Reading through this list of servant leader characteristics from Spears (2002, as cited by Northouse, 2018, p. 229-230) left me feeling like I now have a more complete understanding of servant leadership. To be able to summarize such an abstract concept into these ten traits was very helpful and may have been the first time I have seen servant leadership defined in this way.<\/p>\n
As I read the list and reflected on the rest of this chapter focused on servant leadership, these are the three characteristics which stood out to me as I thought about my own leadership.<\/p>\n
Empathy “Be joyful in hope,\u00a0patient in affliction,\u00a0faithful in prayer.<\/span>\u00a0Share with the Lord\u2019s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.\u00a0<\/span>Bless those who persecute you;\u00a0bless and do not curse.<\/span>\u00a0Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn (New International Version)”<\/span><\/p>\n Leaders who can rejoice and mourn alongside those they are leading display this empathetic characteristic of servant leadership.<\/p>\n Conceptualization Scott Harrison, the founder of Charity: Water, was gripped by what he saw in his time in Benin and Liberia. As a response he envisioned an organization which could respond to the water crisis he witnessed.<\/p>\n “I volunteered aboard a hospital ship with a humanitarian mission to Benin and then Liberia, West Africa, and saw extreme poverty for the first time. One year turned into two, and while I was there, I saw people drinking dirty water from ponds, rivers and swamps – simply born into communities without access. It shocked and angered me, and I began learning more about the world’s 800 million people living without access to clean water. I returned to NYC to help them, and started charity: water (Schawbel, 2013).<\/p>\n Building community For me, there is no question empathy is the most challenging of the ten characteristics of a servant leader. My own lack of empathy and my awareness of this shortcoming has been a struggle in my life and leadership for many years. I am hopeful to one day see my own life marked by rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn as a clear sign of growing empathy.<\/p>\n Question Reference Reading through this list of servant leader characteristics from Spears (2002, as cited by Northouse, 2018, p. 229-230) left me feeling like I now have a more complete understanding of servant leadership. To be able to summarize such an abstract concept into these ten traits was very helpful and may have been the first time … <\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The words of Romans 12:12-15 speak so much about empathy and how we can, to the best of our ability, “truly understand what followers are thinking and feeling” (Northouse, 2018, p. 229):<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>A charity formed in response to some kind of response could be considered conceptualization within the framework of servant leadership.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Employees who come together to create a workplace culture that promotes relationship and community would be an example of servant leadership. This could be a group of staff who go beyond the duties of their paid roles and look for opportunities to work together. Employees finding ways to come together to impact their local neighbourhood or helping co-workers create meaningful friendships would be possible outcomes of this servant leadership characteristic.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Who is a mentor or person of influence in your life who has consistently modelled these characteristics of servant leadership?<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
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\n<\/strong>Schawbel, Dan. (2013, July 22). \u201cScott Harrison: How He Started Charity: Water And What He Learned In The Process.\u201d Retrieved from www.forbes.com\/sites\/danschawbel\/2013\/07\/22\/scott-harrison-how-he-started-charity-water-and-what-he-learned-in-the-process\/.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"