The Importance of a Servant Leadership Mindset in a Business Organization

One of the biggest lies that people tell themselves is that superiors are to be served by those who are under them. This is a common view point due to the simple fact that leaders have the power and authority to motivate and influence they have on their people. It may be a fact that many understand and practice, but this is not the complete truth. The whole reason that there are people in power is to help the people and to serve their needs.

Even God the Son came to Earth as a man and in turn made himself small in order to guide mankind towards him. It’s key in business to teach young employees this mindset that serving those under them by doing what’s best for their benefit is the most important trait to develop in a manager. If the most powerful being in the universe can do it then so can regular business managers. The path towards being a steward starts with accepting that belief.

Making plans is one of the main functions a manager is to have and to practice. It does not hurt to plan to serve when stepping up as manager. When the belief becomes a part of that person then he or she can start gathering the knowledge and resources to pursue this and to exercise that mindset. It is then put into action and into day to day tasks.

This is followed by the commitment to the growth of the group for its benefit as well as the benefit of the company.

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This follows the whole “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” in order to do business efficiently and to improve the lives of those in the organization. This sense of assisting each other is further defined by Oregon university business professor Bernard Bass. He states in a article, “Being devoted does not happen overnight. Loyalty is a quality that is groomed, treated, and harvested overtime. Caring for another and gaining their trust and respect will lead to a devotion and sense of purpose to a higher authority that can last a lifetime.” (Bass). It helps to understand that the employees and employers are both humans made in the image of God. Humanizing both sides makes it easier to see the benefits and the potential that each side can bring to the other and to the organization as a whole. The people of the first century in Judea were as sinful as the people before and after them yet they lived with and were assisted by Jesus Christ. Jesus did not owe the people anything, but he still lived in this area with these people for a little over thirty years and helped them out when they needed help.

He physically healed people all over the area no matter if it was blindness, demon possession, or if they were paralyzed. God the Son came to Earth to not only heal those who were physically sick he was there to heal everyone spiritually. Those who were considered the lowest of the low were served and directed by the highest being in the universe. He did all of this for the people even though he knew that he would be rejected and later killed buy those whom he was trying to save. The fact that God humbled Himself this much is the best kind of example of what humans should do as leaders while living on this Earth. Servant leadership requires with listening to those who under the leadership. Listening allows the employer to understand what motivates the employees and what is hindering their work. Giving the ability to listen introduces the opportunity to emphasize with employees. Emphasizing creates a concern for those employees which can lead to a healthy relationship between the employer and those working under him or her. This creates a symbiotic relationship between the emotional health of both the employers and their employees. Employees must also feel safe and important in their work place. The first can be communicated to them by allowing employees to speak about their concerns. Having sessions and little retreats allows workers to voice their concerns, complaints, and praises.

Complaints should be looked at as ways to improve the company and how business is done. Praises should be valued and the positive things that are said should be accounted for in order to continue to expand on the strengths of the business. A safe environment provides space for people to be comfortable and feel welcomed to provide their inputs on both words and actions. The third feeling that is crucial to the work place is self-importance. Workers that don’t feel valuable to the corporation as a whole are not inspired to do their best. Lewiston explains that “An employee who know they are important will realize that they can do important work. Build up those under you and their self-value.” (Harvey). A business will go under if workers do not do their best because it is the employees that are the most valuable asset of any company. Recognizing their value makes them more than just objects to improve the company, but are looked upon as loyal humans that can strive to make the group better. Guiding employees toward strengthening their skills and eliminating weaknesses. Such evaluations are not only healthy for individual workers, but also to the company as a whole. This also allows for a manager to have an efficient task force that understands how to carry themselves and take control over their own lives. An efficient task force not only works in a more orderly fashion, but also provides an atmosphere where stress is minimized. Less stress creates enough time and energy to have better focus on work. Having a stable personal life makes it easier to have a stable work career. A leader can never be passive especially in growing the team.

