Servant and more traditional leadership differ in their approaches towards growth. Servant leaders are frequently focused on their responsibility and ability to provide service to clients, employees, and colleagues (Tait, 2020). This is especially important in relation to personnel that work directly below the leader as opposed to more general concern over the entire company or establishment. Servant leaders value improvement in the profession, knowledge, autonomy, health, and other development of their employees. In both practice and theory, a servant leader is more likely to produce and maintain skilled, knowledgeable, motivated, and responsible employees. Such employees are able to provide better service and enhance the overall performance of the company or facility in which they work.
Servant leaders often provide a multitude of qualities and skills that can be essential in hospital work environments and patient care. For instance, a servant leader is frequently receptive of their employee’s opinion, empathetic, aware of the current status quo, diplomatic, able to form and relay a vision for the workplace, and maintains a sense of community and teamwork (Tait, 2020). A primary quality that is vital within patient care is the ability to put others first.
For a servant leader in a hospital, this refers to prioritizing patients, followed by the leader’s staff. As an example, a medical director of an ICU holds many responsibilities and serves multiple groups (Savel & Munro, 2017). In such a scenario, a servant leader would be able to improve the process of patient care by nurturing junior physicians and allowing them to progress in their careers at an appropriate rate.
The medical director of an ICU would also serve other groups such as bedside nurses, unit nurse administrators, chairs of departments, and senior administrators. A servant leader would approach this kind of line of communication with a cohesive and direct delivery of information. They would be able to listen to the concerns of their employees and the plans of their employers, relaying vital information back forth with ease and understanding.
References
Savel, R., H, & Munro, C., L. (2017). Servant Leadership: The Primacy of Service. American Journal of Critical Care, 26(2), 97-99. Web.
Tait, B. (2020). Traditional Leadership Vs. Servant Leadership. Forbes. Web.