Jacinda Ardern’s full Christchurch speech: ‘Let us be the nation we believe ourselves to be’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdGq3frFsRo (7.17 mins)
What does a ‘servant leader’ mean?
The term ‘servant leader’ seems to be a paradox. We don’t commonly associate a leader and a servant together as leader conjures the image of someone powerful and commanding while a servant is portrayed to be someone lowly and submissive.
Therefore, what does the term ‘servant leader’ mean?
Servant leaders are categorized as those individuals who are able to lead with a primary focus, putting the needs of other people before their own. This type of leadership usually extends beyond an organization’s environment to reach everyone who is associated with it, such as stakeholders and customers, with “serving others” being its typical leadership trait. There are some other basic principles when being a servant leader.
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Examples of servant leaders
Mother Teresa
Through her faith, Mother Teresa dedicated her life to serving other people. Like other servant leaders, she had her critics from time to time, but there was no one who could question her motives behind her desire to help others. Also, she never sought personal recognition, though she insisted on significant changes and was not afraid to express opinions that others would hesitate to say. Eventually, many call her to become a saint, with a life that many people consider as a miracle.
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Martin Luther King, Jr.
King did not always want to be the leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the US, but he just knew that there was a need for equality. By putting other people’s needs first, he was able to leave a lasting legacy, which proves that anyone can make a difference through a humble and serving perspective. Until today, some of King’s speeches are still listened to regularly, as people see them as having a ring of truth.
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Image credits: https://www.servantleadership.ca/download
What are your key takeaways on being a ‘servant leader’?
Extension activity:
Scenario: The class has been rather unpleasant with how the Class Chairperson has been throwing his weight around. His bossy and demanding behaviour becomes exceptionally obvious during class competitions and the class feels that there is a need for a change in his attitude and behaviour.
Write an informal letter on behalf of the class, in an appropriate tone, to help the Class Chairperson understand how the class feels about his behaviour and give him some suggestions on how he can adopt a servant leader approach when leading the class in the future. You may include other relevant information from this article in the letter.
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