Category: Post 2.1

Thanks, Stella for the comments. I liked very much you bringing up the need of the leader to ask questions and to be informed before making a decision or forming an opinion. Knowing what has been done before is an essential part of this process as well. It is very much what a critical thinking leader should do (Atha, 2008). Many times I also have to learn to read “between the lines.” I must speak from what I experience. I am aware that Paraguayans do not speak directly, but one needs to learn to interpret what is being said. One can easily make a mistake when you don’t understand correctly specific observations or does not understand the comments. Example, I have had prominent people from the community who currently do not have children in our school come to my office and start asking about the school’s registration requirements and class size. The person knows already ahead of time that the classes are full, that we have no space, and about the registration requirements. What they are trying to do is to see if I am impressed by their status in the community and if I will make an exception and allow them to register their child, when in reality there are several other children on the waiting list.

You made great questions and sorry if I assumed people would understand.

When I say that some people do not respond well to some servant leadership skills is that occasionally people do not want to take part in the decision-making process, for example. People want me, as a principal to decide. They don’t want me to ask, “what do you think?” Some are so used to the top-down decision-making process that they believe the leader has all the authority to decide without asking. I had my secretary tell me the first year that I was not a leader since I allowed others to decide as well.

I believe that situational servant leadership should be used when people have not yet understood the concept of servant leadership and because of cultural traditions seem to not respond well to servant leadership. I add the word situational because the leader picks and chooses the time and with whom to fully apply servant leadership skills. I might be wrong of course, but this has been my experience.

I wonder what other peoples experience has been on this. Is situational servant leadership possible, or is it all or nothing?

Reference:

Atha, D. (2018). Learning activity 0.2: Critical thinking.  Course Learning Notes. Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/ldrs501/activity-0-2/

Thanks, Sally for leading this week.

Excellent title you gave your post. It seems that as we look at the characteristics of a TSL leader one should personally embody this style of leadership. You did well to say that there is “no alternative” than to use TSL.”

“This need transcends the system of education in any country and can only be truly filled through the TSL path which prepares people to face challenges, develop consistent flexibility, and continually build strong relationships through mutual trust, respect, and reliability.” (Hinksman, 2018, paras. 2) I would like to high light “education in any country” since I believe we are entering a global education era and the need to implement TSL regardless of the country is a must. One has only to be aware that in some cultures, TSL will be initially much more challenging to implement. For example, in Latin America, the current styles of leadership being implement are the opposite of the servant-leadership model (McIntosh & Irving, 2008, p. 4). We still struggle with the idea of a leader being a chief and a dictator. The people that are currently in leadership grew up during the Stroessner dictatorship which ended in 1989. Just yesterday, while teaching my leadership class in high school, I told students they were a generation that was already born after Stroessner’s dictatorship. It is an excellent opportunity for us to do something different and incorporate TSL into their mind frame.

Another observation that I would like to high light from your blog is, “a servant leader is not someone who is weak (my underline) and unable to lead others in a common direction.” Amaral (2007) says that in Brazil, while a pastor was implementing the servant leadership model, the members of the congregation believed that their leader’s ability to influence had declined (as cited in McIntosh & Irving, 2008, p.9). I can say that I have been experiencing the same which, sometimes, forces the leader to fall back into other styles of leadership. It will take some time to convince followers of the benefits of TSL.

Blessings,

Reference:

McIntosh, T. A., Irving, J. A., & Seminary, B. (2008). Evaluating the Instrumento de Contribucion al Liderazgo de Siervo (ICLS) for reliability in Latin America. Servant Leadership Roundtable at Regent University, Virginia Beach.

Thanks, Sea Breeze for your thoughts on Transformational Servant Leadership (TSL), Servant Leadership (SL), and Strategic Leadership.

I also believe that a transformational servant leader is a strategic leader. You mention that a transformational servant leader “is a visionary leader” and you also mention that such leader “has an eye on the future.” As much as that is key, we cannot forget that strategic leaders and transformational servant leaders are not just focused on the future, but they also have a good understanding of the present. Hughes, Beatty, and Dinwoodie (2014) remind us that a strategic leader has a good understanding of the challenges he or she faces as referring to the present (p.85) In your reflection, you go on and also high light this idea as you say that a TSL teacher knows where students are. A transformational servant teacher knows what the students needs at the moment to bring him or her to her future goals. We see the future yet do not forget the present.

Regarding keeping servant leadership (SL) central to strategic leader. I very much believe that SL helps foster engagement and improves the work environment. From my experience in Paraguay, I would like to add that some staff members are not yet ready for SL, which is why I would advocate for situational servant leadership in some cases and with some staff members. I have realized the last few years in Paraguay that some of my staff members do not respond well to some servant leadership skills I use. I hope that eventually, I can bring them all into a place where they will learn to appreciate SL and practice SL.

To finish, thank you for your faith statement in your last paragraph. I appreciate your openness. You said that TSL could be practiced fully in a Christian school setting. I agree, but I am reminded every day that it is challenging even among Christian teachers to practice TSL. I remember an observation posted on the Seventh Adventist online website that says “it seems hypocritical that we as Christians who love Jesus and that follow Him as his disciples practice secular styles of leadership” (Service and Servant Leadership, 2017). Maybe we have used leadership skills that are contrary to what Jesus teaches for too long. Many times we are also conditioned by our culture and our surrounding which can make it especially tricky to practice TSL.

Blessings,

Reference:

Hughes R., Colarelli-Beatty K. & Dinwoodie  D. (2014) Becoming a strategic leader. San  Francisco: Jossey-Bass Second Edition.

Service and servant leadership. (2017). Retrieved from            https://www.sabbathschoolpersonalministries.org/  html?code=RTFL2Q17WK07&file=/assets/earliteens/Lessons/2017/Q2/English/STUDENT/R-17-Q2-L07.pdf