Servant Leadership
Name
Institution
Servant Leadership
Introduction
The goal of the philosophy of servant leadership is to have the leader serve his subjects. Contrary to conventional leadership, the leader is significantly involved in the routine activities of his people and usually leads them. Becoming a successful servant leader requires multiple attributes, such as the ability to influence, listen, and communicate effectively. Aspiring servant leaders must gauge their capabilities in these attributes, create a plan to enhance their skills, mobilize resources, and assess their progress.
Influence
Importance of Attribute to my Servant Leadership Capability
The ability to influence people is critical to servant leadership because I must convince people to follow my actions. A leader’s ability to influence people creates trust and comradery among the subjects and with their leader (Newman et al., 2015). Therefore, influencing people is the first step towards building a solid team.
Action to Enhance the Attribute
I can enhance my ability to influence people by participating in public fora. The platforms will provide me an opportunity to convince people on various topics. I will learn different influencing techniques for multiple types of audiences.
Resources to Enhance the Attribute
The most important resource is time. I must create time to attend the fora and prepare for them adequately. Also, I must be patient if the initial results are poor. Spending ample time in the preparations and delivery will eventually improve my ability to influence people.
Determining the Effectiveness of my Actions
I will gauge my success by the feedback I receive from the audience. The responses may be direct verbal commendations or assessment of how the opinions of my audience change after each forum. If I can convince people with minimal effort, then I will have successfully enhanced my capacity to influence them.
Listening
Importance of attribute to my Servant Leadership Capability
The ability to listen to people allows a servant leader to understand the needs of his people. It is a common mistake for people, especially leaders, to prepare their responses even before they have heard what their audience has to say (Spears, 1995). Therefore, I must learn to listen attentively to the demands of the people and deduce more profound messages from their statements. Listening allows a servant leader to align his decisions with the interests of the people.
Action to Enhance Attribute
I intend to improve my listening skills by studying multiple books and articles and practicing the principles I learn in every conversation I have. Constructive listening requires guidance and practice. Hence, I believe that the resources will be crucial to understanding the gaps in my listening capacity
Resources to Enhance Attribute
I will need digital and hard copies of books and articles. I will study the resources carefully before commencing the practice. Libraries, both physical and online, will be paramount to the enhancement of the attribute.
Determining the Effectiveness of my Actions
I will assess my growth by evaluating what I learn from conversations. I will pick at least one conversation per day and analyze the statements of the speaker. The analysis will reveal both the direct meanings and indirect inferences of the speaker. If I can learn something from each conversation, I will have successfully enhanced my listening skills.
Communication
Importance of Attribute to my Servant Leadership Capability
A servant leader must communicate effectively to his subordinates. Communication entails delivering the action plans and the rhetoric for making decisions. As a servant leader, I cannot convince people to follow me if they do not understand my motivations and aspirations. There are two main types of communication flow, namely, vertical and horizontal. Each category has unique features and functions (The Business Communication, 2019). A servant leader must learn the role of each kind and master its characteristics. Effective communication bridges the gap between a leader’s logic and emotions to those of the people.
Action to Enhance Attribute
I can enhance my communication skills by continually volunteering to deliver speeches and presentations. The platforms will include my classes, family gatherings, and any social events that I may attend. Improvement requires practice, and I will utilize every opportunity to practice my communication skills
Resources to Enhance Attribute
I will need a professional coach to help me improve my communication skills. The coach may be a teacher, social leader, entrepreneur, or politician. Working with mentors will allow me to practice the different styles of communication, and I will learn from their experiences.
Determining the Effectiveness of my Actions
I will evaluate my success in improving my communication skills through the feedback of my mentors. Their criticism and remarks will provide essential information for my growth. Eventually, the growth of the attribute will imply fewer critical comments and more trust and independence from my mentor.
Conclusion
Servant leadership requires mastery of the attributes of influence, listening, and communication. Each attribute contributes differently to the overall enhancement of an individual’s servant leadership capacity. A servant leader must continuously seek ways of improving their capabilities in each of the attributes by creating an action plan. They must then mobilize resources and assess their progress. One common feature in all enhancement techniques is practice. Excelling at servant leadership is a rigorous and continual process. Leaders must dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to improve in each of the attributes continuously.
References
Newman, A., Schwarz, G., Cooper, B., and Sendjaya, S. (2015). How Servant Leadership Influences Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Roles of LMX, Empowerment, and Proactive Personality. Journal of Business Ethics, 145, 49-62.
Spears, L. (1995). Reflections on leadership: How Robert K. Greenleaf’s theory of servant leadership influenced today’s top management thinkers. New York: J. Wiley.
The Business Communication. (2019). Differences between horizontal and vertical communication. Retrieved from https://thebusinesscommunication.com/differences-between-horizontal-and-vertical-communication/