Servant Leadership in Community Service - Research Paper Example

Servant Leadership in Community Service Servant leadership is a noble concept that is used in different capacities of leadership. Servant leadership can be explained as the type of leadership where the person leading others considers himself or herself a servant first (Maxwell, 2005). The term servant leadership was coined by Robert Greenleaf who said that servant leadership begins with a natural instinct that an individual who wishes to serve should first serve (Greenleaf and Spears, 2002). Robert Greenleaf said that a servant leader is a servant first who follows a conscious thought which makes him to aspire to lead. Greenleaf goes on to say that there is a big difference between a leader and a servant leader. He says that a leader who is not a servant first is driven by other motives other than those of service to others. The motive of such a leader, according to Greenleaf is to acquire power or material wealth. Greenleaf says that a servant leader is motivated not by personal gain, but by a need to make other people satisfied and happy. A leader who is a servant first is concerned about helping other people to fulfill their needs. He or she does this by offering the best services possible according to Greenleaf and Spears (2002). According to Greenleaf, a servant leader must provide positive answers to the following questions: 1. Do those served grow as persons? 2. Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer and more autonomous? 3. Are they more likely themselves to become servants? 4. What is the effect of servant leadership as provided by a leader to the less privileged in society? 5. Are they likely to benefit or not be deprived further? Greenleaf believed that a good society is built upon the ability of both the more able and the less able people serving each other. He goes on to say that effective servant leadership will be able to build a society that is more concerned, loving, and just and one that is able to provide greater opportunity for everyone. Servant Leadership in Community Development Community development is all about the development of a society (Russell and Gregory, 2002). Servant leadership is needed in all areas of life, but it is mostly needed in community development areas. The community servant leader serves the people that he has the responsibility of leading. This means that the leader is not a means to an end in any development project. Rather he is the end itself (Serrat, 2009) What Exactly Does a Community Servant Leader Do? According to Maxwell (2008) the work of any leader is to provide leadership. But the leadership style of a servant leader is totally different and more effective than simple leadership where servant hood is missing. A servant leader does the following: He devotes himself to serving and fulfilling the needs of an organization’s members. This means that he has to leave all his personal needs behind him if he has to help other people develop (Spears, 2004). He devotes himself to meeting the needs of the people that he leads. The servant leader is absolutely selfless; he gives all he has in order that the needs of other people are met. He develops his junior officers so that they may realize the best in their abilities. A leader in a community development situation is normally placed above a lot of other people who are also leaders in their own right. This means that he has to provide leadership to his entire team so that they can develop their abilities in order to serve the community better (Spears and Lawrence, 2002). He couches and trains others to maximize their personal growth. Training is part of team growth. According to Serrat (2004) training and coaching helps to develop each team member’s abilities for the greater good of the entire community. He has the responsibility of listening to the needs of others so that he can build a strong sense of community. In short, a servant leader in the community is seen as true leader because he has the ability to offer leadership in a way that everyone in the community gains. He is able to lead the community members to reach their full potential without being domineered or led blindly. A good servant leader gains a community’s respect and trust, thus enabling them to develop uninhabited (Kathleen, 2003). Aspects of a Good Community Servant Leader Not all leaders can be servant leaders in the community. According to Patterson (2003) a leader in community development has to have the following qualities for him to be seen as a servant leader: 1. Listening; a servant leader must be able to listen to other people’s needs and grievances if he wants to help them. Listening is an important aspect of servant leadership as it is the best way to help others help themselves. 2. Empathy; putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is the only way that you can understand exactly what they need. A good servant leader must be able to empathize with the needs of other people so that he may find the best ways through which he can provide clear guidance. 3. Awareness; a good servant leader should be aware of what the needs of the people are. This is the only way to know how to fulfill the needs of others in the most effective way possible. 4. Persuasion; in community development, there are some situations which warrant great persuasion skills. In order to convince people that you can offer them the type of servant leadership that will be best for them, you have to know how to persuade them without leaving any room for doubt. 