Introduction
This movie tells the story of a 34-year relationship between a lab assistant, Vivien Thomas, and a surgeon, Alfred Blalock. It also tells of the struggles and triumphs experienced during a journey of human development for two people whom, in turn, influence the development of a worldwide community of surgeons and their patients. It is a great example of how leaders mature and transform their consciousness to be understanding of other people and to deepen the meaning of their words, behaviors, and values.
Hall's Theory
Servant-leadership is a way of life that evolves and matures with the passage of time. This way of life transforms spiritual people, with strong and stable emotions, into someone who has a deep understanding of truth and the world around them.
Hall describes a series of phases that leaders must transcend through to realize the global importance of people and to make aware the value behind their choices and behaviors. To move from phase to phase, one must have an internal dissatisfaction that motivates them to search for something more. It is this intrinsic desire that servant-leaders possess that propels them to search for truth and a greater understanding of relationships and the world.
Phase I
In Phase I of Hall's model, the world of the emerging leader is oppressive. It holds people in a pattern of self-preservation by preventing them from moving beyond the first level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Horsman, 2009, p. 4) and into a realm of self-worth.
Born the grandson of a slave during a time of segregation, Thomas instantly entered into a world of oppression. For him, the world was a place to survive more than a place to flourish and grow. Because of state law and social norm, Thomas, ...
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...he ability to observe and explain something and the ability to capture its essence" (Thompson, 2000, p. 23). Together, Thomas and Blalock are great examples of this dynamic.
References
Bolman, L. and Deal, T. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass
Freire, P. (2007). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.
Horsman, J. (2009). Journeying on the path of leadership: Human development theory and leadership. Retrieved February 8, 2010 from http://jesuitnet.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4562_1%26url%3D
Thompson, C. (2000). The congruent life: Following the inward path to fulfilling work and inspired leadership. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass
Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2013). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Servant leadership is a designation coined by Robert Greenleaf in 1970 in an essay entitled The Servant as Leader. In this essay, he describes the servant leader and a servant first contrary to one who is a leader first. The difference is the servant chooses to put others needs before his own while the leader first may later become a servant from the promptings of a sense of right and wrong or simply because they are coerced in that direction (Greenleaf, 1991).
Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that augments the lives of individuals, builds better organizations, and creates a more just and caring world, they put the team first, and themselves second (MindTools, 2015). Servant leaders are able to demonstrate their traits through interaction with followers and other leaders within the organization. The characteristics of servant leaders include their commitment to the growth of people, stewardship, and building community, and provide leaders with the opportunity to experience change and to invite followers to change (Savage-Austin & Honeycutt 2011). Servant leadership encourages leaders and followers to ‘raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality’, and set their leadership focus: follower’s first, organizations second, their own needs last (Sendjaya, Sarros, & Santora, 2008). The servant leader focuses on the needs of others to include team members.
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Toward the end of his book, Hunter shares a phrase with a similar intent of the four domains of Blanchard and Hodges. He writes: “Thoughts become actions, actions become habits, habits become our character, and our character becomes our destiny.” (Hunter, 1998, p. 167). With this quote in mind, Hunter affirms Blanchard and Hodges’s perspective of servant leadership. Both authors concur that by centering one’s life on the love of Jesus Christ, servant leadership will come naturally. When a leader puts their own selfish needs aside and places their trust in God, they will be empowered to spread Christ’s light to all those they meet. Leading in this way mirrors the way Jesus led because it calls for service as a way of
... leadership: Multiple levels of being as context for effective leadership. Human Relations, 62(11), 1667-1696. doi:10.1177/0018726709346380
The world bank group. (2011). Leadership and development - definition and dimensions of leadership. Retrieved from http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTCDRC/0,,contentMDK:21296098~pagePK:64169212~piPK:64169110~theSitePK:489952,00.html
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There have been countless books, lectures, and and trainings, and retreats constructed around the idea of cultivating leadership in an individual. However, cultivating individuals’ ability to follow great leadership has received far less attention. Who are these people leading if each person within an organization is being trained to be a leader? The word follower has negative connotations, evoking the images of a weak, uncreative, milquetoast personality. However, Jimmy Collins, in his book, “Creative Followership: In the Shadow of Greatness”, suggests that the ability to be led brings as much creativity, consciousness, and indeed leadership to an organization or team as the leader himself. Great followership is a reflection of great leadership. In this, the follower is just as important as the leader in the relationship. Many great leaders have asserted that a leader with even a modicum of understanding of what drives their subordinates can take their organization to previously undreamt-of heights in creativity and productivity. Collins does not disabuse us of this notion, he does however add that the follower is indispensable agent in this interplay between leader and follower.
The 'Path Leadership theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA -. Sage Publications, Inc. Whitener, J. K. (2007). The 'Path of the Earth'.
Maxwell, (2013) explains how the first level of leadership is positional. Followers, who view leaders at this level are motivated by compliance measures, rather than inspiration or desire. The mindset of the follower is that, their job to do what is directed of them, so they obey. Fear and coercion are often motivators for followers at level one. Maxwell, (2013) further explains that, at this level, leaders receive the least amount of the follower’s energy, effort, and mind.