If ever there is a subject that has more opinions and more discussions it is probably what is good leadership and what makes a good leader. Leadership is a skill used to realize a vision through the cooperation and contribution of others. The job of a leader is to motivate or influence people; focus is on the vision and the goal is to move people. Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. But what vision?
The theory of servant leadership is not a new one but one that has become more popular in recent years. Servant Leadership is a theory originally coined by Robert Greenleaf in 1970. It involves a leader making a conscious decision to serve the needs of the people within the company. It implies that by focusing on allowing employees to flourish at their very best level the company will flourish. Recently I had someone expand that theory to say that a good leader serves at the pleasure of the people. I am not sure I can agree with this.
The concept of servant leadership can be traced back, at least partly, to Jesus, about 2000 years ago. Many institutions and individuals have adapted the Servant Leadership approach to Christian principles. The theory is fine as far as it goes but I believe that a good leader serves the company, business, or owner of the vision more so than the people. So my question would be; servant to what or to whom? As it pertains to business I would prefer to say that leaders need to serve the needs of the business or shareholders ahead of the employees. The objective is to enhance the growth of individuals in the organization and increase teamwork and personal involvement.
Every organization, circumstance, or business calls for different courses of action. The success of your leadership will ultimately depend on the way you recognize the needs of the business or the strategic plan for that business, and how you can adapt your leadership style to those needs.
