ADAPTING
YOUR APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP
In the
Christian Faith, a leadership style called "transformational
leadership" is often the most effective approach to use. Transformational
leaders have integrity, they inspire people with a shared vision of the future,
they set clear goals and motivate people towards them, they manage delivery,
and they communicate well with their teams. However, leadership is not
"one size fits all" thing; often, you must adapt your style to fit a
situation or a specific group.
WHAT IS SERVANT
LEADERSHIP?
Servant
leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of
individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and
caring world. This term, also describes a leader often not formally recognized
as such. While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase “servant
leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf.
BRIEF
Details of the Servant Leader:
Servant
leaders often lead by example. They have high integrity and lead with generosity. Servant
leaders often "lead from
behind," preferring to stay out of the limelight and letting their
team accept recognition for their hard work.
Supporters
of the servant leadership model suggest that it's a good way to move ahead in a
world where values are increasingly important, and where servant leaders can
achieve power because of their values, ideals, and ethics.
This is an approach that can help to create a positive corporate culture and
can lead to high morale among team members. However, other people believe that
in competitive leadership situations, people who practice servant leadership
can find themselves left behind by leaders using other leadership styles.
SECRETS OF SERVANT LEADERS:
Servant
leaders believe that...
1. Every person has value and deserves civility,
trust, and respect.
2. People can accomplish much when inspired by a
purpose beyond themselves
3. Clarify and reinforce the need for service to
others: Servant leaders educate the
members of their team through their words and actions, and they encourage their
people to set aside self-serving behaviors in favour of serving others.
4. Listen intently and observe closely: Servant leaders really listen to their people, and they actively solicit their
participation, their ideas, and their feedback. In time, they get to know the
worldview of each one, and they tailor their leadership approach accordingly.
5. Act as selfless mentors: Servant leaders know that by helping to guide
the people who work for them, they will help others learn vital skills that
will both improve their performance, and improve them as people.
6. Demonstrate persistence: Servant leaders realize that one or two
conversations may not have the desired change in an employee's assumptions or
mindset. So they are tenacious and invest whatever time it takes to educate and
inspire servant leadership practices in the members of their team.
7. Lovingly hold themselves and others
accountable for their commitments: Servant
leaders know that no one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes--including
themselves. With that in mind, they push for high standards of performance,
service quality, and alignment of values throughout the team, and they hold
themselves and their people accountable for their performance.
Title : UNDERSTANDING SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Description : ADAPTING YOUR APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP In the Christian Faith, a leadership style called "transformational leadership" is...