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People often hear about transformative leadership. It is a way of seeing people's needs as a means towards an end. Transformative leadership believes fulfilling people's needs can bring about positive changes in their lives. Serving people is the goal of servant leadership, which has gained popularity. Serving people is the only outcome of servant leadership. Serving them will only be good for them, it is implied.
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Servant leadership today
The theory of servant leadership does not apply to real life. Research has shifted to empirically verifyable findings by researchers. Researchers have been able to predict the benefits and impact of servant leadership approaches with great accuracy. With such findings, it is much easier to see and assess how servant leadership results in specific outcomes.
Around the globe, organizations are shifting their attention to helping people focus and grow. The motivation for those in leadership positions in organizations around the world is to help others and not just lead. Nearly every stakeholder within an institution has instant access to all information at the touch of a button. Gone are the days of leadership and data being reserved for a few elites.
Serving leadership is a way to empower subordinates and make them leaders within their own units. Leaders and organizations that empower their employees to solve problems and create solutions are the ones who will be competitive. This award recognizes organizational citizenship through servant leadership. It means that employees must show altruism and go above their duty to make the organization a success. The servant leader must give each employee the opportunity to feel valued as a member of the team. This can only be achieved if the leader of the organization cares about the overall well-being of all employees and their growth.
Job performance refers to the sum of all individuals' contributions over time to an organizational goal. This could be task performance, or context performance. It contributes to the provision of goods and services and is easy to monitor and measure. Contextual performance, on the other hand, involves voluntary and interpersonal activities that help organizations achieve their core goals within a wider context. A team of empowered staff can achieve contextual organizational goals only if they are supported by an environment that is supportive of their holistic wellbeing.
The world has become one village thanks to globalization. Different cultures and norms influence each other across continents. Multinationals export best practices and learn from host communities. The focus has shifted to human needs due to the vibrant human rights movements around the globe. The institutions that survive in this 21st century are those who embrace change and place servant leadership at their core. But, labor unions, past leadership and leadership styles that are based on prestige, authority, command and command will not survive.
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How servant leadership can change the world
Practitioners and promoters of servant leadership believe that once servant leadership has been internalized and lived according to its tenets the fruits of servant leadership will be manifested in all aspects of society via most of the attributes listed by scholars. There will be few or no misunderstandings because everyone will listen to each other. This will allow us to build a cohesive, united community that faces common challenges together. This will make society more compassionate and help each member grow.
The organization will be more responsive for the needs of employees and the members of society. This will increase corporate social responsibility. People will use persuasion, dialogue and negotiation to solve conflicts. Power and authority can easily lead to disaffections or even violence. People will feel altruistic. This will encourage people to go above and beyond what is required of them.
However, servant leadership is only possible if people refuse to conform and stick to their old ways. They may be unable to keep up with us in this endeavor, but they run the risk of becoming obsolete and out-of-business.
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