Focus On Leadership: Servant Leadership for the 21st Century, Research Paper Example

Resulting from my accomplishments in several business and educational ventures, I hereby wish to define leadership as the cultivation of static approaches to working environments that spur transformation so important in fostering personal growth of one’s followers. It is the ability “to honor the personal dignity and worth of all who are led and to evoke as much as possible their own innate creative power for leadership” (Laub, 1999 p10). When a follower moves towards his/her state of self actualization, one becomes a true servant leader (Maslow, 1970). To achieve this objective, I consider as appropriate high moral and ethical conduct, valuing and believing in people, being receptive but non-judgmental, developing people, modeling appropriate behavior in situations, providing others with an opportunity to learn and grow, affirming and encouraging good behavior, building strong interpersonal relations and most of all, emphasis on the needs of others first before one’s own (Sears, 1998).

While servant leadership is a documented avenue of positive transformation on others, I believe that changing too many things is not possible at an instance with any style of leadership. Moreover, while flexibility may guarantee change faster and acceptably, I wish not to change many of my leadership qualities to reflect these ideals. Rather, I will focus on doing even better what my followers approve of and handle with utmost responsibility and materials placed under my custody. I will rely on several available business organizational models successfully applied by best entrepreneurs. However, the confidence in my ability to create and evaluate these models to suit my followers is my driving force.

My new goals include effective collaboration, valuing differences, displaying authenticity, being open and accountable and maintaining integrity, willingness to learn, taking initiatives, envisioning the future and facilitating shared visions. When undertaking all these, one must be prepared to clarify shared goals, share leadership, believe in people and take risks. I wish to remain a facilitator of shared visions in the spirit of Spears and Lawrence’s definition of servant leadership (2002). I wish to assume, at all times, a non-focal position within groups that I lead, provide support and resources to them without expecting any form of acknowledgement. I will remain persuasive and a good communicator of visions.

References

Laub, J. A. (1999). Assessing the servant organization: Development of the Servant Organizational Leadership Assessment (SOLA) instrument. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Florida Atlantic University.

Maslow, A. (1970). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper and Rowe.

Spears, L.C. (1998). Insights on leadership: Service, stewardship, spirit, and servant leadership. Eds. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Spears, L.C., Lawrence, M. (2002). Focus on leadership: Servant leadership for the 21st century. Eds. New York: John Wiley & Sons.