BUSI 690: Discussion Board 1
Liberty University
Question 1: How can a person become a successful leader by being humble?
Being an effective leader requires one to manage and empower others. One way to be an
effective leader is by being humble. The bible defines humility as the act of lowering oneself in
relation to others. Philippians 2:3 states, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or
conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Bible, NKJV).
Humility is simply being courteous and respectful of others. It means putting God and others
first. A humble leader is one who realizes there are others who may know more than them, accept
that fact and accepts feedback from others. These leaders appreciate others for their strengths,
weaknesses and contributions to the team. And lastly leaders who are humble are less likely to
focus on themselves. “Overall, humility is grounded in a self-view of accepting that something is
greater than the self and manifests in self-awareness, openness to feedback, appreciation of
others, low self-focus, and self-transcendent pursuit” [OuA14].
A humble leader is not afraid to make mistakes and will even use their own mistakes to
help others. This shows others that they are human just like those they are leading. A humble
leader embraces change and the followers of that leader will emulate what they see and embrace
and adapt as needed. Anyone can be a leader but it takes a special person be lead with humility.
Question 2: Why is it an important leadership trait to serve others first?
It is important as a leader to serve others first because it demonstrates leading by
example. Jesus was the best example of leader who served in how He treated and led the
disciples. It is up to leaders to lead by example and to put into practice what they are asking
others to do, just as Jesus did. He did not just tell the disciples to go. He took the time to teach
them and prepare them and at the appointed time He also served them. This concept of serving
others first is known as servant leadership. These type of leaders do not lead from the front, they
instead lead from among the people. This concept was coined by Robert Greenleaf in 1977. This
concept moved the focus of leadership from the leader and focused more on the interaction
between the leader and the follower. “Greenleaf (1977:27) simply stated that people judge a
servant leader by this test: "Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served,
become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?"
[ABe14]. Based on Greenleaf’s teachings, Larry Spears in 1995 developed ten characteristics of
a servant leader: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight,
stewardship, commitment to the growth of people and building communiyt [ABe14]. It seems
that more and more businesses are going towards a servant leadership type concept. Managers
are allowing others to be more involved in the decision making processes, nurturing employees
to succeed and move up in their job and overall caring more about the person and not just
production.
If we examine some of the traits, it is noticed that these traits are opposite of what a
traditional mananger would do. Listening, most managers talk the most and make all decisions.
The servant leader listens to others through spoken and unspoken word. Empathy, the servant
leader is one who understands others and lends an empatheic ear when needed. Healing, is
important in terms of relationships with others. It is important for people to be heaeled and whole
in order to be effective at their job. Stewardship, the leader usually is more concerned about the
company and its greater good, but the servant leader is also concerned about the greater good of
others. Commitment to the growth of people, a traditional leader is often concerned about
themselves, their contributions to the organization and their own personal growth. The servant
leader takes a personal interest in those he or she manages and helps to nurture their growth.
Question 3: What is the importance of relying on Jesus’ will and ways as it relates to
leadership?
As we look at the leadership of Jesus and His followers it is a great example of
leadership. Eventhough each disciple was hand picked, it was the training and care that Jesus
took in training them and being their leader and guide. Jesus is the best example of a servant
leader. He labored among them. He did not just give them an order. He made sure to give them
clear instructions and demonstrated to them the way things should be done. Jesus valued not only
each of the twelve, but also every person He came in contact with. A great leader as stated
previously is a servant first. Matthew 20:27-28, states “And whoever desires to be first among
you, let him be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give His life a ransome for many”(Bible, NJKV). If Jesus who is all and all came to serve, how
are we not compelled as leaders to also serve.
References
Berger, T. A. (2014). Servant Leadership 2.0: A Call for Strong Theory. Socialogical Viewpoints,
149-167. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/1707097871?pq-
origsite=summon
Ou, A. Y., Tsui, A. S., Kinicki, A. J., Waldman, D. A., Xiao, Z., & Song, L. J. (2014). Humble
Chief Executive Officers’ Connections to Top Management Team Integration and Middle
Managers’ Responses. Administrative Science Quarterly, 34-72.
doi:10.1177/0001839213520131
