Reference no: EM133212547

Assignment - Make a Comment on Servant Leadership Discussion

When thinking about servant leadership, initially, thoughts go to the Bible story of Ruth. Overall, this story compiles God's kindness and servant leadership to heal and bring restoration to the world. The beginning of the story is full of tragedy and loss. Naomi, an Israelite living with family in Moab, loses her husband and sons. With the recent loss, Naomi decides to move back to Israel. Ruth stays with Naomi, embracing culture and religion fully, while Orpah decides to stay in Moab. Upon return, Naomi and Ruth have nothing; Ruth goes to find food and necessities. On this quest, Ruth meets Boaz, who wants to provide for Ruth and Naomi. This is a unique Bible story because God never officially appears, but the direct influence is evident. Ruth puts personal needs aside and puts focuses on others' needs. The goals of servant leadership are focused on prioritizing others' needs.

The article discusses leadership and management principles and how they relate to servant leadership. The ten characteristics of effective, caring leaders are listed as 1) having a clear vision and purpose; 2) demonstrating ethical and moral behavior; 3) being competent and having expertise; 4) being committed to continuous learning; 5) being able to build and maintain relationships; 6) having the ability to lead from the front; 7) being proactive and taking action; 8) setting high standards and expecting the same from others; 9) being resilient in difficult times; 10) exhibiting servant-leader behaviors (Spears, 2010).