IndexMoral CourageLeading AuthenticallySpiritual MotivationTransforming InfluenceRelationship FocusThe Most Important DimensionAchieving and Maintaining Transforming InfluenceAvoiding the Pitfalls of LeadershipConclusionIn process of learning servant leadership and the dimensions it consists of, has opened my mind's eyes to many different areas of my leadership style. When I was writing about the service over personal essay, I looked at the survey results and was surprised to find that the two dimensions I thought were most applicable to my leadership style, turned out to be the least applicable. Leading authentically and focusing on relationships were two areas that, by definition, seem to be my strengths. However, when analyzing what those areas actually consist of, I discovered that there were some real weaknesses. In Manasseh H. Panpe's article on pitfalls in church leadership, he addresses selfish desire as one such pitfall, pointing out that this desire can be a "desire to be rich, powerful, and successful and not necessary for the benefit of others but oneself." This provides a great understanding of what servant leadership is not. The nature of servant leadership is focused on relationships and always placing the interests of others above one's own. In saying this, I truly believe that the perfect model of servant leadership is found in the example set by Jesus. Jesus is the embodiment of selflessness and provides the perfect holistic example of what servant leadership looks like. For this reason, I would definitely like to implement a servant leadership model in my church and leadership team. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Servant orientation appears to encompass many of the fundamentals of servant leadership. This dimension is the one in which I evaluated my leadership style the most. This dimension concerns leaders who have the ability to serve those they lead without regard for their own ambitions. The power of service orientation lies in the leader's ability to use the authority and position given to him or her to benefit others. In this area I achieved a fairly high score, which was certainly an encouragement for me. A strong point that emerged from the survey is that I am increasingly aware of my responsibilities than my rights. This means that I will continue to serve the needs of others and the church before my own personal needs. While I still believe this is a real strength, it can also be a weakness. Often time spent with my family will be put aside to fulfill the roles and responsibilities I have towards others and the church. It was important for me to recognize this because I now know that although putting others before myself is a strength in the service orientation dimension, I must ensure that my family comes first and that time is not neglected. One of my weaknesses in this area is that while I put others and the needs of the church above my own practical needs, I sometimes miss the opportunity to serve someone else if there is a task to be done. This means that instead of being service oriented, I can sometimes be task oriented. In David Young's book on servant leadership as it relates to church renewal, he addresses the aspect of service to others by saying that “service requires that servants takeinitiative, take risks and sacrifice themselves. Servant leadership is not a weak, passive position.” Young then goes on to apply this concept to the larger body of the church, saying that the church is called to serve, not to be served. This reminds me that even though I need to put others above myself, servant leadership is still an active leadership style whether I am serving others, completing the assigned task, or carrying out elements of my life personal. Moral Courage Moral courage was another dimension that revealed some real strengths in my leadership, which was encouraging to see. The ability to help others apply their faith to difficult life decisions has always been a strength and passion of mine. There's also the element of standing up for what is true and what is divine, which is also another area I'm very passionate about. There are two aspects of moral courage. The first is the ability to discern right and wrong, the second is putting those decisions into practice and being an example to others. Someone who has moral courage is not afraid to make decisions based on their faith. My strength in this area would be the ability to stand up for what is right, no matter who is there or what the situation is. I am not easily intimidated by anyone who questions my moral beliefs or decisions, and I will always try to explain my moral reasoning to those who may not share similar views. In the dimension of moral reasoning it is also important to recognize that “becoming a role model is not what you do by isolating yourself from the relationship. The level of trust built determines the level of influence exerted in the lives of those a leader leads. To help someone make moral decisions, they must trust and see their leaders apply faith to make difficult decisions. A weakness for me would be not always making morally correct decisions when completing tasks in high pressure situations. This could involve negative language or actions. This is where I can evaluate the moral action side of moral courage and see areas where I could improve in terms of this. Leading authentically Leading authentically is the dimension that revealed the greatest weakness and was the one that proved least applicable to my needs. leadership style. The premise of leading authentically is being confident enough to allow others to have a space to openly and respectfully question your decisions. The main strength I have in this area is practicing what I preach. This also emerged from the survey. This is certainly a strong characteristic of servant leadership as “servant leaders encourage followers to demonstrate consistency between what they say and do.” I believe there is a strong consistency between what I say to those I lead and what I do. Being authentic means avoiding hypocrisy and practicing what you say, which are both strengths in my leadership style. One element of authentic leadership that I believe can be both a strength and a weakness is when my decisions are questioned. While I am more than happy for those I lead to approach me and ask me why I made certain decisions, it is rare that I will spend time on this. This has encouraged me to evaluate the professional relationships I have with those I lead and to consider spending more time with those I lead to express how they feel about the decisions I have made. Another weakness revealed by the survey is that I sometimes focus on the messenger and not the message if I am angry or upset with the person delivering the message.message. Sometimes, if someone I lead has upset or frustrated me, I will ignore that person's criticism even if it is correct or beneficial to my situation. Spiritual Motivation According to the survey, spiritual