“Let me not neglect any kindness, for I shall not pass that way again”. (Watson,1951)
It was tough to pick one quote from the whole course because so many things have moved me and I’ve learned so much, but this quote does stand out. Being kind is the most important virtue of a leader and especially a servant leader. To never neglect and to acknowledge acts of kindness is even more critical. Gratitude can transform lives in such a positive way. I write a gratitude journal before going to bed, and I write down every small and big thing I’m grateful for, and it has made such a significant impact on my life. Acts of kindness are contagious, and they make others act kind as well. At least for me, this was the case as I learned to be kind by watching people be kind to me.
This course has been highly insightful and enlightening, and I discovered a lot of things. I’m immensely inspired by the idea of transformational servant leadership. This is a very new concept for me even though I’ve practiced it in the past but I had never read about it. Reading it made me feel more sure about the path that I have chosen. Greenleaf defines servant leadership as a natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead (Northouse,2016). I have always been passionate to serve people, and this is why I chose health care and to combine compassion with leadership is a fantastic tool for the upliftment of people. I learned that you have to take care of your followers. There are so many layers of leadership and how you are tested at every step. Like Coleen Barret said, “Leadership is not a title. Leadership is a way of life”. I read and wrote about so many inspiring leaders, and each of them has something unique to teach. The concept of transformational leadership was another thing that resonates with me well.
Transformational leadership is defined as a process whereby a person engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower (Northouse,2016). This suggests that leadership is not just about sitting on a throne and ruling others, but it is about working towards the betterment of your team and oneself. Real leadership is about motivating your followers and help them attain their full potential. To help them transcend any limits and doing more than what they thought they were capable of. It is about being compassionate and kind. Transformational leadership is about forming a vision for your organization that will benefit everyone and presenting it to everyone and motivating them to achieve it.
All in all, I’ve concluded that transformational servant leadership is an unstoppable force and it can bring about incredible changes in the world if used wisely. I will surely do my best to become an excellent transformational servant leader myself and work on the shortcomings that I realized I have by learning more about it and at the same time enhance my strengths.
“Let me not neglect any kindness, for I shall not pass that way again”. (Watson,1951)
References
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Watson, L.E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, Inc.