5. Conceptualization and foresight; a leader in any position should be able to conceptualize leadership ideas that will bring about positive results in the community. This means that he has to have foresight to be able to come with practical solutions to specific problems. 6. Stewardship is an important quality to have as a servant leader. A servant leader is the keeper of some things that can make or break a community. He is entrusted with the community in which he is serving with the responsibility of using all the resources that are at his disposal to make the lives of community members better. 7. Growth; a servant leader is not only concerned with the development of the whole community at large, he is also concerned with his own personal growth. Leadership styles change as time goes by. The servant leader must be ready to expand his leadership skills to go with the current generations. 8. A servant leader is visionary; a servant leader is not only able to solve a current problem; he is also able to foresee any problems that might crop up in future and device effective ways and means of preventing the problems from occurring. 9. A servant leader is action-oriented and energetic; a servant leader knows what to do and the best time to do it. He does not wait for things to happen, he makes them happen. He comes with solutions in time and does not waste time focusing on things that will not produce the needed results. 10. A servant leader is courageous; a servant leader is not afraid to take risks as long as those risks will bring good to the community that he is serving. Courage does not mean that the servant leader has to do anything that comes to mind, it means that he must not be afraid to try out new untested ways to serve his community. 11. A servant leader is goal oriented; for a person to be a good servant leader, he must have goals and objectives. This means that he is bale to plan his actions without leaving out any detail. Having goals in life enable one to live with a purpose, this to a community developer, is to make the society better. 12. A servant Leader is Selfless; selflessness is one of the greatest characteristics of any true servant leader. He must be able to put the interest of others way ahead of his own interests. Serving others in itself does not necessarily mean that that is servant leadership. One has to serve others in a totally selfless manner for him to be considered a great servant leader. 13. A servant Leader is a teacher; they lead others by example, thus teaching them how to achieve the results that they require or need. A servant leader has to be humble enough if he is to teach others through service. Servant Leadership in the Bible There are many instances where the concept of servant leadership has been mentioned in the bible. The greatest leaders whose stories are outlined in the Bible practiced servant leadership. These great men and women were normally called by God to serve a specific purpose. One of the best examples of a Biblical servant leader is Moses. Moses was a great miracle worker and a resilient Jew, but this is not what endeared him to the Israelites. Rather, it was his ability to lead by example. He did not impose his leadership on the people; rather, he led through serving them. He acted as the man to whom the Israelites could lean on in times of trouble. He offered guidance and strength for most of the years which the Children of Israel spent in the desert. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ urged His followers to be servants first if they hoped to be great leaders. In the Gospel of Mathew and Luke, Jesus talks about how true servant leaders should not be like earthly rulers who enjoy exercising authority over their subjects. He says that true leadership has to come with humility. (Matthew 20:25-28 and Mark 10:42-45) To demonstrate just what it meant to be a servant leader, Jesus did something that has never been heard of in the history of leadership in Israel. He offered to wash his disciples’ feet, even though this was a duty that was reserved for the lowly servant. He did not only wash them, he even dried them (John 13: 12-15). The ultimate act of servant leadership was shown by Jesus when he agreed to die on the cross so that man could be saved. Jesus is God, He could have chosen to rescue man using other ways, but he chose the simplest, yet the most powerful way. He offered Himself as the sacrificial lamp so that we could find redemption. The great Apostle Paul was also a revered servant leader. Before his Conversion, Paul was a Jewish fanatic who believed that the followers of Christ were blaspheming God, and so he went on a crusade killing anyone who professed the Christian faith. However, when Christ appeared to him on his way to persecute Christians in Damascus, Paul completely changed his ways. He went through many tribulations to ensure that the Gospel of Christ reached as many people as possible. He went out of his way to ensure that new Christians remained string in their faith, even as they suffered persecutions. Paul was a great leader, through whom many gentiles came to know and accept God (Agosto, 2005). A number of Biblical leaders were not devoted servant leaders. Take King Saul, Aaron and king Solomon for example. Aaron was not very trustworthy, while Soul was disobedient. Solomon, though being the wisest King that Israel ever had, failed to offer strong leadership to the Kingdom of Israel and his failure led to the division of the Kingdom. The Biblical Impact of servant leadership on community development today is very real. Community