Lao-tzo describes servant leadership perfectly. “Many find it hard to accept the phenomenon of servant leadership because they do not understand how a servant can be a leader and how a leader can be a servant; that is, it seems to be an oxymoron” (Focht & Ponton, 2015, p. 44). I believe many people think a leader cannot work under other people as they are the boss, but it is much more simple than that. A leader is not successful if he or she serves the people by managing or demanding work from his or her followers. A true leader leads from the heart and does whatever it takes to inspire the teachers and teach the students. Often times this could mean listening for and observing the needs of those around them and finding resources of solutions as opposed to working towards what the leader thinks is best. Thinking of others before you can be a difficult task, but once someone is …show more content…
Just as teachers ensure the physical and emotional needs of their students are met before they can actually teach academic standards, leaders should work to make sure the needs of the faculty and staff are met. Providing resources, support, materials, and inspiration can create an environment that has potential to grow and flourish. One author “listed six characteristics of servant leadership: building community, developing people, displaying authenticity, providing leadership, sharing leadership, and valuing people” (Focht & Ponton, 2015, p. 46). One strong component to the definition of servant leadership is building people up and helping them fortify their strengths to overcome their weaknesses. Ultimately, servant leadership can create other future leaders if ethics are appropriately implemented. It takes courage and a strong sense of confidence to give oneself to others. Knowing that every bit of work completed is done for the purpose of making others better is not always enough for some