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Servant Leadership |
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Servant leadership is at the heart of Christian leadership. Servant leadership is different from servanthood. All Christians, not just leaders, are called to be servants, serving each other, following Jesus' example in washing his disciples' feet, and loving our neighbours as ourselves. Along with that call to servanthood is the need we each have to allow ourselves to receive from Jesus, just as he washed his disciples feet. When Peter protested, Jesus told him, 'Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.' (John 13:8) |
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What underpins servant leadership is the motivation behind our actions as leaders. If personal desire was the sole decision criteria, Jesus would have chosen not to go through the pain and suffering on the cross. In the garden at Gethsemene, Jesus prayed, 'Father if you are willing take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours, be done.'(Luke 22:42) The weight of the burden of taking not only our guilt but also our sins themselves, had become too heavy. Even at this point, Jesus could have got up and walked away. Jesus' leadership modelled servant leadership throughout his ministry. Servant leadership will require us also to set aside personal gain, to make sacrifices, and to put the needs of others above the direction we may prefer for ourselves. You've probably met people who are highly career minded, people who's main motivation is to get themselves in a position where they will gain some reward. This is the complete opposite of servant leadership. |
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Some may suggest that servant leaders are weak. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Servant leaders model integrity, where their thoughts, words and actions flow from a consistent desire. The word integrity comes from the Latin word meaning 'whole' or 'complete', as in integer, or whole number. One of the biggest reasons for leaders losing the respect of their followers is that the lack true integrity where their private lives and thoughts do not match their public statements, or that they are inconsistent, adopting principles that are popular and appropriate to the moment, rather than sticking to their underlying, but potentially unpopular, principles. Maintaining integrity is not always easy! Servant leadership is not a particular style of leadership, but rather relates to the motivation behind a leader's thoughts, words and actions. Leaders can fit any of the six leadership styles described by our leadership style indicator, and still be very much a servant leader. |
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| Servant leaders are
not leaders on the basis of their position or leadership role, but rather lead according
to their calling, vision and principles. One of the challenges for servant leaders
is to ensure that their vision and principles are in line with others in their
organisation, and therefore it is highly important for them to engage with others to
develop a common vision and shared values. Whilst serving others as the heart of leadership may not appear easy, it is perhaps in one sense easier for a leader to be consistent with the vision and values that they hold for themselves, rather than always seeking to live upto an image, to constantly seek opportunities to sell themselves, or to be for ever trying to read the political signals sent out by others. |
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