Assignment:
Discussion 1
Servant leadership refers to a philosophy and a set of practices that enhances the lives of people and helps in building a better organization. The primary goal of servant leader is the growth and well - being of people as well as the communities to which they belong.
Servant leadership is where the main aim of a leader is to serve others. Serving others will develop a sense of gratitude in the people whom we served and this makes them follow us and listen to us. They start seeing us as a leader with good intentions and hence us become a leader for them.Hence, serving others makes us lead. For example, political leaders who work for the society has become role models in that area and people start respecting and following them. Some religious people who serve the society also are a great leader of people. Hence we can become leaders by volunteering and serving to the society which will mark us as a role model and follow us everywhere.
Discussion 2
Now that I have completed my experience at the Gregory J. Harris Military Courtesy Room (MCR), located at Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, New York, I have a different perspective on leadership and the meaning of service. It is not that I have never volunteered before, or that I have never been affected by those experiences, but that I have not volunteered with the specific intent of understanding leadership through the eyes of a volunteer and servant. According to Lippmann (1932), leaders are "the custodians of a nation's ideals, the beliefs it cherishes, of its permanent hopes, of the faith which makes a nation out of a mere aggregation of individuals." What this means is that leadership is custodial, that we are the sum total of all our parts and those parts are unique. Good leadership is good stewardship of the community. It is to support those we lead so that they are empowered to reach their potential by removing roadblocks, seeing the big picture and staying the course (McKinney, n.d.).
What I have learned throughout this experience is that leadership affects everyone and we are all called to exercise it. Whether through government, education, medicine, business, or raising a family, we each can model service through the singular acts of love, caring, listening, valuing, building community, etc. (ASK Europe, 2013). "We are each called upon to be custodians of what is right and good, lasting and of value, for those in our care (McKinney, n.d.). Service creates this orientation to life and the world and underpins how we lead.
References:
ASK Europe (2013, February 20). Drew Dudley 'everyday leadership' - TED Talks [Video file].
Lippmann, W. (1932, May 20). The false gods: National Morale in the Depression. Today and Tomorrow.
McKinney, M. (n.d.). The focus of leadership.
Discussion 3
In Joe Schmitt's (2014) TED Talk YouTube video titled, Servant Leadership - Joe Schmitt - TEDxHiawatha Women, he describes his situation where his son, Drew, is unexpectedly diagnosed with a fused skull disease impacting his brain, vision, and other motor functions. Joe, a ranking Marine soldier, upon delivering the bad news to his Marine commander, quickly discovers how his commander's leadership and acts of service in terms of integrity will impact his own integrity and build his personal character. Joe's commander proceeded with exemplary servant leadership by setting up an emergency blood drive on the Marine post, accommodating Joe in any way possible, and truly making it clear that Joe was to make his family his first priority (Schmitt, 2014).
Joe describes in detail how the actions of his commander and entire peer community in the Marines made him feel, as he notes overwhelming support, encouragement, and assistance during his family's time of need (Schmitt, 2014). This outpour of servant leadership demonstrates many of Robert K. Greenleaf's key principles of servant leadership: Empathy, compassion, foresight, listening, awareness, community building, and stewardship (Greenleaf, 1970). Furthermore, just as God calls us to serve with empathy and humility, the Marines in Joe's circle also serve with profound empathy, compassion, and humility.
Joe (2014) continues in his TEDx Talk video to illustrate the value of establishing followership and pushing others to grow professionally. He asserts that the servant leadership of his commander resulted in Joe ultimately starting one of the first offices of the Wounded Warrior program (WWP) to make a difference in the lives of his comrades. He describes WWP as a "multi-million dollar enterprise that leads and helps combat wounded soldiers from all over the country" (Schmitt, TEDx Talks, 2014). Joe notes that "it took four days to change someone's life" (Schmitt, TEDx Talks, 2014) in his case where he notified his commanding officer on a Monday, and by Thursday a blood drive was set up on post for Drew. Joe continues that, through WWP, hundreds of millions of people benefit from his commander's decision to act as a servant leader, dropping everything in order to help Joe and his son (Schmitt, 2014).
References
Greenleaf, R. K. (1970). The servant as a leader. Indianapolis, IN: The Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership.
Schmitt, J. [TEDx Talks]. (2014, December 2). Servant leadership - Joe Schmitt - TEDxHiawathaWomen [Video file].