” Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant”. Mark 10:43.
One of the qualities of Jesus during his leadership on earth was the 
willingness to sacrifice himself in favor of a certain goal. Therefore, He was always willing to serve others. We see the example of Jesus in the Bible in John 13 when He took off his garments, took a towel, and girded himself. Then, He proceeded to wash the feet of his disciples. Jesus being God, the leader by excellence, demonstrated his humbleness, his love, and taught us to serve others. Therefore, a leader is not only measured by the degree of intelligence, but also the attitude he/she puts into practice. There is a saying that says “knowledge without works, it is useless, that is, faith without works, it is useless”. Thus, a leader must be a person who serves others.
When we evaluate the servant leadership characteristics in the organizational platforms, we have organizations that aim to help the community in health, technology, and other services in which the population (client) has its benefits in the short and long term. Therefore, when we read many of the slogans, vision or mission of each organization its purpose is to serve. Remembering the definition of servant leadership:
Servant Leadership – Servant leadership focuses on the concerns of their followers, identifies with them, places their followers first, empowers them, nurtures them, and helps them develop their personal abilities (Northouse, 2013).
One of the characteristics of a servant leader is ethics and is aimed first at serving the welfare of the organization, community, and society in a great way. The servant leader is always present (face-to-face), which creates respect, trust, and personal growth for the individual.
Northouse (2013) identified 10 characteristics in a servant leader such as
- Listening: The servant leader communicates when he/she first listens, so it is a discipline that involves listening and being receptive to what others have to say. When they listen, they recognize the point of view of the followers and validate those perspectives.
- Empathy: Being in the person’s shoes. So the servant leader shows that he/she truly understands that his/her followers think and feel.
- Healing: Care about the personal well-being of his/her followers. They support followers by helping them overcome personal problems. The leader is always available and gives his/her support for what he/she takes of his time to help them.
- Conscious: It is a quality that makes them be in tune and receptive to their physical, social and political environment. So, the servant leader is able to step aside and see themselves and their own perspective in the broader context of the situation.
- Persuasion: To have a clear and persistent communication that convinces others to change.
- Conceptualization: The conceptualization refers to the ability of an individual to be a visionary of an organization, providing a clear sense of its purpose and direction. It also focuses on the big picture. In addition, it responds to complex organizational problems in a critical manner, allowing them to deal with the complexities of the organization in relation to its long-term objective.
- Visionary: The servant leader has a vision of the future which includes the ability to know the future. It has the ability to predict what is coming based on what is happening in the present and what has happened in the past.
- Stewardship: Stewardship is about taking responsibility for the leadership role of learning entrusted to the leader. The servant leader accepts the responsibility to manage with care the people and the organization that they have been given to lead. Moreover, they keep the organization in trust for the greater welfare of society.
- Commitment to the growth of people: The servant leader treats each follower as a unique person with an intrinsic value that goes beyond their tangible contribution to the organization. Servant leaders are committed to helping each person in the organization grow as a person and professionally. In addition, they offer their followers the opportunity to develop a career, helping them to develop new work skills, adopting a personal inertia in their ideas and involving them in decision making.
- Community building: Servant leaders create a community to provide a place where the person feels safe and connected with others, but still are allowed to express their own individuality.
The servant leader is a leader who is altruistic, has great motivation, and has great interest in helping others. Therefore, it is important that the followers are receptive to when the leader wants to help them to empower themselves and help them grow. In an organization, this style of leadership is one of high positive contributions in the field of leadership, it is one that knows how to influence the processes. Furthermore, the servant leader can be applied to all levels of management and to all types of organizations.
In the next blog I will be talking about the third style of leadership, Transformational Leadership. Stay tune!!
Reference: Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership Theory and Practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Prayer: Open your heart
Lord Jesus, I am before your presence asking for your forgiveness if I have failed you. Asking from above for wisdom and sensitivity to the needs of others. Help me to have the tools to be a servant leader and be able to continue your work here on earth. Allow me to continue to believe that there are still opportunities to adequately serve each person that you, Jesus, put in my path. Amen.
A Friendly Advice
Dear reader or organization leader, today is a day to evaluate the type of leadership you have and how to place this person to continue to be useful in society and the organization. It only entails a little training or counseling so that they can take their role to another level. When you know the type of leadership that you or the organization possess, you can evaluate where that new vision or ideas can be potential use in each project. Maximize the skills of your staff.
Many times the staff is motivated not only by money, but by other factors such as motivation, participation, recognition, good evaluations (where their work is recognized), and others. As a leader, it is important to be aware of the needs of your staff in such a way that they feel part of the organization. When the needs are met, the person will feel a genuine commitment to complete the mission and goal. Therefore, the projects are completed and there is no gap if they decide to leave with another organization that offers quality of life and of course a little more incentive in their work scale; because today, the cost of living is higher in a society that is going to be always at the forefront of health, technology, home, food among other things which each person needs to cover their basic needs.
Remember, Servant leaders will always take good care of the needs of the people in order to success on the incoming or future plans.