This can especially be tempting when there is a conflict, but that causes more damage in the team and what they think of each other with no solution. A problem must be met head on and disgusted between those who are involved in the issue. There is no such thing as having a group where problems are none existence. Despite this fact there is no reason why group leaders should try to minimize as many issues as possible. It is also key to know how to combat certain conflicts when they are inflicted on the group. A serving manager should use persuasion when directing those under his or her influence. The use of positional authority can actually be destructive since it can lead to the creation of expectations that cannot be met. Jesus has asked a lot of us when he asks Christians to give their lives to Him when it comes to persecution and the resistance to sinful, but it is possible and the reward of Heaven makes it worth it. He is not just saying this to dictate us on how we should act like. It is a choice that is healthy for Man to take this in and act upon it for our spiritual and emotional health. Every manager should have some kind of sense of a broad conceptual thinking.

Being one hundred percent liberal or conservative erases the possibilities of compromiser between different group, but by finding a common ground helps with almost every problem. Having only one type of person to make up the entire group increases certain strengths, but ensures that all the weaknesses of each person are enhanced dramatically with no one else to help decrease these faults. It can be scary to have differences, but it can be healthy when different sets people are accepted and respect. Recognizing that diversity is unity allows people to feel comfortable with their coworkers when working with them. Jesus had a variety of all kinds that followed Him and went on to spread His Word throughout the Earth. Traditional-thinking individuals like to look at past events only in order to manage their present, but they should actually be planning for possible future outcomes. Liberal minded people want to change a lot of things to improve the work place, but not everything should be changed. Some rule and regulations are necessary to keep and should be left unchanged. It is acceptable and even encouraged to have mix in conservative people with those whom are more acceptable to change to balance both sides in order to maintain a sustainable workplace. Managers must set a good example to the employees under them in order to expect the best of employees. This applies to work ethics as well as morals.

A lazy boss displays an expectation of laziness. Jesus chose his apostles in mind to have them go across the world to spread the good news. If he did not travel across Palestine teaching the people then he would not be setting a good example to his followers. Weak willed employees means that nothing will get done so the business won’t be able to move as a well-oiled machine. Managers with strong work ethics can inspire workers to do their best. The difficult part of being leader of the pack is to have the heart to discipline those under you when necessary. Such an action is taken to make sure they do what’s right in the future to help themselves and the corporation. “A happy worker is a hard worker. But also keep mind that rewarding someone all the time is not healthy and it will hurt them in the long run. There is time to reward someone and there is a time to punish. Learn when it is necessary and do not rely on only one outlook to carry the team all the time.” (Bass) Setting rules to combat negative actions can are also key in order to help employees to stay on track to improve themselves and to insure a long career working with the group.

This all leads up to the drive to create a community within and outside the organization. Unity spreads when universally practiced. Everyone is inspired when they feel that they have purpose and having everyone feel like they are family to each other is the minimum of giving these people some purpose in their lives. Larry Spears spends a lot of time on his article, Insights on Leadership: Service, Stewardship, Spirit, and Servant-Leadership., relating this to the personal happiness of the employee being influenced by the atmosphere the manager creates in the work place. He expands on this when he says, “People are happy to work when happy and the same can be said when they feel oppressed. Be a good example of a hard worker plus a fair leader and your team will follow you anywhere.” A work unit turned into a family-based group creates an atmosphere where individuals want to work cooperate with the group out of a bond over the business and from socializing outside of the workplace. Both a manager and his or her workers should share the mentality of treating others the way they would like to be treating. This may seem like an easy concept, but many people aren’t raised that way and don’t apply that in life. It is important to have it in business so employees can work together instead of cheating each other and to have a united group force. This also helps when interacting with customers in order to meet their wants and needs in an orderly fashion that satisfies and guarantees future success. Jesus encouraged for everyone to apply this in their lives since the goal for all Christians is to go to heaven and they will end up living together for all eternity. This mindset must be set in practice every day including the workplace where it can help workers get along with each other.