Embodying the Characteristics of Great Leaders - Essay Example

Embodying the Characteristics of Great Leaders Embodying the Characteristics of Great Leaders Servant leadership is a concept of leadership practices and leadership philosophy. Servant leadership is a step away from the traditional form of leadership, which involves command and power from one at the top, which is rarely questioned or listens. Servant leadership advocates for a leader who shares power and puts the needs of others first to help the people serving under him to develop and work at the highest level.

According to The Robert Greenleaf Center (2008), servant leadership is a term that was coined by Robert Greenleaf in 1970. Robert was motivated by the idea that organizations and individuals could deliver better if they worked as servant-leaders. From Robert’s perspective on leadership, a leader should make serving a mandatory requirement to ensure that other people’s needs and priorities are adequately met. Spears and Lawrence (2004) shed light into understanding the concept and philosophy of servant leadership.

Spear’s essay centers on the development of the philosophy of servant leadership and the characteristics that a servant leader is required to possess. They include listening. A servant leader listens to what others have to say. A servant leader should have empathy and healing (Spears and Lawrence, 2004). A servant leader should be one who is in touch with the feelings and needs of the ones he comes into contact. In addition, a servant leader should be persuasive and aware of the prevailing situations around.

Conceptualization and foresight are indispensable to any servant leader (Spears and Lawrence, 2004). Lastly, a servant leader should be committed to the growth of other people and building the community. A servant leader should be a steward of others. It is evident that servant leadership is a concept of humility that shy away from the ego. In addition to having all the above characteristics, Kouzes and Pozner (2007) advise that leadership and challenges go hand in hand. The leadership challenge entails how a leader can integrate various individuals with varying egos and beliefs to work and deliver results for an institution.

Leadership entails how a leader can influence a climate that enables people to change challenging situations into a remarkable success.The closest I come to see the philosophy of servant leadership in action is in the South African iconic leader, Nelson Mandela. I like Mandela due to the remarkable leadership qualities that he possessed (Okoth-Okombo & Community Aid International, 2011). In his fight for apartheid, he was a visionary and had a foresight. While imprisoned Mandela learnt the African language and urged the fellow prisoners to follow suit.

In addition, Mandela was focused on goals and a duty away from himself. He was committed to the growth of the society. It is because of this that he chose to forgive his captors and urged his people to forgive. Mandela had a remarkable endurance to challenges through at him and showed great and determination to conquer (Okoth-Okombo & Community Aid International, 2011).In conclusion, I would like to be a leader who fights for the justice of the voiceless and the marginalized in the community.

In a world where the ideals of capitalism and survival for the fittest are revered, the weak and the voiceless are always trampled upon and left with no one (Okoth-Okombo & Community Aid International, 2011). Leadership entails fighting and serving for such people. The drive to fight and stand for the rights of the forgotten in the society drives me to be a leader. Gauging myself with Mandela, we share in the character traits of empathy and healing for others. It is the concern for the suffering of the black people in South Africa that drove Mandela to leadership.

However, we contrast on the quality of persuasion since Mandela after coming out of power; South Africa was plagued by corruption and hatred. Mandela was not able to persuade people to shun away from corruption and hatred.ReferencesThe Robert K. Greenleaf Center, Inc. (n.d.). The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership. Retrieved May 30, 2008, fromhttp://www.greenleaf.org.Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The leadership challenge (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.Spears, L. C., & Lawrence, M. (Eds.) (2004).

Practicing servant leadership: Succeeding through trust, bravery, and forgiveness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Okoth-Okombo, D., & Community Aid International. (2011). Challenging the rulers: A leadership model for good governance. Nairobi, Kenya: East African Educational Publishers Ltd. in partnership with Community Aid International.