Leadership from a position of servitude.
I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership over the last few weeks, especially after having the opportunity to listen to a few notable speakers share their perspectives on the subject.?
Reflecting on my acquired knowledge as it pertains to the role of a leader, my focus was always centered around the application of a theoretical framework that seek to optimize outputs by virtue of a leader’s inherent ability to motivate, inspire, reward and influence around a shared vision, set of values and goals.?
Nothing that I’ve learnt? up to this point led me to believe that virtues such as compassion, kindness, morality and being fundamentally “others centered” played a pivotal role in the degree to which others would heed to a rallying cry.?
After being jolted by the concept that true leadership goes far beyond the precepts of a job or a role, I began to adjust my state of mind to engender a modified definition centered around humanitarianism and authenticity - a model that espouses the ideology that leadership requires developing or having discipline and humility to relegate their needs to the ones they serve and living their life in the service of others.?
Motivated by a desire to learn more about the subject, my research led me to the concept of Servant leadership. Servant leadership is a state of mind that synthesizes leadership engagements along the dimensions of morality, altruism and ethics. It facilitates growth and empowerment that uplifts one’s potential beyond the cursory misgivings of the traditional models.???
领英推荐
For those who follow the christian faith, one of the most popularly documented examples of servant leadership can be found from the bible’s account of the life and work of Jesus Christ. When we think about leadership in the present context, characteristics such as? humility and meekness goes diametrically against the populist definition of what a true leader is taught to be.?
The paradox however, is that similar to other forms of leadership, servant leaders are result oriented, proactive, ambitious, and driven to the same call to deliver organizational goals and meet strategic objectives.?
The differentiator here is that servant leaders benefit from the added incentives of trust, well-being and mindfulness. When these become commonplace for every leadership interaction, teams become more engaged and committed towards fulfilling their desired goals.?
Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Development | Professor of Higher Education | Leadership Development | Student Success | Teaching & Learning | Internationalization
3 年Nice to see the role of others shine in this article!
Director @ Hewlett Packard Enterprise | Leads Data Center and Hardware Strategy
3 年Amen Sir, "servant leaders benefit from the added incentives of trust, well-being and mindfulness. When these become commonplace for every leadership interaction, teams become more engaged and committed towards fulfilling their desired goals.". I could not have said it or lived by these principles any better. This is far better than "accountability" measured and managed with a hammer. .
Strategic Project Manager | Trusted Business Advisor | Solution Finder
3 年Courtney F Stewart, PMP So very true! All fundamental qualities that every leader needs to drive impactful change and meaningful results.
Quality & Commissioning Manager at Google (CBRE TVC)
3 年A great perspective.
Transformation Leader, EY | Strategy, Innovation & Operations Executive | Digital Transformation | Former-McKinsey
3 年Well said, my friend and brother, Courtney F Stewart, PMP. These esteemed and noteworthy principles of servant leadership are the ones that I seek to achieve each day. Having had the benefit of observing and following your leadership over our decades of friendship, I am delighted to inform you that you have always been a servant leader. Kudos to you, brother. Great article.