Servant leadership is a model of leadership whereby the leaders subscribes to the ideals that enhance team building, empowerment of the followers, total quality, service ethics and participatory management (Blanchard,2015).Servant leadership is characterized by;empathy,active listening,persuasion,foresight,healing,conceptualization,commitment to growth, team building and awareness. According to Pariss and Peachey (2015), the model of servant leadership puts more emphasis on the development of the followers since the main endeavor of a servant leader is to ensure that the priority and the needs of his people are served at the expense of his individual needs.
For one to be a termed as a servant leader, self -interest should not be a motivating factor. Rather, the leader drives pride in his ability to help other to develop and realize their potential. Further, Nagy (2013) contends that servant leaders are a source of vision that makes them gain influence, trust and credibility from the followers.
President George Washington is credited with his leadership styles that integrated the concept of servant leadership in leading the American citizens. According to Schroeder (2015), George Washington was the first US president. He was a military soldier and a great leader, making many Americans regard him as the father of the republic of the United States. According to George Washington, great power comes with many responsibilities. In his view, leading others was not about achieving personal gains or ambitions rather, it is a service for the great good and the bigger purpose of the society. President George always fought for the rights of the less-privileged Americans.
In addition, He always worked together with other Americans so as to achieve greater success. For instance, during the American Revolution war, George came across a group of soldiers who were trying to raise a beam to a higher ground. The corporal who was overseeing the work did very little to motivate the soldiers. He kept on shouting at them. Finally, they were unable to raise the beam. After watching their lack of success in raising the beam, George Washington asked the corporal in he could join the soldiers in the lifting of the beam. The corporal was not happy at the request by George Washington. He went on and offered his assistance. The soldiers managed to raise the beam with the help and encouragement from George Washington. He then turned to the corporal and asked him to call him whenever in case they will need his help again. In doing so, George portrayed the qualities of a servant leader which entails not only saying words and giving directions but also participation in the execution of the duties. Also, this showed a sigh of humility since he served without a motive of getting anything in return.
A study by Schroeder (2015) indicates that George was a servant leader who often performed his duties to the pleasure of the Americans, the congress, and soldiers. Although Washington was not gifted academically, his idea of participative management enabled him to benefit from ideas of great scholars and American philosophers like Sam Adam and Patrick Henry. During the American Revolution war, George Washington encouraged his soldiers by ensuring that all their needs are met. He spent a lot of resources in clothing the soldiers, provision of ammunition and food for the entire six years that the war lasted. Besides, he was a leader who could share his victory with his followers instead of taking all the credit for himself. During his tenure as the president, George celebrated his achievement with the American citizens so as to encourage them to remain committed to the fulfillment of the national goals.
During George Washington’s tenure as the continental army commander and the US president, He developed a strong relationship with great people who were critical in furthering the American cause. For instance, he was surrounded by a team of great minds like Alexander Hamilton and Nathaniel Greene. Despite the fact that he received criticism from a section of leaders, George Washington focused much of his valuable time in bringing ob board individuals he felt would help him in executing his mission good servant leader is one who strives to create strong relations with key players in the team. Also, the leaders should provide experiences that ensure that promotes the flourishing of the talents of the team members.
Persistence is another attribute of a servant leader. George Washington lost many battles than wins while serving as the commander of the continental army. However, he kept on encouraging his troops that fighting for the independence was not an easy task and could not be completed in a single day. George Washington used to harass British troops and retreat. It took six years for the British to recognize the US as a sovereign state. According to McChrystal, it takes patience and persistence for one to realize great things in life. The American soldiers encountered a lot of obstacles in their fight for independence. Nonetheless, George Washington engaged members of the team in finding other ways of how to overcome the challenges so as to reach the end goal of liberating the American people.
