DISCUSSION THREAD: SERVING LIKE JESUS
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Discussion Thread: Serving Like Jesus
Ashlynn Limandri
School of Business, Liberty University
BUSI 502: Servant Leadership
Dr. Deborah Johnson-Blake
May 17, 2024
Introduction
Servant leadership is what we are called to as Believers in Christ. In the professional
world, servant leadership is necessary for many reasons. According to Crowther, Mark 10 gives
us Jesus’ exact words regarding how we ought to serve others both in the daily dealings of life
and in the workplace. This assignment will explore the ways that the need for recognition can
stifle servant leadership, how personal career advancement can stifle a desire to truly be a
servant leader, and describe some of the practical steps that I can take to become a better servant
leader.
What are the ways that the need for recognition can stifle servant leadership?
In chapter 4 of our text, Crowther uses the story of Joseph to depict a servant leader. He
explains that even after Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, he still looked for ways to serve
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them. Joseph’s servant leadership didn’t begin at that point though, it actually starts as a servant
to the Pharaoh. Pharaoh's wife causes trouble for Joseph and gets him thrown in prison. He even
serves there. When he gets out, he interprets a dream for the king, in which he foretells a famine
that will be nationwide in vivid detail. As a result, Joseph is placed second in charge to handle
the famine. Joseph shows humility, love and kindness during this time. Especially when he
rations his family food. They do not recognize him, but instead of being inflated about his status,
he forgives. Joseph’s humility in service brings his brothers to a place of repentance and
thankfulness.This is a great example of how servant leaders should lead. As leaders we ought to
be humble and kind. The lack of understanding, kindness and humility leads the followers to
believe that the leader does not care and only wants the metrics met for his/her own recognition.
Having an attitude of service changes this because when things are not happening according to
plan, the leader can be flexible to find other ways that goals can be met!
How can personal career advancement stifle a desire to truly be a servant leader?
According to Washington (2006), The three main values of a servant leader are empathy,
integrity and competence. The leader ought to be a good listener so that he/she can make changes
that are necessary in order that followers feel they are valued. Integrity is defined as the quality
of being honest and having strong moral principles (Webster, 2024). If the subordinates to a
leader feel that the leader is trustworthy, the relationships that are built will be strong because
there is trust and belief that the intention is to have growth for all of the organization. When the
leader is not exemplifying care in either of these areas, Blanchard says that being a servant leader
is a mindset and that what makes the individuals being led by a leader respond to leadership is
being seen and valued (p.83-4). When employees feel valued, they work together with leadership
to meet goals and ti even surpass them, because they know that the leader is not meeting metric
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for a promotion, but rather because the mission is primarily what is driving the action. This all
gets lost when the leader begins to stifle his/her desire for true servant leadership by allowing
career advancement to take precedence.
When a leader sees career advancement as a priority more than the organization's ability
to grow and thrive, the people in the organization become tools for his/ her advancement instead
of team mates. When a leader sees a subordinate as a problem, that individual is avoided.;
however, if the lens through which that person is viewed changes to seeing a person to love, then
servant leadership is effective!(pg 86). Serving in leadership is not solely done through seeing
people for who they are. Engagement and development are also important and the desire for this
is lost when one's career advancement is first priority. So , how can I avoid this and become a
better servant leader? This answer is below
In the midst of a busy life and daily schedule, what are some of the practical steps that you
can take to become a better servant leader?
My primary goal in leadership will be to start my day in prayer. God has ordained my
every step and he knows how every moment of my life will occur. Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my
favorite verses because he promises to prosper and not to harm, which means even when things
do not work according to my plan, they will still work for my good, according to His plan! Why
not ask him for the help to get through each day, regardless. Seeing employees as Christ sees
them is a command that comes with a promise. For this reason, I commit to seeing all
stakeholders in my organization as He sees them.
Next, I would implement organization SERVE values both in and out of the workplace.
Once per quarter, I would set up a meeting with each valuable player in my organization to work
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with them and evaluate alongside employees the leadership's success in observing SERVE
values. On a daily basis, I would be on the lookout for employees observing the SERVE values
themselves and encouraging them to continue with reward.
In conclusion, SERVE values are very important. With those values as a mindset,
employees in an organization are seen and valued by the leadership. When leadership values the
employee, the desire for servant leadership is not stifled and it is clear that although the leader
may be seeking job advancement, he/she cares about the organization’s ability to achieve its
mission more than his/her own advancement.
References
Crowther, S. (2018). Biblical servant leadership : An exploration of leadership for the
contemporary context. Springer International Publishing AG.
Washington, R. R., Sutton, C. D., & Feild, H. S. (2006). Individual differences in servant
leadership: the roles of values and personality. Leadership & Organization Development
Journal, 27(8), 700-716. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730610709309
Webster, M., (2024). In Merriam-Webster (Ed). Merriam-Webster.
Https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/integrity.
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