Servant leadership requires the application of many different characteristics, three of these are listening, building community and conceptualization (Northouse, 2016).
Jesus often faced challenging situations. Instead of debating or displaying his power he often asked questions and then listened. People require someone to listen in so many situations. When we are frustrated, stressed or facing tough personal challenges having a sounding board is important.
Being a good listener is important to me. I am intentional about shutting doors, turning off screens and silencing devices when listening to someone that is sharing something that is important. This practice often has great value for me so I can better understand and support a staff member, friend or family member, thus building our relationship. I know that it also helps these same people to maintain emotional health because they have been heard and supported.
Our school community includes students, staff and parents. All three of these groups understand their place in the community in different ways. They are able to contribute in different ways and they may have different needs. Servant leadership in this setting would involve making sure the needs of the community are being met and providing experiences for all three parts of the community to interact and work together in a way that builds positive culture.
Conceptualization is about looking beyond the day to day and understanding the long term vision and plan. For many years our school has been a kindergarten to grade 9 school. Recently, we have worked to establish a small high school group who learns with us but is formally assigned to another school. As this program becomes more successful, shaping an identity for it will be important should it become our own program. It will be a conceptualization exercise to determine which identity would best suit this program so that it would reflect the culture and direction of the school.
The most challenging of these three concepts has been conceptualization. In many ways I lead a young school with a parent group and school board who contribute thought toward understanding exactly what our school is about. At times it is a challenge to balance day-to-day needs which could involve time, money or other resources with the more long term perspective guided by vision. We are learning to work together to make sure the long term vision of the school shapes our understanding of what it needs today.
In regard to conceptualization, how does vision practically overcome the constraints of time and money?
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: theory and practice (Seventh ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
You pose an interesting question regarding the intersections between resources and vision. Casting a vision (and inviting others to create or share that vision) can be an important component of leadership. However, practical considerations are also essential components of achieving that vision — notably financial resources, the right talent, and other resources such as facilities, governmental approvals, etc. Certainly anyone who has established or built an organization has encountered these challenges.
As you engage in this and other courses, I encourage you to do some research in the library and online to identify scholarly research that focuses on this area. Learning to identify, secure, and leverage resources to achieve a mission is certainly an important part of leadership.
— Leadership Prof