Servant Leadership Essay

It complements democratic – which is where leaders demonstrate humility in the way they work.However, servant leadership is problematic in hierarchical, autocratic cultures where managers and leaders are expected to make all the decisions.In the team structure, leaders are there to lend support, do research, provide supplies and even run errands, Neil Kokemuller wrote in "Problems With the Servant Leadership Model." But servant leadership can also lead to problems, Kokemuller and others argue.

That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? [and become] more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?

The leadership style laid out by Greenleaf in this essay and two subsequent essays, "The Institution as Servant" (1972) and "Trustees as Servants" (1975), upends the top-down power structure found in many institutions.

Greenleaf's approach also includes elements of the participative leadership style, which requires leaders to involve subordinates in setting goals, building teams and solving problems but keeps the final decision-making in their own hands. In discussing servant leadership, management experts frequently note ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi wrote about the concept in the fifth century B.

Based on Greenleaf's writings, other management experts created a list of attributes a servant leader must possess. C., when he described the highest type of ruler as someone who deflects attention: "The sage is self-effacing and scanty of words.

Employees treated with respect are more likely to be loyal to the institution, provide superior service to the institution's customers and come forward with ideas and innovations.

The servant leadership approach has recently gained currency as companies look to flatten their organizations, empowering employees and teams to make decisions in an effort to keep up with a fast-moving business environment.

It is in stark contrast to the authoritarian style of leadership, which requires leaders to have total decision-making power and absolute control over their subordinates.

Servant leadership's emphasis on taking responsibility for the needs and desires of others is akin to ethical leadership, which urges leaders to show respect for the values and dignity of their subordinates. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, described 10 characteristics "central to the development" of servant leaders: As others have noted, the concept of servant leadership predates Greenleaf -- and Hesse -- by many centuries.

He makes decisions with the team's best interests in mind, and ensures that everyone has the resources and knowledge they need to meet their objectives.

As a result of this, his team is one of the most successful in the department, with low staff turnover and high engagement.