Servant Leadership
Servant Leadership -
Servant Leadership is often interpreted differently by anyone who has been interested in it. However, there are certain traits that are consistent in the definition and most people do agree that the main goal is to empower others. I believe one of my strongest characteristics would be listening and empathy. In my opinion, these two go hand in hand and should actually be considered one characteristic. I have always been a person that others could feel comfortable confiding in. I feel that the reason for this is that not only do I listen, I listen with empathy. In order to be a successful listener, I feel one must be able to show empathy to those they are speaking with. While my son was growing up, our house was the one that all of the kids would hang out at. As a result I was able to get to know all of them extremely well and they grew to realize that I could be trusted and really did care about all of them. I became the person they would confide in when they were unable to speak truthfully with their parents or anyone else. This became a common occurrence and I feel that I had a positive effect on their lives. While studying for my Master’s Degree, I did my thesis on “Drug and Alcohol Use Among High School Athletes”. Most of these kids were involved in sports and had been most of their lives. One part of my research was to survey high school students from various sports programs, ages, and schools. It was important to be able to obtain honest responses and I believe that my ability to build trust with them was a major reason for the success of my research. I did make sure that all of the surveys were confidential, however they were all more than willing to participate and from the answers I received, I believe they were extremely honest. Another trait that I believe is a strong one of mine is building community. I have always been one that tries to involve everyone and make them feel comfortable, feel like they belong.
Servant Leadership is often interpreted differently by anyone who has been interested in it. However, there are certain traits that are consistent in the definition and most people do agree that the main goal is to empower others. I believe one of my strongest characteristics would be listening and empathy. In my opinion, these two go hand in hand and should actually be considered one characteristic. I have always been a person that others could feel comfortable confiding in. I feel that the reason for this is that not only do I listen, I listen with empathy. In order to be a successful listener, I feel one must be able to show empathy to those they are speaking with. While my son was growing up, our house was the one that all of the kids would hang out at. As a result I was able to get to know all of them extremely well and they grew to realize that I could be trusted and really did care about all of them. I became the person they would confide in when they were unable to speak truthfully with their parents or anyone else. This became a common occurrence and I feel that I had a positive effect on their lives. While studying for my Master’s Degree, I did my thesis on “Drug and Alcohol Use Among High School Athletes”. Most of these kids were involved in sports and had been most of their lives. One part of my research was to survey high school students from various sports programs, ages, and schools. It was important to be able to obtain honest responses and I believe that my ability to build trust with them was a major reason for the success of my research. I did make sure that all of the surveys were confidential, however they were all more than willing to participate and from the answers I received, I believe they were extremely honest. Another trait that I believe is a strong one of mine is building community. I have always been one that tries to involve everyone and make them feel comfortable, feel like they belong.