Georgeena,
In response to the question in your post about whether I have seen a shift from traditional leadership to servant leadership in my field, I would say yes. As financial constraints have increased and resources have become less and less available over the years, I have indeed seen more of a shift towards servant leadership. However, I do not feel this is due to moral or ethical reasons, but out of necessity. “Servant leadership seeks to involve others in decision making….. and enhances the growth of workers while improving the caring and quality of organizational life” (Spears, 2010). As I reflect upon past servant-leader principals, I think that their goals were to try to inspire us as teachers to do more with less in an effort to serve our students well. It has worked. Many of us are so committed to our students’ success that we spend money from our own pockets on materials that the board can no longer provide. According to Spears, “servant leadership offers great hope for the future in creating better, more caring, institutions”. Fortunately, I feel that this shift will continue to take place into the future. Companies such as Southwest Airlines have proven that servant-leadership can be very profitable, and in our capitalist society, profitability, rather than ethics, is the ultimate goal.
Spears, Larry C. (2010). Character and servant leadership: Ten characteristics of effective, caring leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, 1(1), 25-30.