Servant leaders play a critical role in enhancing the achievement of the organizational goals. Pariss and Peachey (2013) portends that a servant leader always strives to fulfill the needs of the employees in the organization. This strategy is of great significance in promoting the morale of the employees thus guaranteeing their commitment to the organization. Also, an organization that subscribes to servant leadership invests in its employees. Professional development and training are important in ensuring that the employees are updated on the new technological advancements so as to enhance their efficiency. Also, training is critical in ensuring that the members get the requisite skills that are of help in executing the organization's vision (Nagy, 2013).
Servant leadership calls for the leader to the involvement of the employees in determining critical issues that affect the organization. Employees who are properly engaged in the management of the organization's activities are more likely to support the initiatives of the organization. This is because participative management creates a sense of ownership and that employees feel that the organization values their input.
Servant leaders always encourage their followers to work hard through recognition of individual efforts and group efforts. It is important for the servant leader to motivate employees who perform exemplary through intrinsic motivation. Besides, extrinsic motivation can help in motivating various groups and individual employees. For instance, the use of incentives like salary increments, provision day offs and promotion play a critical role in enhancing the commitment of the employees to the organizational goals.
Development of an open communication infrastructure is another strategy employed by servant leaders. Servant leaders always use the available communication channels to communicate the objectives of the organization to the employees. Also, communication is important in equipping the employees with the necessary information that is needed in the execution of their activities. Furthermore, Blanchard (2015) highlights that effective communication helps in reducing unnecessary confrontation between the leader and the employees since every person is aware of what is expected of him.
Organizations’ that regard servant leadership with the highest esteem advocate for leaders to uphold ethics while leading others. Servant leaders often give truthful information to the followers regarding the condition of the organization. This strategy is important in managing organization since it makes the employees be part of the solution to the problem that is confronting the organization. Giving lies can cause resentment and a sense of mistrust between the leader and the employees. Besides, it is important for the leader to give realistic promises so as to avoid dissatisfaction in the event that the organization fails to live up to the promises.
McCrystal (2011) proposed that modern organizations should be organized as a team of acquaintances. This strategy is employed by servant leaders to avoid the boss- subordinate relationships. He further explained that a servant leader always treats every member of the team equally and that the opinion of each member counts in the management of the organizational activities. Teamwork encourages innovation and diversity of ideas. Also, employees who work as a team are always committed to the achievement of the organizational goals since they share the success. Teamwork also helps to enhance employee satisfaction thus reducing the turnover rate.
All organizations need servant leaders, especially during the change process. This is because leaders are always committed to empowering of the employees and that they do not use the aspect of organizational change to create power and positions for themselves. 9 0 opines that the main endeavor of a servant leader is to meet the needs of the people they are serving and the organizational goals. For the change process to succeed, it is imperative for the servant leader to engage all the stakeholders in planning and making of critical decisions on issues that affect the organization (Nagy, 2013). Servant leadership is important in enhancing competitive of the organization in future. For instance, an organization can train its employees on the emerging technological advancements so as to enhance efficiency and relevance. Also, servant leadership can help in the development of an organizational culture. Servant leaders can integrate honesty, accountability, and freedom in the management of the organization. Organization needs leaders who will enhance teamwork and collaboration between members so as to promote commitment. Moreover, servant leadership advocates for a culture whereby the organization puts the needs of the employees first so as to gain strength and credibility.
Conclusion
References
Blanchard, K. (2015). Satisfaction and great results come from servant leadership. YouTube Video. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDEgqbg40SM.
McCrystal, S. (2011). Listen, learnThe lead. YouTube Video. Retrieved from. https://www.ted.com/talks/Stanley_mcchrystal.
Nagy, J. (2013). Servant leadership. Accepting and maintaining the call of service. Community Tool Box, University of Kansas. Retrieved from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of- contents/leadership=leadership-ideas/servant-leadership/main.
Pariss, D.L. & Peachey, J.W. (2013). A systematic literature review of servant leadership theory in organizational context. Journal of Business Ethics,113(3),377-393.
Schroeder, D. (2015). 5 secrets of George Washington’s leadership.Retrievd from https://davidmschroeder.com/2015/03/26/5-secrets-of-george-washingtons-leadership/
