John F Kennedy Servant Leader

Robert Greenleaf defines a servant leader as someone who “is a servant first” (1). This means that the person is helping others before he helps himself or herself. He created the term to explain a person who is in a leadership position but makes “sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served” (Greenleaf 1). President John F. Kennedy, in his speech Ich bin Ein Berliner, demonstrated qualities of being a servant leader by using his power for the greater good. To understand this, one must know the events that led up to the speech, and the reasons why he gave the speech. At the conclusion of WWII, Germany was split into eastern and western zones. The United States, Britain, and France occupied the west, and the east was controlled

It was a supposed to be step toward the rise of communism. President John F. Kennedy announced that any attack on West Berlin would be considered an attack against the United States (Putman 1). Kennedy feared the possible course of the Cold War and, in 1963, went on a tour of European nations in hopes of building a closer, more trusting relationship by uniting the Allies. His ultimate goal was to be so united that the communists would not dare to start a war. His first stop was Germany (Putman1). Kennedy’s most memorable speech was given in Berlin called Ich bin Ein Berliner. In it, he speaks about the Berlin’s dedication to democracy and their struggle to live in a democratic state with communism nearby (President John F. Kennedy, "Ich bin Ein Berliner"). He continuously uses the phrase “Ich bin Ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner) as a declaration of freedom because the people from West Berlin proved their dedication toward democracy. It was also a reminder for Berliners to stay strong in the face of communism and to remind them that communism separated families and

Though the speech was more of an effort to give Germans hope and strength, it did result in German’s massive devotion toward the United States or more specifically Kennedy. President Kennedy’s response toward the situation was fitting. It did not cause any alarm and reassured and again rallied the Germans.

Lloyd Bitzer helps one to understand that a rhetorical situation is an important event that needs to be addressed by someone in a position of power (2). Knowing this one can deduce that the situation surrounding the speech Ich bin Ein Berliner is a rhetorical event because only someone with Kennedy’s power and charisma could have handled the possible rise of communism as smoothly as he did.

Kennedy uses the power of his family name and the title as president of the United States as a force for good therefore; President John F. Kennedy is a servant leader. He puts the needs of the world above the safety of his own life. I learned from this assignment the meaning of a servant leader and the actions that it takes to become one. If more people became servant leaders, the world would be a much better