Seekers as Leaders
Robert K. Greenleaf in his essay The Servant as a Leader and subsequent writings developed the principles that he deemed prerequisite in optimal leadership. He argues that leaders who people follow and trust could only gain moral authority by serving their followers and organizations. Further, he posits that leaders do not achieve moral authority by using the power conferred or by wielding titles. Rather, he describes a servant leader as an individual who is there for the followers. Greenleaf is against the idea of survival of the strongest and putting the leader first. Rather, a leader should endeavor to ensure cooperation and collaboration between different players. In his essays, Greenleaf advocates for trust. In the sense that it is difficult for people in an organization to trust one another unless a person proves that they cannot be trusted. A servant leader has two distinct roles: being a servant and a leader, and hence, they have obligations towards their followers.
The idea of being a servant leader is significantly unique. For instance, in management, leaders are to be served and not serve. Moreover, being a leader resonate power while being a servant resonates weaknesses. Greenleaf’s essays are based on experiences and observation made at the workplace and institutions that serve people. From the experiences and his actual actions, there are roles that leaders are required to do for their followers. The activities include the following: providing care for followers, knowing their followers well, identify the needs of their followers, make sure that followers grow and develop, listen to them, provide vision, persuade followers, and build a strong relationship with their followers, build a sense of community and empowerment. Other actions can include fostering humor, greeting and smiling and much more. Leaders and managers in the 21st century accept the actions positively.
Greenleaf posits that leaders do not exist unless followers exist. The process of servant leadership requires that are sanctions are not put in place to force leaders to comply. The only way to test leadership is if people follow their leaders voluntarily. Unfortunately, whether people follow leaders voluntarily does not measure the quality of leadership. For this reason, Greenleaf devised a way in which the quality of leadership can be tested. In the test, he examines whether the followers grow, become healthier, wiser, and the likelihood of becoming servants or benefit from the leadership. Servant leadership is adequately and effectively measured by examining the lives of followers (Greenleaf & Spears, 2002).
Leadership is a responsibility and an obligation. An opportunity to lead is not to be used to better oneself and position nor should it be used to promote status, income, and career. Greenleaf points that there are so many individuals that are capable of leading excellently but they choose to be non-servants. His propositions were not only meant to enable leaders to lead effectively and make organizations profitable but also, to ensure the quality of service provided was good with positive results trickling to the society (Greenleaf, 2002). The only way to build a better society, one that is just, empathetic and full of opportunities, requires communities to begin nurturing servant leaders.
In this 21st century, leaders that value power and wealth because of greed and selfishness, makes their organizations lose control. Many companies, for instance, Rotary International have embraced servant leadership. Such organizations uphold organizational values by making the difference, empowering people, respecting them and caring for them. However, many organizations fail to state their actual missions and visions clearly. The reason for this is that they lack the strategic leadership to help the organizations steer towards the right direction. However, Greenleaf notes that servant leaders are visionaries with the capacity to forward plan.
References
Greenleaf, Robert K. "Servant leadership." (1977).
Greenleaf, R. K., & Spears, L. C. (2002). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Paulist Press.
