Hi Wafa, I appreciate how you described the transformational leadership “is a relationship when mutual stimulation raises the level of human conduct as well as the aspirations of both the leader and members, resulting in a transformational that affect both to serve.” In healthcare we live in a fast-paced world, our surroundings, our variables are constantly changing. It is crucial as leaders for our followers to be heard. Being valued is one thing, but if you aren’t being listened to, it can lead to a hostile working environment. TSL at its root starts with a relationship. Relationships need to be honest, nurtured, held accountable.
Jeanine Parolini defines Transformation servant Leadership as “the ability to cast a collaborative moral vision while actively caring for those participating in moving the vision to reality” (2012, Parolini, p.5). Transformational Servant Leadership affects the development of strategic leadership directions because it accounts for the people involved. Strategic thinking is a collective process; strategic thinking is about the present, not just the future, strategic thinking has an artful as well as a rigorous and analytical side” (2012, Parolini, p.5). Servant leadership is collaborative, self-aware, selfless. It is team orientated. Gives priority attention to colleagues and the community they serve” TSL is a team process, it is vital that everyone is included. Granted working in an organization where it is top-down management system I understand the importance of some decisions is meant to be confidential. Parolini stresses the importance of a leader needing to be self-aware. For myself and my current role, one of my most prominent learning curves was learning about myself. Once I fully understood my reactions, my thought patterns and my reasoning behind how I perceived situations I became a better leader.
The Bible tells us “whoever wants to become great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the son of man has done. He came to serve and not be served” (2015, Mark 10:45). As Christians, we are called to serve others. In health-related disciplines serving can become commonplace as everything we do is controlled. Supplies are tracked, interactions are documented. In Fraser Health we have to subscribe to a particular platform for doing things. Often this makes our jobs a little harder as there are too many hands in the pot so to speak.
In the healthcare world, I find TSL directly affects strategic directions. Healthcare is primarily about people. What I have learned is the more you do for your team, the more they will do for you. In times of high-stress situations support your team to be in the middle of it. Be beside them, be in front of them. This builds trust between the leader &your team. There are many things you can do to build this relationship. Small measures and interactions go a long way. Every morning first thing when I get in I check in with every team member and see how the morning has been. Next, we do a daily huddle at 10 am where everyone reports how his or her current workload is. At this time I decide what is a high priority and low priority. If work needs to be redistributed and shared, I divide it up.
Servant leadership directly affects strategic leadership by immersing yourself in what your team is dealing with, struggling with triumphing with gives you insider information that supports the strategic decision making. Hughes et al. inform us “strategic thinking engages the heart as well as the head” (2014, Hughes, Corelli-Beatty &Dinwoodie,p.63)
In every organization, I’ve ever been in leadership styles vary from organization to organization. There are assigned leaders and emergent leaders. Leadership I believe is born in the heart. The benefits of keeping servant leadership as a central focus are that it takes the center off the leader. When a leader focuses on the team, they can make significant waves. When a leader is a servant leader, they do not see the organization through a single focus lens. The team is my eyes and my ears on what is going on in the rest of the organization. Servant leadership’s significant benefit is that foster relationships with people. Shows them that they are valued. Being Valued in today’s workplace is not a common practice. If you want to promote exponential change, it starts with the heart. When employees feel valued, they are more engaged and fulfilled in their work.
The Bible gives the advice, “whatever you do do it with all your heart” (2015, Proverbs 4:23 ). In their book, Lead Like Jesus Hodges and Hodges state “leading like Jesus is essentially a matter of the heart. It is also the highest thought of the head, it is the principal work of the hands, and it is both expressed through and replenished through the habit” ( 2016, Blanchard, Hodges &Hendry, p.25). What we do, who we are and the way we act and react to daily trials and triumphs matters. Today’s chronic problem in organizational leadership is that leaders are out to protect themselves. Leadership quite easily can become a selfish thing. In my experience, every interaction we have with other people is a chance to influence. Say hello to the staff in lower positions, learn their names, respect them. Treat people with kindness and grace even when your first reaction is not to. The more you practice this, the easier it becomes. People will remember it and will look to you for advice in the future. Leadership occurs anytime we can shift someone’s thought patterns to provide alternative perspectives.
Critical thinking and TSL align because you can’t have one without the other. Critical thinking gives you the ability to reach an unbiased opinion based on factual evidence. When you are using critical thinking, you can problem solve, gather information, identify trends and establish common ground (2012, Stearns).
Employers seek to find individuals with the ability to think critically. Critical thinking is a sign of emotional intelligence. Transformational servant leadership encompasses all of these skills but also considers the individual. TSL humanizes vital thinking and concludes that best suits the person/s involved. I believe that they go hand in hand.
References
Parolini, J. (2012). Transformational servant leadership: A workbook with a fresh approach to leading well. Place of publication not identified: Xulon Press.
Top of Form
Hodges, P., Hendry, P., Blanchard K (2016). Lead as Jesus revisited.
Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and practice
Hughes, R. L., Beatty, K. C., Dinwoodie, D. L., & Center for Creative Leadership. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization’s enduring success.
Carson, D. A. (2015). NIV Zondervan study Bible: New International Version.
Siyam W. (2018). A STrategic Dimension Of Transformational Servant Leadership. Retrieved from: https://create.twu.ca/twuwafasiyam/strategic-dimension-of-transformational-servant-leadership/
Stearns, P. (2012). What is critical thinking?. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oAf3g5_138&feature=youtu.be
Parolini, J. (2012). Transformational servant leadership: A workbook with a fresh approach to leading well. Place of publication not identified: Xulon Press.