Servant Leadership Theory Paper

Servant Leadership in My Organization

I. Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the Servant Leadership Theory would be beneficial to the restaurant Around the Corner. Around the Corner is an iconic restaurant that has been under new management for the past five and a half years and the sales have started waning as long time customers have been seeking other restaurants. This paper will point out how the implementation of a solid management, namely the Servant Leadership Theory, will put the restaurant back on track.

“A servant leader is an individual who focuses on the needs of his or her team members and considers how to help solve their problems and to promote their personal development” (Greensburg, 2013, p. 348). By using Servant Leadership at Around the Corner, it would create an environment that is beneficial to the restaurant as well as its employees. With Servant Leadership, the employees would have a more positive working environment which would create a lower turnover rate. Using this leadership would then benefit the customers and business. A strong business model that supports the

building of its staff and its customers is what the business needs.
The strengths of using Servant Leadership at Around the Corner are increased communication, positive relationships, increased job performance, and better service. These traits are currently lacking or diminishing in the business causing a loss of business. The drawbacks of using Servant Leadership at Around the Corner are time constraints, it is a daily commitment, it gives the supervisor a heavy workload, and could be misinterpreted as a sign of a lack of authority.
II. Servant Leadership
a. The Mindset of a Servant Leader
The characteristics of effective Servant Leaders are listening, understanding, and empathizing.

Servant Leadership is a way of life, serving others first, it is not just a leadership technique. “Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy which addresses the concerns of ethics, customer experience, and employee engagement while creating a unique organizational culture where both leaders and followers unite to reach organizational goals without positional or authoritative power” (Carter & Baghurst, 2014, p.1). As stated by Ann McGee-Cooper “anyone could lead perfect people, if there were any.” The challenge “is to learn to develop the imperfect people who we all are” (as cited in Spears, 1995, p.59). A leader who adopts the Servant Leadership philosophy looks like a part of the team, patient and caring, not someone directing

traffic.
b. Identifying a Servant Leader
A servant leader may be identified in the work environment by serving others first and showing compassion to building others success. According to Frick, the core idea of servant leadership is simple as it is authentic, has ethical leaders who we want to trust and follow, and are servants first (2004). “Servant leaders are selfless and show empathy to their employees. They don’t just command their employees to execute the task list; they work alongside employees to ensure success” (Lubel, 2015, p.32). Where most leadership theories describe what a leader does, servant leaders are defined by their character in serving others. It is not a way of management, it is a way of life, putting others needs before your own for a greater good. Servant leaders do not have to be the managers and supervisors, as anyone can lead from their position and make a difference. It only takes the appropriate listening mixed with vision and direction. Anyone can act as a mentor to others and train coworkers and employees.