servant leadership 1 Essay

Submitted By zachattack760
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Pages: 6
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2/26/15
Servant Leadership There are two types of leadership that I believe have a lot in common with each other, but at the same time offer very different ways to lead and manage an organization. The leadership styles of servant leadership as well as Theory X may be effective at managing an organization, but both concepts offer negative and positive results and can be used in different situations. Servant leadership has to do with caring for your employees and the trait theory relies on employee’s physical and mental abilities only. Servant leadership holds a completely different theory when it comes to leading an organization. Some people say that being a servant to others is the key to motivating them. Others say that a person shows that they are a leader by serving other people and meeting other people’s needs. But what does being a servant leader actually entail? In the book Organizational communication, Metcalfe states that being a servant leader doesn’t only mean to serve others. Metcalfe states that a leader that has a “genuine concern for others well-being and development” and is “consistent, honest and open” when it comes to his organization or his employees. But does being a servant leader require action? A leader takes action when he is genuinely concerned about valuing the individuals in his organization. When a servant leader sees that there is a situation that needs to be taken care of on the job, he isn’t passive and hope things get better. He gets down on his hands and knees and attempts to help the situation. This can include having personal conversations with employees about your care for them and their wellbeing, as well as taking on a task typically delegated to them to relieve them of a stressful situation.
There have been quite a few times where I have been blessed to be able to lead people in many situations. Focusing on being an “inspirational communicator, having integrity, (being) approachable, and (being) a risk taker” (Eisenburg 260). These are a few characteristics of servant leadership and are attributes that I strive for daily. Eisenburg states “these habits of character are less learned than they are cultivated through every day disciplined thinking of the work on the self in the world of others” (260). Just like other habits, servant leadership does not come naturally, and needs to be emphasized and practiced daily to become a habit. It is important to legitimately care about one and other’s wellbeing. This was also one of the many teachings of Jesus Christ when he came to the earth and died on the cross to cover every sin of the human race. Romans chapter 12 verses 9-11 states “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (MacArthur 1,673). This was stated by Paul in the New Testament and is one of the most important teachings of Jesus Christ. He taught that people who are to follow him were to love each other unconditionally. This means serving your employees in an organization as well as valuing them.
Not only have I been striving to be a servant leader, I have witnessed servant leaders in action on multiple occasions. Being involved with Campus Outreach, a local non-denominational Christian Ministry, has made it easy to find servant leaders. For example, I know of disciple leaders that have given up their time, money, and health at times in order to serve others, because they value them and their eternal salvation. There are others that travel to foreign countries and live in poverty, just because they love other people greater than themselves. This is what I believe being a leader demands, according to the spoken words of Jesus Christ.
The next leadership theory is that of Douglas McGregor and was researched in the 1960’s. McGregor states that most people are born with the dislike of work. His work showed that
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