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Introduction
What is a servant leader? A servant leader is a individual that wants to serve first and is selfless. “The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.” (Keith) A servant leader can be anyone in a group setting from a work place, education, religion and cultures. Jesus was a servant leader. He was selfless he died on the cross for our sins. He was selfless and while here on earth was always helping people and teaching the way of the lord.
Another belief and culture that has servant leadership is Shintoism and the Japanese culture. Being a servant leader can be difficult at times because there are situations where you need to be just a leader in different situations especially when it comes to business but maintaining balance and staying positive is the key.
Shintoism
Shintoism is a religion that is from the Japanese culture Shinto means “the way of life.” Shinto is an ancient belief that is still practiced in Japan. The Meiji Restoration in 1868 brought reorganized of Shinto. This made Shinto officially separate form Buddhism. There are still shrines and rituals that are done to this day. (BBC) Shintoism believes that everything should be
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natural and harmonized. They believe in Kami. “In the most general sense, it refers to all divine beings of heaven and earth that appear in the classics. More particularly, the kami are the spirits that abide in and are worshipped at the shrines.” (BBC) There are no commandments for Shinto but there are basic teachings. Shinto’s ethics are that humans are good and that world is good. “Evil enters the world from outside, brought by evil spirits. These affect human beings in a similar way to disease, and reduce their ability to resist temptation. When human beings act wrongly, they bring pollution and sin upon themselves, which obstructs the flow of life and blessing from the Kami.” (BBC) This belief is similar to Buddhism and Confucian ethics. Shintoism as being a servant guide or a servant leader has the same goal. This is to guide their people for the better and on a positive path just like Christianity. In Christianity God wants better for his people he sent his only son down to earth to help guide us in a positive way and teach us the way of the Lord. The only difference I believe is that in Shintoism there is life in everything such as the trees, flowers, water, etc. In Christianity there is the trinity God, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The outcome is the same for all of us to live a positive life. The Japanese Culture The Japanese culture is one of the most interesting cultures that I have read about.
I did not know that much about this culture until this paper. The Japanese people are very polite and respectful. The Japanese take education very serious and nature. Their langue is a lot different they have different styles of speaking even for different social status there is a certain way of thinking. In Japan there is a mixture of the Buddha religion and the Shinto. Both beliefs have the same influence on the Japan culture. Buddhism was brought o Japan in the early 6th century from China. There are five precepts that they go by which are no killing, no stealing, no lying, no sexual misconduct, and no use of intoxication.
(ACAD) The similarities to the American culture from what I learned is that to me education. America and Japan are very huge on education. Here in American we want our children to become educated and advance in their learning. This is a high priority for us in America I believe. The difference in our culture that stuck out to me is the appreciation of nature. In Japan nature and their environment is scared the trees and plants are scared they are viewed as special as a living being. Here in America our environment is not that important I see at least. There are factories being built everywhere. Here in LA the air is so bad you can see the smog sometimes. Nature is not valued here I think it is not fully appreciated like how it is in Japan. The government over in Japan is ran different as well they are more no violence as we are lets attack our. There is a difference in our cultures and it can be seen. Shinto and a Servant Leader Shintosim helps a person become a servant leader I believe this because in Shinto they respect everything that is around them. They want good for their people and they teach good morals and values. Their values are similar to Christianity there is a difference but the same concept. They both teach us how to be good servant leaders if we follow the religion. This will build a leader to want to serve first. The Shinto belief is selfless and that is what makes a great servant leader. This belief teaches how to have empathy for people just like other religions. To become a great servant leader you have to have empathy for others. The people around you should matter. Conclusion \ Being a servant leader has its ups and downs, but that is just with anything in life. Wanting to serve others and really feel the compassion for your group or employees it makes a difference. Making your employees or group members feels the respect and empathy you have for them will show on how they work or communicate with you. I know this first hand I have a servant leader and a leader as managers. I see this difference when each of them works. Having appreciation for the people you work with goes along way it keeps the work space positive. Taking this class has opened my eyes to a lot of things and it has only been four week. I am looking forward to learn more on how to become a servant leader. With the power of God and education anything is possible.
There has been a bit of research done on the nature of servant leadership. The belief is that many organizations are moving from the traditional style of leadership to a more servant based style. Larry C. Spears (2010) and Kent Keith (2016) note a few characteristics of one who is a servant leader. The characteristics proposed by Spears (2010) are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to others growth, and community building. These traits will often manifest naturally becoming more enriched as time goes by through experience. Keith (2016) references only four elements of servant leadership. He begins with an element of morality, then of the servant focus, concern for others’
To be a servant leader you have to have certain qualities. Not only have the qualities but
The importance of servant leadership should not be underestimated and it can be simplified and embodied in one timeless phrase: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When applied to leadership the result can be phenomenal. Those who wish to serve do so with their hearts, it is not forced nor is it with resentment. The servant leader serves out of acceptance and ownership of their ability and duty.
Shinto or “the way of the gods,” is one of the oldest religious beliefs. A large part of the Shinto beliefs have to do with regular catastrophes, animals, and plants. Over time Shinto has changed to keep up more with present day and the developing world, yet Shinto’s major ideals are still the same and is not any different than it was in 6 B.C.E. Shinto has had to change to keep up with the different emperors and world events so as not to disappear. Today a considerable amount of Japanese culture, like dance, writing, and music come from the religion and individuals can see Shinto’s mark on Japanese
Servant leadership consists of leaders helping their followers become leaders themselves. The use personal skills such as empathy, compassion and listening to help their followers succeed. It is not necessarily the most popular form of leadership but, it has been proven successful b those leaders who implement it in their work practices. Servant leaders typically have a strong bond with their team. They are the base and the foundation of their teams.
