Servant Leadership In Ramaya

Rama combines the utmost care for his followers and an unflinching devotion to their welfare with utmost humility and respect for his followers. This is the mark of the servant leader who is more concerned about the followers than about themselves. Servant leadership consists of seven dimensions (Liden, Wayne, Zhao, & Henderson, 2008)all of which has parallels in Rama’s leadership behavior. Emotional healing entails being sensitive to the follower’s setbacks. Rama’s handling of Bharatha’s guilt and chagrin, Sugreeva’s sense of defeat and Vibheeshana’s gut wrenching feelings of having betrayed his brother are all examples. Creating value for community is seen in the way his impact makes the vanara sena volunteer to perform complex tasks

Empowering subordinates has examples in his handling of Sugreeva, Hanuman, and the members of the vanara sena. Helping subordinates grow and succeed by gently guiding them towards tasks fitted best for them and by providing inspiration and motivation is evident from the same instances. But more than all these Rama embodies the characteristic of putting the followers before himself. In the battlefield when Lakshmana is killed by Meghanad, Hanuman brings the miracle herb mritasanjivani. Rama insists that all the vanaras who were killed in the war be resurrected before Lakshmana. Behaving ethically has already been dealt with. Rama realizes the concepts of Servant leadership by making service to his followers his life’s motto and providing concrete support to their physical, emotional and spiritual needs as well as subordinating his personal happiness to that of his subordinates. They in turn treat the leader as the role model and willingly expend all efforts in living up to his example and reach their potential. Though Greenleaf propounded servant leadership theory in the 20th century, Rama has shown how to walk the talk long

Along with the various executive capabilities possessed by leaders of the four lower levels these leaders combine a fierce will with utmost personal humility. Unpretentious, stoic and humble their unassuming personas house an iron will that just refuses to give up. Rama, the prince, the banished and friendless tapas, the beleaguered commander of a rag tag army, and the king combines courage and compassion to rise to the level 5 leadership ideal. He refuses to let Ravana’s obvious advantages dissuade him from the apparent folly of attacking him. He refuses to give in to the demand of his brother Bharatha and all the people he has brought with him to come back to Ayodya. He also refuses to let his personal feelings for his wife stand in the way of taking necessary measures to make sure that the credibility and goodwill of the dynasty is not besmirched. Combined with this is his personal humility. While wandering the forest in search of Sita, Rama and Lakshman come across an old woman from a lower caste, a hunter named Sabari. She is an ardent fan of the beloved prince of Ayodhya, and invites the brothers to rest in her humble abode. In a frenzy of love and devotion, she offers a basket of fruits to Rama, after