Category: Unit 4

Emotional intelligence is “. . . the ability to perceive and express emotions, to use emotions to facilitate thinking, to understand reason with emotions and to effectively manage emotions within oneself in relationship with others” (Northouse, 2019, pg. 28). “Self-awareness” refers to the personal insights of the leader (Northouse, 2019, pg. 202). In a chapter on authentic leadership, Northouse states that one of the four components of authentic leadership is self-awareness (Northouse, 2019, pg. 202). In the context of the study of servant leadership, self-awareness differs from emotional intelligence in that awareness in a servant leader means that they are aware of a multitude of needs of their followers, from teaching, direction, affirmation, challenge and encouragement. In order to be aware of the needs of their followers, any servant leader needs to be a good listener, approachable, open-minded, kind and gracious.

A person who best exemplifies the servant leadership component of awareness is a former pastor of a large church. The pastor has great intuitive sense when someone was troubled or anxious. He was a remarkably good listener and always asked insightful and helpful questions. Working with him in a board context, I noticed his awareness of the motions of others, and this characteristic is one from which I continually learn. This pastor, because of his great awareness, was one of the most influential people on my leadership development.

The video on Southwest Airlines was fascinating (KnowledgeAtWharton, 2008). What was particularly notable was the servant leadership style of the management team. Each employee is respected equally, recognized for their contribution and challenged to their strengths. In the airline industry, there are very few variables given that all the companies buy the same planes, fuel and use the same airports. Most airlines too often lose money, but Southwest Airlines stands out as the exception. Competitors could attempt to copy its model of servant leadership, but they do not. Why these other airlines do not copy Southwest Airlines is a paradox. In contrast, in other industries, such as the graphic arts, there are many variables. Some companies in this industry are successful because of the leader’s genius for technology, skill in refining processes to increase productivity or are very sales driven. None of them model servant leadership but are successful.

It is interesting that servant leadership might be more of a requirement for ‘success’ in certain industries. Given this example, is servant leadership a requirement for success in your industry or area of leadership experience?

KnowledgeAtWarton. (2008, July 9). Southwest Airlines’ Colleen Barrett on ‘Servant Leadership’. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TgR95vnM0c

Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

 

 

Transformation leadership (Northouse, 2019, pg. 161) is one of the eight leadership trends that Northouse identifies from the last 120 years (Northouse, 2019, pgs. 2-5). Is transformational leadership simply another trend or popular research topic? Transformational leadership will stand the test of time because it has one strong distinctive. Unlike other styles of leadership, the biggest and most important differentiation of transformational leadership is the great desire “to empower their followers and nurture them in change” (Northouse, 2019, pg. 175). The most important component of a transformational leader’s approach is their emphasis on individuals. Northouse also compares transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles. While the latter two styles impact followers in various areas, only transformational leadership impacts areas of personal growth. Transformational leadership will prove to be a more effective and lasting leadership trend because of its emphasis on the growth of followers.

My idea of a transformational leader of the past would be Dr. Henry Hildebrand, the founder and 45-year president of Briarcrest College in Saskatchewan. In my interactions with him over a span of four decades, he demonstrated interest in my well-being and growth. He was always vision-directed and pragmatic and was continually refining the management processes of the school. Additionally, he was remarkably open to new ideas, processes and options. In many senses, he was my spiritual mentor. Among the many things I learned from this man and, in my opinion, transformational leader, the most important was that when making a decision, analyze objectively the cost of failure.

Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.