Servant leadership is becoming a more “sought-after” concept in today’s society, but what exactly is servant leadership? Does it mean different things to different people? Although the three books, The Servant as Leader, The Servant, and Lead Like Jesus, all center around servant leadership, each author takes a different perspective on the meaning of being a servant leader. Robert Greenleaf addresses leadership from a straight-forward stance; saying that a good leader must be a servant-first by finding the will within themselves to put the needs of their group before their own. James Hunter discusses servant leadership through a story involving everyday people that the reader can relate to. He uses Jesus as a guide to explain how to initiate character development that will, in turn, fashion servant leadership. Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges offer a new perspective on servant leadership by bringing Jesus into the picture on an even deeper level than Hunter. They explain that by knowing Jesus Christ and developing an intimate personal
Servant leadership is an approach that goes against most leadership styles because it has the lead being the servant to their followers. This style of leadership wants the leader to be focused on the needs of their followers, empower their followers, and help realize their full capabilities.
3). Through the service of others, servants as leaders create positive changes in the lives of others that lead those served to act more autonomously (Block, Blanchard, Wheatley & Autry, 2006). The goal of a service leader is to help others achieve their highest level of functioning. Those served are then motivated to become service leaders as well (Block, Blanchard, Wheatley & Autry, 2006). Thus, servant leadership focuses on commitment to helping the individual served grow in their abilities. In turn this gives the served individual confidence in their work and personal abilities which then transforms into a desire to help others do the
The religion of the Japanese people is called Shinto. Shinto translates to Way of the Spirits. Some say that it is more than a religion, it is a way of life for the Japanese people. It is closely paralleled by the Japanese cultures and way of life (Hirai, 2007). Shinto has been a way of practicing faith and living a pure life in Japan for over 2,000 years. Shinto is in every aspect of the Japanese life. For example: ethics, politics, social structure, artistic life, sporting life, and of course spiritual life (Religion, 2017). Nowadays, the people of Japan mix some Shinto and Buddhism in their lives as far as their spiritual beings are concerned. Shinto is a very free religion. There is no God, no commandments, no founder, and no scriptures. Rather than worshiping a God, Shinto followers worship kami, or spiritual energy (Hansen 2007).
Shimazono, Susumu. 2005. "State Shinto and the Religious Structure of Modern Japan." Journal Of The American Academy Of Religion 73, no. 4: 1077-1098. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2012).
Shinto is said to be among the oldest Japanese religious beliefs and practices. The statement Shinto is literally interpreted ‘the way of Kami’ where Kami refers to mystical, divine or superior power. In essence Kami refers to a sacred power or a range deities or gods. The primary reason for the introduction of Shinto into the Japanese culture was to distinguish native Japanese beliefs from Buddhism (Hiral). Shinto is a very unique faith with neither a founder nor a prophet accredited and without a major text that highlights its foremost beliefs. Even without these, it has managed to preserve its guiding beliefs over the past ages.
Servant leadership was a term that was first used by Keifner Greenleaf(1970) in his first essay, The Servant as Leader (as cited by Crippen, C., 2005). Greenleaf based his essay on his belief that a servant leader is a servant first, and explained that it would begin with the natural urge to serve and then the leader would make a conscious choice to become a leader, in doing so he makes the choice to ensure that others needs are met first (2005 ). As a servant leader develops he should always keep aware of those who he serves and strive to ensure that they are becoming healthier, wiser, freer, have an increase in autonomous, and are become more like servants themselves (2005). Leaders and organizations can use the principles of servant leadership to frame decisions, and service that include focus on the community, care of others and quality services (Waterman, R., 2011). Watermen states that working to higher purpose increases standards, integrity and should lead the followers through supports, shared visions and bring followers together in toward a common purpose to provide service to others.
Being a country united by populations of people who settled on its islands from across Eastern Asia, Japan had a huge religious influence. Shinto started by the accumulation of the practices and traditions of many of the East Asian religions from countries such as Korea
Shintoism, for Westerners and many Easterner, is a strange word. Except for the people who study world religion, most people does not know what Shintoism is, or if they know, it is very vague. Just like Taoism is not very popular outside of Asia , Shintoism is not popular outside of Japan. Shintoism might not be popular, but it played and continue to plays an undeniable role regarding culture and history of Japan. Shintoism, with Buddhism, is the most popular religion as well as a life style in Japan and this religion is very unique. Shintoism has exerted a huge influence on Japan’s culture and custom in the past as well as a huge role in the history of this country. Now, Shintoism still play a huge role in Japanese modern culture, politics
Japanese culture has many distinctive characteristics, buried in a long and rich history. Japanese people are a very proud people, who believe in love and respect and living a peaceful life. There is a distinct social structure as with many other countries. The Japanese have a language that has been adapted from other languages and built into a unique language of their own. Japan has much pride in their food and cooking techniques and preparation of their food. The Japanese culture can deter international business people due to a lack of understanding the business etiquette in Japan.