Servant Leadership Assignment, Essay Example

The concept of servant leadership is identified as the means by which individuals work to provide for, or serve others to accommodate their needs, and to conduct these activities in a leadership capacity (Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership). This is a learned process, as one recognizes his or her personal interest in serving others, and how this might be accomplished (Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership). A servant leader is a complex responsibility, one that reflects a number of inherent personal values and beliefs regarding the ability to provide for others that cannot easily help themselves (Barbuto and Wheeler). There are a number of key elements in servant leadership, including empathy, listening, healing, and stewardship, amongst others, and these are critical factors in supporting this role (Barbuto and Wheeler). All persons cannot be all things to all people, so therefore, it is necessary to concentrate on those characteristics that can be accomplished most effectively (Barbuto and Wheeler). In general, servant leadership requires an individual with the ability to adapt to change quickly, to work with many diverse groups of people, and to develop leadership skills through training and experience (Barbuto and Wheeler). For those working in servant leadership roles, it is necessary to identify the needs of the populations being served, and to adjust their capacity to learn as change warrants (Barbuto and Wheeler). These efforts must continue on throughout the life span, and must emphasize the importance of serving those in need in traditional and non-traditional ways (Barbuto and Wheeler). Finally, those in servant leadership roles must set a good example for others through their actions and core values under all possible conditions with diverse population groups (Barbuto and Wheeler).

Change Leadership

The concept of change leadership is identified as a means of promoting effective outcomes in a leadership role that are based upon the ability to change as needed to accommodate an organization or group. Leaders must establish the appropriate tone for an organization, and should strategically emphasize how change can shift the direction of the organization in positive and negative ways, and how this improves the capacity to learn new tasks and knowledge (AME Info). In a leadership capacity, an individual must continuously strive to develop his or her strengths, minimize weaknesses, and adapt to change quickly and effectively (AME Info). When change is warranted, a leader must establish a means of promoting the change effort throughout the organization, and this is accomplished by motivating employees and enabling them to see the advantages of the change effort in question (AME Info). When a leader assumes this role, it is necessary to develop and promote a vision that will engage employees or team members, while also recognizing that the world is not static, and that constant change is imminent and necessary to improve upon existing processes and strategies to improve performance and achieve the desired objectives (AME Info). If a leader can adapt to these changes effectively, he or she possesses a greater chance of improving the existing state of the organization on a consistent basis, and this demonstrates his or her own strengths as a leader in important ways (AME Info). Finally, change leadership is an important responsibility for all leaders to meet and to satisfy, because these efforts make a significant difference in the lives of those that are directly impacted by these changes as they arise (AME Info).

References

AME Info, 2005. “The challenges of change leadership.” 30 October 2010: http://www.ameinfo.com/60938.html

Barbuto, John E., and Wheeler, Daniel W, 2007. “Becoming a servant leader: do you have what it takes?” 30 October 2010: http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/g1481/build/g1481.pdf

Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, 2008. “What is servant leadership?” 30 October 2010: http://www.greenleaf.org/whatissl/