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Greenleaf's Theory Of Servant Leadership

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2.4 Servant Leadership (SL) The following section is including the definitions of the Servant Leadership and explaining its dimensions in addition to the theories that are behind this concept. 2.4.1 Definitions of the Servant Leadership Greenleaf (1977) is considered to be the founder of the concept of the Servant Leadership which involves serving the followers by using a comprehensive approach to work. Also, the concept involves fostering a sense of belonging to the community in addition to encouraging the participation or sharing of power in the decision-making process (Page and Wong 2000). Greenleaf and Spears (2002) claimed that Servant Leadership had been justified as a type of leadership in which leaders have the honest desire to help …show more content…

Greenleaf had also pointed out that the concept of Servant Leadership includes values such as Humility and honesty that is centered on four main principles concerning the morality and conscience of the leader himself. These principles include offering sacrifices, commitment to the noble and worthy causes, designing the end goals of the work and finally, having good relationships with others (Freeman …show more content…

To understand, spiritual values are based on two foundations, the first foundation is about exceeding and transcending self, while the second foundation involves the belief that the activities that are carried out by the leader are not just for profit, or for the economic benefits, but are also to promote certain values such as Altruism, love, forgiveness, integrity, courage and Trust (Fry 2003). 2.4.3 Characteristics of Servant Leadership Servant leaders often seek to create and develop their communication and listening skills and try to understand all opinions in addition of being careful that they do not ignore any of the followers before final decisions are made. On the other hand, it is valuable to mention here that servant leaders do not cling to power as they are willing to step down if there is someone who has higher qualifications than them and deserve to be in that position (Page and Wong 2000). According to Rynetta (2006), Servant Leadership can support and enhance the confidence of followers through participating and community building. A real servant leader cares about the interests of followers and the organization’s benefits. On the other hand, Servant Leadership depends on the leader being authentic with their

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