Robert Greenleaf, in his journal piece, initially implies that there is a distinction between one being a servant and one being a leader. He then goes on to pose the question of whether or not a person can play both roles at the same time. Can a servant-leader hybrid be just as productive?
Once again (I think I do this with every class topic and discussion), I could not help but compare Greenleaf’s point-of-view of “Leo”, the central figure of Hermann Hesse’s Journey to the East, to a religious point-of-view. I find that “Leo” having been first a servant before becoming a noble leader mirrors that to Jesus Christ’s role on Earth. Greenleaf provided a quote, “the great leader is seen as a servant first”. Jesus, during His days on Earth, worked as a carpenter… which was and still is one of the lowliest and humble jobs that anyone could take. It was not until later on that Jesus was regarded as a “noble” leader. Jesus and Leo were both destined to be leaders from the start, however, they knew deep down that they were servants first.
Greenleaf mentions one problem of accepting the alternatives to fusions of servant and leader: the contradiction in the servant as leader. I don’t think the two contradict, per se, yet there is more of a balance between the two. It seems that service and leadership do fall on opposite sides of the spectrum. Yet, it is best to find the way that these opposites complement each other. It would be most productive and serene to find the ways in which being a servant connects to being a leader, rather than ways in which they are divided.
Larry Spears’ “Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders” should include his suggestions but not be limited to them. After an in-depth look at “humility” and what it means in leadership, I believe Spears could add “humility” to his list of characteristics. In terms of effectiveness, a humble leader is able to not only acknowledge strengths but is able to acknowledge weaknesses as well, or something the leader can not do. This maximizes effectiveness because too much time nor energy would be wasted on a leader trying to figure out how to do something without having a clue on how to do it. Next, the amount of care that a leader has will follow effectiveness. This would really be a test of whether or not the leader truly cares for the people or for her/his own pride and reputation.
When I read Larry Spears’ “Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders,” I didn’t think about humility as being a characteristic that should be added to the list. However, after reading your post, I totally agree that it should be. This is because a leader should be able to accept their weaknesses and learn from their mistakes, which are qualities much more likely to be acquired by leaders who used to be servants