Servant leadership is a philosophy of leaders within which they are to serve their followers. Within such a framework, the norm of interactions between leaders and followers is inverted: instead of the surrounding people serving the leader, the latter exists to serve them. Therefore, the servant-leader is instead a servant first as they have the feeling that they want to bring value to others through their actions, while the conscious choice enables the desire to lead. A servant leader is significantly different from those who are leaders first, mainly because of the needs of the latter to have significant power over others or to acquire material possessions as symbols of success. An example of a servant leader whose influence on his followers has been visible throughout centuries is Jesus. Throughout his approach to leadership, he managed to create a compelling vision of a better future and get his followers to believe that having a shared vision is enough to follow a leader.
First of all, the definition of a good leader should be provided. Who is a leader? What are sufficient skills for being a leader? Traits that commonly come to mind are confidence and communication skills. A good leader is confident enough to take responsibility for their decisions and followers and who can communicate with various types of people in various settings. A leader is a great representative of a team and its work, and there is no unifying approach that can help all leaders to become successful at building a vision and enabling people around them to act in accordance with that vision. The success of leaders, whether they take servant or transactional approaches, lies in having a consistent set of values and habits upon which they base their work and interactions with other people.
Habits are daily activities that build your life and self. What you do every day is reflective of your personality and preferences. Cultivating habits is a complex process that requires time and energy. Being a leader is a crucial skill that can be attained by proper inner and outer habits. Looking at the habits of servant leaders that unite individuals who have chosen to take such an approach, several common themes should be noted. First, servant leaders have a habit of focusing on people first to respond to any problem by trying to understand it by acquitting as much information about it as possible. Through the focus on others, servant leaders help build communities with followers, which means that the process of decision-making becomes easier and more informed, as suggested by Brown in her Jimmy Fallon interview (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, 2020). Making themselves available at all times to others is another common habit in servant leaders because it represents the extension of the people-focused approach and enables leading individuals to put themselves in the shoes of their followers. Also, a servant leader is highly healing-oriented as they attempt to help people solve their problems and conflicts and become better versions of who they can be as people.
Besides, servant leaders have a habit of practicing transparency with their followers. This makes it easier to build consensus within groups based on available information without resorting to coercion. In many instances, servant leaders may want to practice solitude to be alone with their thoughts and think about the best solutions to problems that arise (Blanchard & Hodges, 2016). Looking at the example of Jesus, it becomes clear that he practiced the habit of solitude in powerful times, such as after his baptizing or after the killing of John the Baptist to deal with grief. Instead of taking advantage of his divinity for himself and being in the center of attention, Jesus chose to practice solitude as a way of dealing not only with personal but also common problems (Blanchard & Hodges, 2016). Therefore, the abandonment of self-serving views of leadership and his humility helped Jesus to become so likable among people. As Bailey (2018) writes, humility is the gateway to grace, and “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Thus, wise leaders who serve their followers walk in humility, preferring others above themselves and “deferring to other needy souls” (Bailey, 2018, p. 26). Moreover, those who consider themselves humble are likely not as humility flourishes in love and the understanding of how one can honor others above themselves.
Drawing from the example of Jesus, servant leadership also comes with the habit of fostering close relationships with people. As Blanchard and Hodges (2016) point out, the closeness of relationships between Jesus as a servant leader entails having a group of trusted and loyal friends who can help in making decisions as well as indicate the areas to which one must pay more attention. Importantly, the close relationships allow fostering the environment of transparency in which the leader and their followers can openly express their feelings and ideas, and their exchanges are trusted to be ‘sacred’ and honest.
When considering changes necessary for developing thinking and practice according to the principles of servant leadership, it is important to embed stewardship as an important component of leading people by example (Blanchard & Hodges, 2016). The idea of stewardship encompasses all positive habits ranging from active listening to humility and encourages leaders to value others and thank them for the time and efforts they input they bring into interactions (Albrecht et al., 2019). Thus, an effective leader will let people know that they are highly valued by them and appreciated, which is something that many forget these days. Leaders become too focused on numbers and meeting goals, forgetting about the importance of communication and appreciation of their followers, regardless of the setting.
To conclude, Jesus is an undoubted servant leader who wanted not to be served like a king but rather to serve others. Even though many considered him worthy of being treated like a king who is to bring a better future for his people, he would wash the feet of his disciples and even those who would later betray him (John 13:1-17). The habits of transparency and the focus on others that characterize Jesus’s leadership are consistent with his vision to inform and support the relationships between people and God. He chose the way of serving as a means to inspire others to do good in the world. Thus, rather than power taking, foot washing became the way of the gospel.
Finally, regarding the top five songs to listen to in tough times, some come to mind. My playlist includes “Shake It Out” by Florence and the Machine, “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey, “Roar” by Katy Perry, and “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi. All of these songs are very inspiring and make you think about the value of life and the open opportunities. When it’s tough, I listen to them and realize that I have the strength to deal with anything.
References
Albrecht, D., Bolstad, K., Endrizzi, T., Erickson, M., & Fricjer, R. (2019). Leadership as we know it. Web.
Bailey, B. (2018). Learning to lead like Jesus: 11 principles to help you serve, inspire, and equip others. Harvest House Publishers.
Blanchard, K., & Hodges, P. (2016). Lead like Jesus revisited: Lessons from the greatest leadership role model of all time. Thomas Nelson.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. (2020). Brené Brown Reveals Which Four Skill Sets Make the Best Leaders. YouTube.