7.1.1

Provide a 150 word response to the below discussion question answer in apa format with in-text citations and references

Answer:

The former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is a true servant leader who has volunteered to make a difference in the lives of millions of people. According to Moran (2011) “He may have retired from office 30 years ago, but former U.S. President has proved he still wants to make a difference to the world-and is willing to get his hands dirty doing it” (para. 1). Moran noted that the 87-year-old put volunteers half his age to shame by helping along with his wife Rosalyn on construction projects in Haiti, by cutting up wood, transporting around supplies, and assisting in other construction projects (Moran, 2011).

After the January 2010 earthquake, through the Atlanta-based Christian charity Habitat for Humanity, he, together with other 500 humanitarians helped to build 100 one room homes for families displaced by the earthquake (Moran, 2010). Further, in 2009 he launched “a campaign to eradicate malaria and lymphatic filariasis, which is a mosquito-borne illness that causes limbs to swell to grotesque proportions” (Moran, 2011). Regarding the houses built by Habitat, Jimmy Carter stated “Habitat has successfully removed the stigma of charity by substituting it with a sense of partnership. The people who will live in the houses work side by side with the volunteers, so they feel very much that they are on an equal level” (Habitat for Humanity, 2016. Para. 5).

Servant leadership characteristics include listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community, as espoused by (Spears, 2010). Jimmy Carter has shown that he cared by listening to the horrible stories of depravity and suffering experienced by the earthquake survivors. He showed kindness, compassion and justice by mobilizing all resources within his control and personally got involved in physical ways to help. The lesson to learn is that if an ex-President can volunteer to lead and serve others with kindness, compassion, and justice despite his age, we are then challenged to follow this exemplary leadership behavior and do the same for others.

Original Question:

Research an historic or current servant leader who is a true volunteer in service to others. In what ways does the person inspire leadership while building his or her own character and integrity? How does this leader exemplify the moral obligation to lead through kindness, compassion, and justice?