MGT 506 Module 3 Case

Lecture notes: Servant Leadership

Servant leadership is a popular and unique leadership behavior that has proven to be effective for many leaders and followers. Robert Greenleaf (1970) first presented the term servant leadership in a 1970 essay, entitled The Servant Leader where he stated that servant leadership begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. Many servant leaders believe that the overall objective of the organization or community can be accomplished if followers are nurtured. Servant leadership emphasizes that leaders should be attentive to the concerns of their followers and empathize with them; they should take care of them and nurture them. A servant leader leads by pure example and equips followers by providing appropriate tools, equipment, and other resources so the followers can be successful in their completion of assigned tasks. Servant leaders do not rely on their power or authority, and instead rely on their innate abilities to promote equality, trust, respect, and collaboration. Mother Teresas humanitarian work in India is an example of servant leadership. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

Instructions:

Then, drawing on the material in the background readings and doing additional research, please prepare a 5 page paper (not including the cover and reference pages) in which you:

Select one out of the first ten Presidents of the USA (George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, or John Tyler) who you consider to be an outstanding example of a servant leader. Conduct independent research on this individual and create a profile of this leader that addresses the following:

What makes this person a servant leader? Support your answer with examples.

Discuss the added value of a servant leader based upon your leaders profile.

What would an organization full of servant leaders be like? Justify your response.

Do you think servant leaders are needed in all organizations? What are the significant contingencies that would lean in favor or against servant leadership?