fulfilment when victims smiled at him or hesitantly thanked him for a yeomen service. He moves on from one needy area to another and eventually perhaps he might become an acknowledged leader, even though he is looking for none of it. It will not be surprising if he ends up as one because of his selfless devotion to duty. His ethics seemed a natural justice that every human should possess and it fascinates me. There had been further developments in Servant Leadership area. Now it has been acknowledged as the most suitable leadership for present world that depends more on democracy. It is also suitable to the current way of thinking where individuality is valued more. A leader who does not encroach into the individuality of people is the need of hour. Even though it is a modern concept, it always existed even in days of Kautilya, who said "the king[leader] shall consider as good, not what pleases himself but what pleases his subjects [followers]" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_leadership There are people who differ from this opinion. "Servant leadership is flawed, in my opinion, because organizations are a means of serving the ends of shareholders, hence employees are a means to an endShifting metaphors from leaders-as-autocrats to leaders-as-servants is going from one extreme to the other," http://www.leadersdirect.com/servant.html There is another criticism that churches have 'hijacked' the term of Servant leadership. For most, the idea of servant leadership came from reading Hermann Hesse's Journey to the East, including Larry Spears, who wrote a book on Servant leadership. Jesus Christ and Mahatma Gandhi are two great examples of servant leadership. "whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant." Mark 10:43. This goes by the proverbial ""The law of service: He who wishes to live long must serve, but he who wishes to rule does not live long." - Hesse, "Journey to the East" http://www.butler.edu/studentlife/hampton/principles.htm "Covey says that "the power to cultivate servant-leadership comes from the individual. It's an inside-out approach." http://www.greenleaf.org/leadership/read-about-it/Servant-Leadership-Articles-Book-Reviews.html It needs humility, accountability. The idea also came partly from Greenleaf's fifty years of experience in his devotion and selfless working to shape up large organisations. "Servant leadership is one of the most talked about; yet least critically examined leadership philosophies. While many people closely identify with this leadership approach, an equal number are cynical and question whether expectations of leaders are realistic" John E. Barbuto et al, Becoming a Servant Leader, do you have what it takes Nebguide, University of Nebraska. According to Brian Marick, servant leadership in business could be explained in a much simpler way. "If you want to leverage the wisdom of the crowd, if you want to tap into the creative genius of your entire organization, if you want to leverage the full capabilities of emergent intelligence, you have to trust your people and you have to get out of their way. As a C-level executive, your only job is to create an environment that fosters innovation and success" http://www.innovationcreators.com/2006/08/servant_leadership.html "At its core, servant-leadership is a long-term, transformational approach to life and work--in essence, a way of being--that has the potential for creating positive change throughout our society" Spears, Larry, Practicing Servant Leadership, Leader to Leader, No. 34 Fall 2004. It is accepting and maintaining the call of service in any field. Even the ordinary business could be lifted up to an exalted status where work becomes worship. "The servant leader believes himself "first among equals." This idea is at the very core of servant leadership. A servant leader does not consider himself above those he leads. Rather, he is primus inter pares from Latin, meaning "first among equals. "That is, he sees those he leads as peers to teach and to learn from. He is willing to lead others in order to reach an agreed upon goal, but he doesn't believe that being the leader makes him better than others" http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1121.htm "Robert Greenleaf, in his essay The Servant as Leader, puts it this way: "It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant--first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served." http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1121.htm "A servant leader leads by example, learning by doing and prepares a work environment for functionality, practicality, and productivity. The principles of "servant leader" are the principles of mutual human relationship. http://www.thesportjournal.org/sport-supplement/Volume11,%20No%204/article-5.htm Reviewing the servant leadership scene, I am sure that Peter Shelden is a perfect servant leader and I could be, with persistence adopt the approach as my career goal and future. Construct a personal development plan which provides a clear model of your desired leadership repertoire based on your self-evaluation, research and understanding of leadership gained through the assessment process. This should be in the form of a brief overview of your preferred style or approach with reference back to theory and research and a comprehensive action plan. The overview should be no more than 500 words (Weighting 40% of task). In my self-evaluation, I would like to measure myself through an assessment process of self-questioning. 1. How do others know that I would sacrifice my self-interest in general good of group They will know when they watch me working in the same way how I knew that Peter Shelden was working as service. 2. How will they be assured that their ideas would be valued They will believe when they see me working trying to imbibe their ideas and make them reality with their involvement. 3. How to make people aware of the changes They will be aware and conscious of changes and new happenings when I convince them of new realities. 4. Do people come to you only when they face traumatic situations Perhaps yes. But it should not matter to me, as I should be always receptive. 5. Will others know of your awareness of change and need Yes, they will know, because my work will reflect awareness. 6. Will you make others to follow because they are forced to No, they will follow me if they want to, and not they are forced to. 7. Will your followers freely communicate their vision and ideas with you Yes, they will. When they know that their ideas and dreams for the organisation are welcome, they will definitely come forward to do so. 8. Will they be confident in your ability to foresee the future Yes, more or less. This does not mean I would never guess wrongly. But they will have faith in my ability to anticipate the future and its consequences. 9. Will others believe that your organisation under your leadership would make a great difference Yes, they will. Achievement is not a final monumental happening, but small steps taken towards the goal and these steps will make tremendous impact. 10. Will they believe that you are committed to helping them Yes, they will believe because help will be part of day-to-day work that never ceases. 11. Will they have fellow feeling in the organisation It is the work of the leader to induce such fellow feeling into any organisation. Servant leader uses power judicially and honestly and his main goal is not leadership, but serving people around him. With this mission statement in mind, I will shape my education and career towards it. Justifying the mission statement by imbibing it in every futuristic move will be very important to me. Natural servant leaders like Peter Shelden will be my role models and similar examples will invigorate me in my journey towards a perfect career. If I hesitate, I would never reach the goal. Moulding myself according to this action plan would be immense self-gratification. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. John E. Barbuto et al, University of Nebraska, Becoming a Servant Leader, do you have what it takes Nebguide 2. Spears, Larry, Practicing Servant Leadership, Leader to Leader, No. 34 Fall 2004. ONLINE SOURCES: 1. http://executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu/oe/category_info.cfmCatID=9B3DD07D-C9CE-64F9-02B8CDCAFBED287E&media=Search&FY=07&pub=google&tag=leadership%20development&msg=broad&gclid=CL_4r5DPmooCFTwHQgoduyxOmQ 2. http://www.greenleaf.org/leadership/servant-leadership/What-is-Servant-Leadership.html 3. http://www.butler.edu/studentlife/hampton/principles.htm 4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_leadership 5. http://www.leadersdirect.com/servant.html 6. http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1121.htm 7. http://www.thesportjournal.org/sport-supplement/Volume11,%20No%204/article-5.htm 8. Read More