Sociology

As the popular adage goes, leaders are not born, they are made. Before reading the book of Robert Greenleaf Servant Leadership, I have always viewed leadership as something bestowed by a group of people or by an institution to a certain person. For me, a leader is firstly the one who was given the authority (moral or institutional), or the most influential, the strongest person in the group. The function of a leader, in my opinion, is to lead a group or an institution to reach the goal for which that group or institution exists, in other words, the task of a leader is to ensure that reaching the external goals or targets is given the first priority. Greenleafs book Servant Leadership mystified my concept of leadership. This led me to look into myself, the organization I am now working with and how the very concept of leadership is applicable to me as a leader.

Who is the Servant- leader
The servant-leader is servant first . . . It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. 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. For such it will be a later choice to serveafter leadership is established. (p.8)

This struck me considerably. As a health care professional, the very idea of being a servant should be the core character, especially because of the sensitivity my job requires. When asking a little child what heshe wants to be when heshe grows up, one of the most common answers is, I want to be a doctor. When asked why they would simply say they want to cure sick people.  This is the meaning of being a servant first.  The motive is to serve first and the drive to lead or to be a leader is motivated by the act of wanting to serve more or better.

The leader- first and the servant- first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of the human nature. . . The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant- first to make sure that other peoples highest priority needs are being served.  (p.8)

As a typical leader in the workplace, my focus is the companys annual work plans or monthly targets. This is different from Greenleafs idea of leadership where the focus is not only on the targets but the very people working towards them. I would say that I entered the workforce carrying the simple fact in my head that I wanted to help people, to take care of them through my job, my own abilities, in the best way I can. However, with time this conviction is diluted by so many factors including the roles and responsibilities given to us at work, our family or even the institutions we belong to. For example, I could be spending more time in coaching newly hired employees in our organization, listening to or counseling a client, but the work demands the fulfilling much less necessary paper work, such as submitting various types of reports and the like. This is not considered to be bad, but the point is, there are many tasks within the organization, without which, we could focus more on meeting the clients highest priority needs or help co-workers grow in the organization.

To be a servant first is also challenging, given the culture of competitiveness in our society. In the workplace, a person usually thinks of the possible promotion, thus, co-workers are perceived not as partners, but rather as competitors. This is the reality. The author of Servant Leadership opposes this fact, by putting other peoples interest first prior to the self-interest. The act of being self-less is not an easy feat and contradicts my beliefs.

The Role of Institutions in developing Servant leadership
For this reason, developing servant leadership takes not only the personal efforts, but the necessary support system to be present. Thus, institutions play a vital role in this process.

One day, in the course of a rambling lecture, my old professor made a statement along these lines There is a new problem in our country. We are becoming a nation that is dominated by large institutions  churches, businesses, governments, labor unions, universities  and these big institutions are not serving us well. I hope that all of you will be concerned about this.(p.1-2)

This is my thesis caring for persons, the more able and the less able serving each other, is the rock upon which a good society is built. Whereas, until recently, caring was largely person to person, now most of it is mediated through institutions  often large, complex, powerful, impersonal, not always competent, and sometimes corrupt. (p.49)

I would agree to these statements. Institutions are even charged with the task to care for elderly people (homes for the aged).

An organizations primary call is to make profit at the least cost. Today, more and more organizations see that to be competitive and successful. Thus, a company must first look at the quality of its human capital, the managers and workforce.  I am strongly convinced that organizationsinstitutions who will put servant leadership as their core value will be highly successful and lead the competition. Servant leadership teaches the quality of service or product the institution should meet- the highest priority needs of the people or the intended clients. It will be a win-win situation. The society the institution serves will get the best service or product and the institution will profit more because of the increased patronage, and then the managers and the workforce will grow individually and as a team. Of course, this is easier said than done. At this very moment, I want to be a servant-leader, as I need a nurturing environment that would support me. This is where the very institution where I belong comes into play.

As Greenleaf points out nothing of substance will happen unless there are people inside these institutions who are able to (and want to) lead them into better performance for the public good. Some of you ought to make careers inside these big institutions and become a force for good  from the inside. (p.2)

I totally agree with the author here and I could start being that force of good inside. But the institution will help me keep the flame alive and be able to share it with others. If it is included in the MVG (Mission, Vision and Goals) of the organization, then the owners, managers, down to the workers will share it so that the force of good is automatically multiplied.

As long as one is leading, one always has a goal. It may be a goal arrived at by group consensus, or the leader, acting on inspiration, may simply have said, Lets go this way. But the leader always knows what it is and can articulate it for any who are unsure. By clearly stating and restating the goal the leader gives certainty and purpose to others who may have difficulty in achieving it for themselves.(p.15)

Institutions are in critical positions to shape the society by starting to shape servant leaders within their ranks. They are strong sources of change. Institutions could cultivate a nurturing, valuing environment that would foster the culture of servant leadership. It is the people who make-up an institution. As a manager, I realized that I should not just focus on the quality delivery of services we offer to clients but equally I should also seek to see how I could promote the well-being of those under my steward personally and professionally, individually and as a team. Going to work should not be just receiving the paycheck, getting the nice big red car, but it should also give the feeling of how the person is influencing, contributing to the development of co-workers and the growth of the company.

If a better society is to be built, one that is more just and more loving, one that provides greater creative opportunity for its people, then the most open course is to raise both the capacity to serve and the very performance as servant of existing major institutions by new regenerative forces operating within them.(p.49)

Since one of the key notions of Servant Leadership is to serve, I must recognize that everyone or anyone can be a servant leader. A servant leader is an enabler  the primary duty is not just to reach the physical or financial targets but also enabling one another to offer the self to higher purposes such as promoting public good.

More importantly, I know that I cannot give what I dont possess. This leads me to assess myself as a servant leaderwhere am I now as a servant leader What qualities should I work on more or need to develop in order to become a servant leader Consequently the Institution as a servant leader would ask those similar questions.

Greenleaf enumerates the qualities a servant leader should possess
1. Listening receptively to what others have to say
2. Acceptance of others and having empathy for them
3. Foresight and intuition
4. Awareness and perception
5. Having highly developed powers of persuasion
6. An ability to exert a healing influence upon individual and institutions
7. An ability to conceptualize and to communicate concepts
8. Building community in the workplace.
9. Practicing the art of contemplation
10. Recognizing that Servant Leadership begins with the desire to change oneself.

Looking into myself, I could say that I have my strong and weak points of those 10 qualities. I do recognize that becoming a servant leader is a continuing process- it is a transformational approach to life and work.  Personally, I could start cultivating and practicing those qualities above. As a manager, I could set an example to my stewards by listening to them, seeking and valuing their opinions, recognizing their efforts, providing more avenues to serve. I could take an effort in dealing with them individually, taking into consideration differences and customizing my approach based on the expressed need.

The path to Servant-Leadership

An honest evaluation of ones self and the organization is a good beginning in practicing servant leadership.

The best test, and the most difficult to administer, is Do those served grow as persons Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society will they benefit or, at least, not be further deprived (p.1)

In conclusion, I would evaluate myself using Greenleafs test. As a leader, I could lead in examining the performance of our organization. Based on the results we could reformulate our strategies, vision, mission and goals to make it more responsive to servant leadership and for greater public good.

Applying servant leadership concept seems to be a long and arduous task. I know that at one point or another people are resistant to change. I could get tired, discouraged or disillusioned. Despite these, reading the book brought back to me a sense of mission. I may just be one person, but just like a stone thrown in still waters I know that I would be able to send out the ripples of change. As one singer puts it its the climb that matters.