Three Characteristics Of Leadership In The Servant, By James Hunter

1073 Words3 Pages

Admittedly, out of all the times I pictured myself as a nurse in my future dreams and plans, I never once pictured myself in a managerial position. The thought never crossed my mind. I am not sure if that is because of my underlying fear of making mistakes, or of my lack of knowledge about the process of managing a department, or a combination of the those things. However, after reading The Servant by James Hunter, I feel that I have more of an understanding of the qualities that a leader must possess in order for their employees to be content and successfully work as a team. I am going to discuss the three characteristics that changed my views about leadership the most. Then I will explain the ways in which I will put these characteristics …show more content…

This term is described in The Servant as treating others as important people (Hunter, 1998). That seems like it should be an easy concept, but the example given in the story really made a lot of sense. Hunter points out to the drill sergeant in the group that he knows how to be respectful, but is only willing to reserve that show of respect for those that he feels are deserving of that respect, which in the drill sergeant’s example, was the general. The point Hunter made was that if a manager treats every single employee as if they are the general, and shows respect to even those that are the lowest on the ladder, that those employees will rise to the occasion and they will be successful in their …show more content…

This leadership characteristic was the one that caused the most reflection out of all of the characteristics defined in this book. Nurses as a whole are inherently kind, and I have always recognized myself as being excellent at showing kindness to others. But the point that taught me most and the quality that I am actively working to improve is that of active listening. According to many of my friends, I have always been a good listener. But the way that this term is described makes me reconsider my previous notions that I was good at it. Hunter states that though we think we are good listeners, often we are making judgments about what the speaker is saying. We are often only listening selectively, because we are thinking about what we want to say in response to their words. Active listening takes effort and practice and does not take place when we are thinking about how to please ourselves. It means that we have to quit thinking about how we are going to reply and really be a part of that person’s universe. It means putting ourselves in their shoes, feeling empathy, and being present in that

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