TSL||Leadership Imperatives & Strategic Leadership Blog post 2.1 || NP1
How transformational servant leadership (TSL) affects the development of strategic leadership directions in a non-profit organization
Unlike other types of organizations where the maximization of profit for shareholders remains prime, non-profits seek to maximize their capacity to uplift society by working towards actualizing one or more causes such as addressing the peculiar needs of the poor and vulnerable in society.
Whether it seeks to maximize profits or maximize its capacity to positively impact society, an organization’s ability to remain relevant to society depends upon the extent to which its leadership is able to provide the strategic directions relevant for developing and implementing its corporate strategies (Lepsinger, 2010). Put differently, the relevance of an organization depends on the extent to which its leadership is able to provide that sense of direction for a future which its stakeholders share in and fully commit towards actualizing (Hughes, Beatty, & Dinwoodie, 2014). Hence, developing strategic leadership directions entails the following; (a) creating a sense of direction via a shared vision, (b) identifying the drivers that should inform the organization’s strategic priorities, and (c) aligning and committing human, material, financial and other resources towards the actualization of a shared vision (Hughes, Beatty, & Dinwoodie, 2014).
Northouse (2016) suggests that leadership affects and shapes every aspect of an organization; this includes how it is managed and more importantly, how its strategic directions are determined. There exist several approaches to leadership as explained by Northouse (2016); transformational leadership and servant leadership are two examples of such approaches. Transformational leadership aims to transform people by empowering them to achieve extraordinary results for the organization (Northouse, 2016, p. 162). Servant leadership on the other hand, aims to ensure that the highest priority needs of the followers are being served and that they ultimately become better in all ramification (Northouse, 2016, p. 226). In the light of these explanations, transformational servant leadership (TSL) could be viewed as a leadership approach that combines both transformational and servant leadership. Clearly, TSL aims to actualize the overall interests of the organization just as it also prioritizes the personal growth of its leaders and followers alike.
TSL could affect the development of strategic leadership within a non-profit organization in several ways which include (a) the formulation of a shared mission, vision and values, (b) the selection of strategic drivers, (c) the selection and development of teams and (d) the execution or implementation of corporate strategy.
The very nature of TSL is such that it guarantees a strong sense of inclusion among leaders and followers alike especially for non-profits (Northouse, 2016). This sense of inclusion could prove critical for ensuring that the mission, vision and values of an organization become shared by all stakeholders. As implied by Hughes et. al (2014), when a vision becomes shared, barriers such as a sense of exclusion and ineffective communication among others become significantly reduced; the commitment of all stakeholders towards the selection of strategic drivers, team selection and ultimately, implementing the strategy, would naturally ensue.
The benefits of keeping servant leadership as a central focus in the use of strategic leadership principles for a non-profit organization
The Bible asks an all-important question that provides valuable insight. In chapter 3 and verse 3 of the book of Amos, the Bible asks; “can two walk together unless they be agreed?” (Holy Bible). As corroborated by Hughes, et. al (2014), this suggests that without a collective agreement and commitment, leadership and followership alike would lack the synergy needed for actualizing a better future for society as well as the organization. One of the antecedent conditions of servant leadership is context and culture (Northouse, 2016, p. 231). Clearly, servant leadership would help provide a strong corporate culture which can provide an important leverage for guaranteeing the commitment of all stakeholders towards the vision, mission and values of the organization (Northouse, 2016).
Lepsinger (2010) suggests that execution is the most important part of strategy. Based on my experiences with managing a non-profit, while corporate strategy is being implemented, there would be moments where even the best of employees could make choices or perform actions to the detriment of the organization. Servant leadership behaviours such as emotional healing and helping followers grow and succeed can prove valuable for such moments (Northouse, 2016, p. 232). Instead of enforcing punitive measure alone, applying these servant leader behaviours could also help transform such unfortunate incidents into valuable learning experiences that would further develop the individual and ultimately strengthen the organization. In the absence of servant leadership principles, leaders could proverbially, throw out the baby with the bath water!
The final benefit which I would be discussing is that of the societal impact as evident in the account of the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa (Northouse, 2016, pp. 237-238). The upliftment and betterment of society remain a top priority for every non-profit organization. As such, servant leader can indeed help reinforce this perspective by helping leaders make the right choices to ensure that available resources are applied with a genuine intent to create maximum societal impact.
Critical thinking principles that are important for transformational servant leadership when developing strategies for a non-profit organization
Critical thinking could be succinctly described as an active process through which leaders can better actualize their potentials (Teachphilosophy, 2012). It entails solving problems from multiple perspectives, discovering truths and communicating clearly (Teachphilosophy, 2012).
A few of the critical thinking principles which I consider important for transformational servant leadership when developing strategies for non-profits are; (a) solving problems from multiple perspectives such as a scientific method, a socratic method, a logical method and more, (b) attaining freedom from societal conditioning and (c) evaluating information sources for factual information as against conjecture, bias, speculation or hearsay (Teachphilosophy, 2012; Sanborn, 2016; Thinking with concepts, n.d.).
I believe strongly believe that non-profit organizations do have a peculiar need for applying all the critical thinking principles listed above. Solving problems from multiple perspectives would enable a non-profit better articulate its selection of strategic drivers (Hughes, et. al., 2014, p. 26). Attaining freedom from societal conditioning would strengthen the non-profit’s capacity for envisioning the future. As an example, instead of routinely sourcing for donations and buying material items for those in need which appears to be the norm, a non-profit could consider the possibility of enrolling eligible beneficiaries in training courses or programs that could better empower them. Lastly, I believe that evaluating information sources for factual information is particularly important for conducting a needs assessment for determining the best possible way to deploy resources.
References
Hughes, R.L., Beatty, K.C., & Dinwoodie, D.L. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization’s enduring success (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Lepsinger, R. (2010). Closing the execution gap: How great leaders and their companies get results. Jossey-Bass
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. (7th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Sanborn, M. [Mark Sanborn Official Booking Site]. (2016, August 9). The importance of critical thinking
. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yEZHXgQKsM&feature=youtu.be
Teachphilosophy. (2012, December 26). What is critical thinking?
. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oAf3g5_138&feature=youtu.be
Thinking with concepts. (n.d.). In The foundation for critical thinking. Retrieved June 18, 2018, from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/thinking-with-concepts/525