Richard Greenleaf's Theory Of Servant Leadership

Within the health care community patient safety and employee dissatisfaction remain key focus areas for leadership and administration (Gunnarsdottir, 2014). To address these concerns many leaders are turning to a theory called servant leadership to improve productivity and employee satisfaction. Richard Greenleaf coined the term servant leadership in 1977 and since has written substantially on the character and attitudes of what it means to be a servant leader. Fundamentally, it is suggested “to be a great leader, one must be a servant first” (Marquis and Huston, 2015, p.56). In his book, James C. Hunter (2012) describes his journey to identifying and understanding the principles involved in being a servant leader. He explores many of the characteristics
Stewardship can be defined as “holding something in trust for another,” according to Peter Block (as cited in Spears, 2010). It is easy to see the connection between servant leadership and stewardship as it assumes a commitment to serving the needs of others and emphasizes openness over control (Spears, 2010). The servant leader first holds in trust the needs of the employee, organization and investors. Effective stewardship includes providing for the organization in a way that ensures the success of the employees and the organization. If the organization fails then the individual may not be able to support a family or be able to utilize their skills and talents in the most effective way possible. In the nursing role, stewardship includes taking care of patients and communities (Waterman,
Looking further into those examples, this author can speculate how maintaining a commitment to growth can influence effective leadership. In the case where the leader funds professional growth, the results can be direct or indirect. It can be speculated that the skills the employee learns can be related job performance and ultimately increase their value to the organization and self. Many large organizations currently have an employee development and education budget, which can be used to help facilitate this type of investment. Hunter also suggests that there is nothing more satisfying or important than making a difference in someone else’s life (Hunter, 2012). Taking personal interest in the ideas of a group or person demonstrates value, which is at the core of servant leading. As a leader that values employees, assisting them to achieve their next level can be rewarding and demonstrates commitment to the growth of others, while also strengthening the