Servant Leadership

In any organization, there are leaders who are incorporated in the management of the firm. They have the responsibility to carry out the managerial functions effectively and efficiently. They should be able to implement their leadership skills in performance of their duties and responsibilities. Leadership and management may appear to have the same meaning, but this is not the case. For effective management, one requires leadership skills in order to gain confidence and trust from the people served. As the proverbs goes, unity is strength”, the same applies to people working together in achieving the same goal.

            In the health sector, different forms of leadership are implemented in the provision f health. There are various models that may be implemented in order to define the form of leadership adapted in an organization. These models define leadership on the basis of different perspectives. These models include the traditional models that based on power within an organization and the servant leadership models. It has been established that the traditional models do not conform to the contemporary changes that are continuously being experienced by nursing workforce.

Servant leadership model is founded on the basis of consideration of the needs of the followers. This implies that the needs of the followers are prioritized over those of the organization. It seeks to established good relationships with the followers so as to ensure that they all work together towards attaining the goals of the organization. It is viewed as an alternative approach to the power based models. It largely focuses on the ethos of nursing. Consequently, it also conforms to the government policies for the National Health Service. This is unlike the traditional models that are mainly power based. In order for servant leadership to work effectively, it is extremely crucial that trust and empathy is built within the organization. This would help in the enhancement of communication within the organization. Therefore, servant leadership is vital in an organization such as the NHS.

The notions of servant leadership are hugely contrasted by the leadership style that Jesus Christ used. According to Jesus Christ, one should not be ego centric, but should think about others.  He said, I am the good shepherd; and the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep. This was demonstrated when He was crucified on the cross for the sake of the sins of human beings. This implies that a leader ought to think about the well being of the organization for which he leads.

According to servant leadership, he reverse is true. This is such that, the most vital thing is adhere to the needs of individual followers before those of the organization. This means that one should take care of his or her needs first before offering to lender help to the group or organization that he or she represents.

The notions of Jesus Christ would also be viewed as conforming to the principles of the servant leadership model. This is if viewed from the perspective that Jesus Christ cared for His followers through giving up His life for them. This would mean that His decision to offer the teachings through His disciples was a means of nurturing good relationships with His followers. This would imply that he was concerned with the needs of His followers from a personal level. These notions of meeting the needs of His followers are all found through the verses in which the role of god shepherd is mentioned in the bible.

Therefore, it is vital for individual to make their choices of the type of leadership style that they seek to apply depending on their priorities. In the nursing sector, the servant leadership model is definitely the most appropriate as it conforms to the policies of nursing and other governing bodies.