Can Servant Leaders be Effective in Today's Society?



Can Servant Leaders be Effective in Today's Society?

Introduction

The concept of servant leadership is one that has attracted substantial interest among many leaders over the past few decades. Many scholars attribute the concept of servant leadership to Robert K. Greenleaf, a notable management consultant who, prior to entering that field of work, spent a significant number of years at AT&T working in management development, research, and education. In this sense, leadership begins with a commitment from the potential leader to serve others rather than pursuing his own self-interest, and this essentially is what is central to a leader's greatness. Greenleaf believed the primary purpose of business organizations should be to create a positive impact on their employees and surrounding community.

This paper assesses whether servant leaders be effective in today's society or not. The servant leader must stand for what is good and right, even when it is not in the financial interest of the organization. Social injustice and inequality should be opposed whenever possible. Even the weak and marginal members of society must be treated with respect and appreciation. Focht (2010) proposed that providing meaningful work for employees is as important as providing a quality product or service for the customer. He advocated that business organizations should consider social responsibility as one of the major objectives; board of directors should take primary responsibility for evaluating and facilitating progress on this objective.

Discussion

The servant leader must empower followers instead of using power to dominate them (David, 2010). Trust is established by being completely honest and open, keeping actions consistent with values and showing trust in followers. People should prepare themselves to lead and accept the opportunities when offered (Orenthio, 2008). The result will be more people who serve as moral agents in society. Focht (2010) perhaps best summarized the main tenets of servant leadership into 10 core characteristics. Spears listed them as follows:

Listening. Leaders are often valued for their communication skills. Servant-leaders listen intently to others and help reinforce the will of their followers by using this skill. An effective leader is also an effective listener.

Empathy. Servant-leaders seek to identify with their followers and often go out of their way to help others feel accepted and valued in an organization.

Healing. Servant-leaders often assist others in overcoming emotional difficulties; they seek ways in which they can help others to realize their full potential by overcoming personal grief or distress.

Awareness. This characteristic aids the servant-leader in understanding issues involving ethics and values. Servant-leaders who are self-aware (i.e., aware of their role and how it works in sync with the organization and others in it), and aware of their organizational environs become stronger and more effective.

Persuasion. Servant-leaders often rely on persuasion rather than authoritative positional authority when making decisions and leading an organization. Helping others see the rationale behind certain organizational motives without oppressive force is a key element in servant leadership (David, 2010).

Conceptualization. The ability to examine and eventually solve problems requires servant-leaders to take a ...