developers are normally seen as leaders by the societies in which they serve. Christ taught us what it really means to be a servant leader. He gave himself for the salvation of mankind. In a literal teaching on what servant leadership is, Jesus offered to wash his disciple’s feet. Some of the greatest leaders in the church are those who practice servant leadership. C.H Spurgeon was a Christian leader in the 1600s whose leadership influence is still felt today. According to Miller in C.H Spurgeon on Spiritual Leadership, Spurgeon was able to inspire many due to his humility and resilience in the faith. He is the perfect example of a Church servant leader for he was passionate about serving God through service to others. Biblical Characteristics Of A Good Servant Leader A servant leader must show love. The love that a servant leader should show to those who are below him is known as agape love. In community development, it is quite hard to get people to accept you as their leader if they feel that you do not really care about them. Agape love means love that is unconditional. There are some references to agape love in the bible where Jesus Christ teaches us that to love is to love selflessly. In Mark 10:42 – 44 and Mathew 20: 25 – 28, Jesus says that whoever wants to lead must be ready to serve others. A servant leader is able to mobilize other people to think and act in such a way that everyone benefits. In community development, mobilization is a very important aspect and if you are a good community servant leader, you will achieve whatever it is you think will benefit the people. The servant leader is a willing learner (1 Tim. 4:15-16) and humble (Matt. 18:4). A servant leader is selfless according to Luke 22:26-27. He knows how to use the bible in his work (Acts 6:2-4) and is faithful in all that he does (I Cor. 4:2). A servant leader knows how to serve other’s for the Glory of God and not his own. He is also not compelled to serve; he does it by his own free will (1 Pet. 5:2). All in all servant leadership can be said to be a selfless investment in other people. a good servant leader serves others by helping them be the best they can be. Thus a community will be able to reach their potential and do great things, all for the glory of God. How is a Community Servant Leader’s Relationship with God Supposed to Be? For one to be effective as a servant leader, he must be ready to serve God and serve only Him. A servant leader in society is completely bound to Christ. He willingly follows the example of Christ as regards servant leadership. He offers leadership not for his Glory, but for the Glory of God. This means that he is supposed to follow God’s word to the letter. A servant leader serves as a steward of some of God’s great mysteries. This means that being a servant leader in the community is a very important calling. Servant leaders are called to be stewards of the people of God for His glory. Leaders are normally chosen by god. A servant leader has a very special relationship with God since he has a special mission to fulfill on behalf of God. God entrusts his flock into the capable hands of the servant leader and it is up to him (the servant leader) to live out his responsibility. He is supposed to set a good example to the community so that God’s will can be done in the people. The biblical principles of a true servant leader indicate that servant leadership is a calling to serve God through unlimited service to fellow mankind. Christ has shown us exactly what it means to be servant leaders, and as community developers, we must do everything to emulate his example. Works Cited Agosto, Efrain. Servant Leadership: Jesus & Paul. 2005. Chalice Press. http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=nw7Yp2WFBmMC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false Greenleaf, Robert K. and Spears Larry C. Servant Leadership: A Journey Into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. 2002. Paulist Press Maxwell John C. 2008. Courageous Leadership Workbook. Thomas Nelson Inc, 2008. http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=qKPzgu42T3QC&dq=Dr+John+Maxwell+servant+leadership&source=gbs_navlinks_s Maxwell, John C. 2005. The 360-degree Leader. Developing Your Influence From Anywhere In the Organization. Thomas Nelson Inc, http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=La2vaH28FIQC&dq=Dr+John+Maxwell+servant+leadership&source=gbs_navlinks_s Miller, Steve. Spurgeon on Spiritual Leadership. Moody Press. http://www.graceandtruthbooks.com/product/ch-spurgeon-on-spiritual-leadership Patterson, Kathleen. Servant Leadership: A Theoretical Model. 2003. http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/sl_proceedings/2003/patterson_servant_leadership.pdf Russell, Robert F. and Gregory Stone. A Review of Servant Leadership Attributes: Developing a Practical Model. Leadership and Organization Development Journal. Vol 23, Issue 3, pgs. 145 – 157. 2002 MCB UP Ltd. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=4F90ABB8076543570687134A29EC2FB1?contentType=Article&hdAction=lnkhtml&contentId=1410641 Serrat, Olivier. Exercising Servant Leadership. 2009. http://www.adb.org/documents/information/knowledge-solutions/exercising-servant-leadership.pdf Spears, Larry C. Practicing Servant-Leadership. 2004. http://www.viterbo.edu/uploadedFiles/academics/msl/PracticingServantLeadershipbyLarrySpears.pdf Spears, Larry C and Lawrence, Michele. 2002. Focus on Leadership: Servant-Leadership for the Twenty-first Century. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. Read More