Leadership entails the ability of an individual or a group of individuals to steer others towards a particular direction through actions and directives. Leadership and characteristics of good leaders have deeply been discussed in Greenleaf's servant leadership and the Bible passages in the book of Mathew. Both Greenleaf's servant leadership and the Bible passages in the book of Mathew contain similarities and differences concerning the qualities of a good leader. Greenleaf's servant leadership emphasizes being a servant first before becoming a leader. For instance, Leo is first presented as a servant in The Journey to the East. Leo does the menial chores and other duties for the group of men on the mythical journey (Greenleaf et al., 2002). However, when Leo gets lost, the group realizes that they cannot proceed without him. Through being a servant, Leo had mastered the group's needs and could therefore lead them effectively.
In the bible, Jesus also emphasizes being a servant before becoming a leader. After the demands made by the mother of Zebedee's sons and seeing the grudges made by his disciples, Jesus clarifies to his disciples what a true leader should be like (New International Version, 2021). Both Greenleaf's servant leadership and the Bible passages emphasize being a servant before one becomes a leader. The difference between Greenleaf's servant leadership and the Bible passages is that real examples are provided in the book by Greenleaf et al. (2002), but there are no actual examples given in the bible.
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Many virtues about leadership can be drawn from the book by Greenleaf et al. (2002) and the bible passages in the book of Mathew. For one to be a leader, the needs of the people being led should be addressed first. A leader should focus on making the lives of other people better, regardless of the difficulties faced. As a future leader, I would prioritize the well-being of other people and let my own needs take a backseat. I would focus on making others grow and achieve great goals because through helping others become better, personal abilities are enhanced. Although leadership comes with power and authority, it should not manipulate other employees (Greenleaf et al., 2002). As a future leader, I would use the power and authority bestowed upon me to shape the future of those under my supervision. Regardless of how one becomes a leader, a positive impact should be imparted to colleagues through good deeds and leadership.
Through taking the role of a servant first, one is shaped to become a leader through learning. A servant has better chances of learning through experience and understanding better what others need to become better in life. In the book of Mathew 20:28, Jesus tells his disciples that he came to the world not to be served but to serve (New International Version, 2021). Jesus became a servant first and was able to interact freely with the people and know their problems. He would later be crowned as the king by the people themselves because of the deeds he showed to them.
Similarly, Leo accompanied the group of men on a mythical journey and learned more about the journey needs than any other member (Greenleaf et al., 2002). By being a servant and gaining more insight into the mythical journey, the other members could not proceed after Leo's disappearance. The other group members realized that Leo was the true leader, and his influence in the mythical journey was substantial. In both cases, Greenleaf's servant leadership and the Bible passages, being a servant creates strong ties with other people in the same environment. Therefore, it becomes easy to lead after becoming a leader because of the strong links already established.
References
Greenleaf et al. (2002). Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. https://web-b-ebscohost-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzU4NzcyOV9fQU41?sid=1914f4a5-0031-485f-b074-ad586a5de9e7@sessionmgr103&vid=0&format=EK&lpid=link6&rid=0
New International Version. (2021). https://www.biblestudytools.com/niv/