motivation proved to be my strongest and most applicable dimension in servant leadership. Helping those I mentor find clarity and purpose is something I am very passionate about. This is where I see the dimensions of spiritual motivation and moral courage sharing some ground. Both dimensions offer the opportunity to direct someone towards decisions that bring out their full potential. One dimension does this through moral and faith-driven decision making, while the other provides spiritual direction. My strength is pretty simple in this area. I am one hundred percent sold out to the calling God has for me – that's what drives me. Because I am driven by this, I have a strong desire to share this with others and encourage them to do the same by finding purpose and direction in whatever area of ​​life they are in or whatever area they serve. This means focusing on the Kingdom of God and helping those I lead discover their purpose within the Kingdom of God. Kingdom. In wanting those I lead to reach their full potential it is important to understand that “spirituality is the motivational basis for servant leaders to engage others in authentic and profound ways that transform them into who they are capable of becoming. A weakness for me is that when those I lead reject their purpose and call or don't take my advice about it, I often get angry. This made me evaluate my approach towards those who don't necessarily see their potential. While there are scenarios where being tough is applicable to helping servants generate a sense of meaning while serving, often encouraging them to return to what they were doing can be more effective. Transforming Influence When it comes to transforming influence, I believe it brings practical, daily action to conversations being had between servant leaders and servant followers as it relates to spiritual motivation. While spiritual motivation encourages followers to find purpose in their service, transforming influence is about influencing others to spend time in words and prayer so that their purpose can be achieved while remaining connected to their faith. My strengths are leading by example, providing those I lead with a shared vision they can believe in, and always looking for ways to grow those I lead. This growth can be personal or professional. It was also important for me to understand that “in servant leadership the development and well-being of followers comes first.” By influencing, growing, and investing in those I lead first, the long-term vision God has for the church will be realized after and in part through this. A weakness of mine when it comes to this dimension is that while I take the time to invest in those I lead personally, I don't always take the same amount of time to invest in them on a professional level. This means that I should spend extra time investing in those I lead in a church context and exploring their gifts and talents within the church more than their personal lives. Another area I need to work on when it comes to transforming influence is that I may not always give enough space to those I lead to be creative and experiment in certain situations. If there's a time when I'm really busy or stressful, I'll sometimes be less inclined to allocate time and space for those needed to express their creativity and experiment in the areas wherethey are needed. This can be a barrier to the transformative influence I have on them and is therefore an area of ​​my leadership that needs evaluation and improvement. Relationship Focus When it comes to relationship focus, I believe it is critical for any organization to have alliance relationships between leaders and followers. Relationships within the church determine much of its culture, atmosphere, and function. A strength for me in my relationships with those I lead is that I will always go above and beyond to serve and help anyone in any area of ​​their life. This applies to study, family, relationships and any other area in which they need help. Even in this I am willing to dedicate all the time necessary to invest in those I lead. When explaining the concept of LMX (leader-member exchange theory), research suggests that “there is a reciprocal process in dyadic exchanges between leaders and followers, in which each party brings different types of resources to the relationship for the exchange.” There seems to be a constant exchange between leaders and followers and in this it is necessary for both parties to provide resources that will be exchanged for the benefit of the other person. When it comes to servant leadership, it is important for the leader to provide every resource possible to those he leads. This is part of the leader's responsibility to care for those he leads. A weakness for me would be that if I know someone has failed in a certain area before, I will be less likely to assign them similar tasks or sometimes tasks in general in future situations. While there are times when people's roles need to change and discernment needs to take place, there is also a time to give grace and let people take another chance. The Most Important Dimension For me I believe the most important dimension of the six is ​​transformation influence. This dimension seems to be the most relevant and effective in the context of the church in which I serve and in the role I currently play. One of the main reasons why I believe this is the most important dimension is because it is the only dimension that requires a response from the follower to say whether or not they were changed or influenced. This dimension will require tangible evidence to see whether it has been effective or not. When servant followers exert a transformative influence on their leaders, I believe many other dimensions of servant leadership will flow from this. Transformative influence is all about service as its primary goal is to empower, cultivate, and grow followers to reach their full potential by putting the follower's needs at the forefront. This is extremely relevant to the context of the church in which I serve, as we find that when we have a direct influence on those we lead and are working to grow them in their faith, that is when they are most likely to embark on a journey to become independent in their faith and become leaders in their own right. Our church is in a very important season of building and preparing a new foundation for the future. I believe that transforming influence is extremely important as my role is to help people grasp the vision and calling that God has placed in our church. This is not to conform people to the “church vision,” but to help them grow in their relationship with the Lord so that they eventually see the vision for themselves. At the root of transformative influence and servant leadership is love. Helping those you lead means "doing good with a clear concern for the followers, acts of kindness intended to benefit the followers and not to benefit the leader." Achieve and maintain transforming influence For.