I believe that the servant leadership model should incorporate four critical features documenting the servant leader characteristics. These include encouraging or motivating others, mentoring followers, committing their practices to the growth of the followers, and depicting empathy in their interactions with the followers. Servant leaders are leaders who listen effectively to what others have to say while valuing their input, encouraging them to optimize their strengths, and helping them overcome their different weaknesses. Servant leaders must also show patience while offering feedback or constructive criticism positively to help others achieve success.
There are unique characteristics of servant leadership, making it different from other leadership models. One of these unique characteristics is the show of empathy as servant leaders can recognize, as well as comprehend emotions and feelings experienced by followers or teams, thus, the chance to care for the people in showing the genuine desire to help and mentor others. Another unique characteristic is the listening ability. Remarkably, servant leaders use their prowess to pay critical attention to what teams or others say. Their listening abilities are vital to understanding the interpersonal situations they continue to deal with (Stone, Russell, & Patterson, 2004). Active listening is essential in creating room for the servant leaders to resolve diverse conflicts while counseling others through imparting the necessary training. Servant leaders also show quality awareness of their strengths and shortcomings, as well as emotions and feelings in their respective positions.
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Servant leaders are also persuasive in their ability to interact with the followers and team members, thus increasing ease in influencing the actions and opinions of the followers in the engagement and mentorship activities or practices (Stone, Russell, & Patterson, 2004). Servant leaders are also community builders. They use their strengths and skills to ensure that followers and teams come together to function toward the achievement of the joint or collective purpose. Servant leadership is also different from others based on the foundation of the model built on the desire to lead and serve others through conscious effort and choice to serve in the leadership position.
Notably, as captured in the unit, the paradox of servant leadership is a reflection of two words put in a collective platform: servant and leadership. How is it possible to serve and lead at the same time? In my model, it is possible to see the paradox in recognition that effective servant leaders need more than just the desire or urge to serve. Such leaders must acquire specific characteristics and qualities to become the right leaders in achieving the goals of helping others from the leadership positions following the different needs (Stone, Russell, & Patterson, 2004). Learning to develop into a great manager is more like training to become a taster. It is necessary to practice while comparing notes and realities with other leaders or managers with more experience. With time, it is possible to build on the sense of what is right, as well as the acquisition of the right skills to enable effective balancing of the paradoxes in our respective leadership position.
Based on my understanding of effective leadership, I believe that this representation in the graphic captures the qualities and characteristics of effective leadership. I think that effective leaders should focus on the growth and development of the people or followers in pursuit of collective goals and targets (Russell & Stone, 2002). Effective leadership must also offer leadership, share leadership, and show authenticity in the achievement of the set goals and targets in the organizational context. I believe that the graphical representation of the model is essential in capturing these elements of effective leadership.
References
Russell, R. F., & Stone, A. G. (2002). A review of servant leadership attributes: developing a practical model. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 23 (3), 145-157.
Stone, A. G., Russell, R. F., & Patterson, K. (2004). Transformational versus servant leadership: A difference in leader focus. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 25 (4), 349-361.
