Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership.
A great New Year's Resolution for every manager in 2008.

After reading more about servant leadership, a few questions remained. Specifically,..."How can a leader who is focused on meeting the individual needs of employees also focus on moving an entire organization forward?"

So, I asked one of my favorite 'servant leaders' and professors, Dr. Steve Cox, Chairman of the Department of Organizational Communication in the College of Business and Public Affairs at Murray State University. Here's what he had to say:

"I see the servant leader as someone who truly sees themselves as the "human resource developer"...much like the farmer who "serves" the crops and livestock so they grow, the servant leader is specifically devoted to recognizing the ever changing needs of individuals and finds ways to align those needs with the evolving vision of the organization.

They want people to grow-up with the organization or to outgrow the organization and become transplanted elsewhere so they can bloom. Both must evolve...the organization cannot stay the same and have people develop. The people cannot stay the same and the organization survive...it must be a symbiotic relationship and the servant leader serves to accelerate this dynamic process.

Challenging organizational ideologies to facilitate individual growth and open up organizational opportunity is how servant leaders serve others. It is not to challenge ideology to create chaos or to be culturally and socially "whatever makes you feel good, do it"...it's not about anarchy. Rather, they fight the good fight to achieve liberation and democratization freeing the individual to do the good work of advancing mutually beneficial individual and collective goals...to contribute to something far bigger and more significant than ourselves.

The contributions that make us most satisfied and self-actualized are those that contribute to the common good and welfare of others. Those who pursue selfish goals for selfish gain to only hoard their gains become painfully isolated...every selfish person from Ebenezer Scrooge to Britney Spears proves this.

The conflict that arises through selfish leadership is due to actions that communicate "it is all about the organization"...that is "shut up and go along"..."conformity to orders is loyalty to the organization"..."shape-up or ship-out." This is where we make people feel like cogs...like they don't really mater. However, the servant leader says change is necessary because of you...not in spite of you. The servant leader seeks to put others first...they care enough to assist, support, and discipline/train those around them and question structures/ideologies that undermine freedom for the good of others.

They are both brave and humble servants. People know the servant leader "cares"...that is why they are pushing individual growth, addressing individual needs, and leading organizational development. These servant leaders serve others by encouraging constant growth and development; their actions set others up for success by recognizing and responding to the needs of others. Overall, the most vital acts of servanthood is to challenge the ideologies that privilege the organization's need for coordination and control at the expense of individual development.

The servant leader challenges and persuades individuals to see their place in contributing to the future of the organization....but says, "It won't be easy, but it will help you meet your goals. I know you can do it...and I'm here to help" and then lives it out. Therefore, change is exciting and engaging because the members understand the "why" behind the "what" (content) of the change...and the "why" for the servant leader is because "it is all about the people."

Thanks Dr. Cox! For more information about classes in the Dept. of Organizational Communication, contact steve.cox@murraystate.edu. MSU offers evening/weekend courses in Paducah!