Essay On Servant Leadership Theory

One way to keep the vision at the forefront is to complete a strategic plan based on the vision, and to discuss the vision at each meeting of the Board of Directors. Often as an Executive Director, you focus on the mission and services provided. The vision statement is a much broader, big dream concept. In servant leadership theory leaders are able to balance the day to day operations with conceptual thinking. The outcome of being able to conceptualize is building a future for the organization and being able to change course if needed. Increasing persuasion skills would also be a benefit to any leaders skill set. Persuasion can sometimes be considered a negative or a weakness. Some leadership styles outline ways to directly tell followers
what needs to be done. However, when you tell someone to do a task, but they are not totally on board with the reasons they are completing the task, they may not be as productive. In servant leadership, persuasion is the ability to convince followers to be productive, not coerce or dictate (Parris, & Peachey, 2013). One specific thing a leader could do to increase persuasion would be to include followers’ ideas when developing the vision of the company. Employees are more likely to be productive if they are bought into the vision, making persuasion easier.
SMART Goals One leadership skill I seek to develop is my motivations skills.
I feel I already have some strength in motivation, but there is room for improvement. Motivation is a skill that will support employees in being more productive and feel more satisfaction in their work performance. To develop this skill I will create a rewards system for followers for each case they complete. As more cases are completed, the rewards will become more significant. An example would be a certificate of appreciation for the first case completed, and a gift certificate for the next case completed. The purpose of this motivational reward system would be to increase the amount of cases followers are willing to take on. The reward system will be in place by 8/15/2017. It will be a long term project that will be reviewed annually. By 8/15/2019, numbers should show if the motivational system was able to increase the number of cases followers accepted and completed. If the system is effective, it would be continued for another two year period. I will also take a 9 hour motional and effective speaking course online to learn new tools for communication. The result of the class would be to acquire more skills to communicate in a way that motivates
followers. In addition to developing my motivational skills, another leadership skill I strive to develop is my skill to delegate. As an executive director, there are many tasks that need to be accomplished each day. Not all of the tasks necessarily need to be completed by the leader though. Recognizing each employee’s strengths and delegating tasks that they can accomplish frees up time for the leader to do other things while increasing the individual’s confidence and develops their strength. One specific way I plan on developing this skill is to set aside time each Monday morning to review tasks that need accomplished that week. I will choose specific things that others can do instead of me that week and assign them by Monday afternoon. After two weeks, I will review the process and see if the tasks were completed on time and correctly. Another specific action I will take to increase my delegation skill is to identify one ongoing responsibility for a specific employee. After 4 weeks of the employee being the sole person responsible for the task, an evaluation of the delegate will occur to see if the task can become a permanent part of their position. Recognizing your own personal strengths and weaknesses as a leader opens the opportunity to improve upon your skills. While setting short term and attainable goals allows for a person to be successful and have a measurable way to track their accomplishments.