Kathleen Patterson argues that servant leadership is the best and most virtuous way to lead. She said, “Servant leaders lead from a virtues perspective . . . these being good habits, middle ground between the extremes of too much or too little, and habit that is a firm and settled disposition toward choosing good.” She indicates the servant leader style of leading the leader is concerned with the follower not the profits but profits come from this leadership style.
Patterson discussed the seven components of servant leaders which are: agápao love, humility, altruism, trust, vision, empowerment and service. Love focuses our whole hearts on God and neighbor; she said it is moral love. Humility is strength; it is “a non-overestimation of our own merits.” Altruism requires a lot from leaders but is the “link between good motives and good behavior.” The leader must be trustworthy. Vision, is “seeing followers not as they are today but who they can become tomorrow and serve them as such.” Empowerment entails sharing their power (really sharing). Service for a servant leader is how they live their life.
Patterson indicated a servant leader is the best and most honorable way to lead and usually these leaders are the “unsung heroes in leadership.” I liked how she discussed the seven styles of leadership it made me think how to get this into my life in my leadership. She gives a practical litmus test to see where our strengths are and where our weaknesses are in regard to this leadership style.
Biography: Dr. Kathleen Patterson is a noted expert on servant leadership coordinating the annual Servant Leadership Research Roundtables held each year in Las Vegas, Nevada at the American Society of Business and Behavioral Sciences (ASBBS) conference as well as in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She is involved with the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, IALC (International Association of Leadership Consultants), ILA (International Leadership Associates) and ILA (International Leadership Association). Currently she serves as Professor of Leadership at Regent University and can be reached at kathpat@regent.edu. See also www.regent.edu/acad/global/facultyandstaff/patterson/home.shtml
got this one!
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ReplyDeleteTheresa this really spoke to me a lot. It is really inspiring and reminds me of what servant leadership truly is. It is love and loving God with all of our hearts and also loving all people with the Love that God has restored within our hearts and souls. It is humility and being truly humble and meek which is true strength in Jesus Christ. It is altruism which is the motives and actions that reflect the love of Christ within us. It is trustworthiness in how the leader needs to be reliable where the people they are serving can truly trust them. The leader also needs to have a vision which calls out the best in people and truly looks into people to see all that they truly are and can be in Jesus Christ. It is empowerment which is empowering and believing in others. The leader also is a leader who lives by service and by truly serving others by putting other above them-selves in reflecting the love of Jesus Christ that is living within them.
ReplyDeleteAgain this really speaks to me about what the true characteristics of what a servant leader truly is. I hope can truly be a servant leader in Jesus Christ.