Leadership and the Youth

Defined as a process of giving control, guidance, headship, direction and governance to a group or
organization.

Without being inspired by a leader, the whole organization or a department might drift along with no
definite focus on key objectives such as trying to improve the workers’ safety

An art is of influencing and directing others to do assigned tasks or goals, in such a way as to attain
them.

There is obedience, respect, loyalty and cooperation in leadership and followership.

Also, it is the process of guiding and directing the behavior of the people in the work environment – in
your case: the classroom or school.

The ability to inspire, to build confidence and gain support among the people to attain organizational
goals.

Leader as a guide is one who assumes the role of a director, organizer, mentor, guru or adviser.

A forerunner, is one who spearhead, shading light, a trailblazer, and a groundbreaker.

Leader as a head is one who can be called a chief, manager, superior, principal and superior.

Servant Leader

A kind of servanthood and done as a sense of vocation. It also implies stewardship of good citizenship
and community. It is a means of serving others than oneself.

April et all (2000) support the notion of servant leadership in complex organizations, where a major role
of the leader is to synthesize and develop a sense of community in the organization, with shared power
and decision-making and group-oriented approaches.

The servant leader facilitates the surfacing of other ideas and networks and helps to create their futures.

Principles of Servant Leadership

According to Spears (2002), the following are the principles unpinning servant leadership:

1. Listening

The servant leaders seeks to identify the will of the group and helps clarify that will. He or she will seek
to listen receptively to what is being said.

2. Empathy

The servant leaders strives to understand and empathize with others. People need to be accepted and
recognized for their special unique spirits.

3. Healing
One of the greatest strength of a servant leader is the potential of healing one’s self and other because
many people have broken spirits and have suffered from a variety of emotional hurts.

4. Awareness

- It aids one in understanding issues involving ethics and values and view most situations from a
more integrated and holistic position.

5. Persuasion

Another characteristic of a servant leader is the primary reliance on persuasion rather than positional
authority in making decisions within an organization.

6. Conceptualization

Servant leaders seek to nurture their abilities to “dream great dreams”. The ability to look at problems
from a conceptualized perspective means that one must think beyond today’s realities.

7. Foresight.

This enables the servant leaders to understand the lessons from the past realities to the present and the
likely consequence of a decisions for the future.

8. Building community

Servant leadership suggest that the true community can be created among those who work in business
and other institutions.

Qualities of a Servant Leaders

The following are the qualities of a servant leaders:

1. Puts others ahead of his own agenda

The first mark of servanthood is the ability to put others ahead of yourself and your personal desires.

2. Possesses the Confidence to Serve

The real heart of servanthood is security. Show me someone who thinks he is too important to serve
and I’ll show someone who is basically insecure. How we treat each other’s is really a reflection of how
we think of ourselves.

The remarkable thing is that we love our neighbor as ourselves, we do unto others as we do unto
ourselves. We hate others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive when we forgive ourselves. It is not
love of self but hatred of self which is at the root of the troubles that afflict our world.

The Law of Empowerment says that only secure leaders give power to others. It is also true that only
secure that only secure leaders exhibit servanthood.
3. Initiate service to others.

It is a way of serving without being compelled. It manifest one’s concern to do things for others
especially during crisis. You can really see the heart of someone who initiate service to others. Great
leaders see the need, seize the opportunity and serve without expecting anything in return.

4. Is not-position-conscious.

Servant leaders don’t focus on rank or position.

5. Serves out of love

Servanthood is not motivated by manipulation of self-promotion. It fueled with love (willingness to

serve). In the end, the extent of your influence depends on the depth of your concerns for others. That
is why it is important for leaders to be willing to serve.

Desmond Doss (Hero of the Hour)

(1919-2009)

A WWII hero.

Save the lives of his comrade in the line of fire. An example of empathy, principles of healing, servant
leadership, and service out of love. Despite of war never shot a single fire to kill enemy, ironically, he
even saved wounded Japanese at the battle of Hacksaw Ridge on Okinawa Island, Japan.

To internalize the deeper meaning of servant leadership, one must apply the following process:

1. Reflecting on It

As a leader, one must reflect about himself to determine who is he as a person and identify his inner
intention.

“Where is your heart when it come to serving others? Do you desire to be become a leader for
the perks and benefits? Or are you motivated by manipulation of self-promotion?”

If you really want to become the kind of leader that people want to follow, you will have to settle the
issue of servanthood. If your attitudes is to be served rather that to serve, you may have headed for
trouble. If this is an issue in life, then heed this advice:

A. Stop lording people, and start listening to them.

B. Role play for advancement, and start risking your own interest for other’s benefit.

C. Stop seeking your own way, and start serving others.

D. It is true that one who would be great must be like the least and servant of all.

2. Bringing It Home
A. Perform small acts
When was the last time you performed acts of kindness to others? Start to those you are closest to you
and even to random people. Find ways today to do small things that show others you care.

Do the ARK

Acts of

Random

Kindness

B. Learn to walk slowly through the crowd

Focus on each person you meet. Learn his name. if you know it already, make your agenda of getting to
know each person’s needs, wants and desires. Then when you go home, make a note to yourself to do
something beneficial for half a dozen of those people (anecdote of a leader, anonymous).

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never
forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

C. Move into Action

If an attitude of servanthood is conspicuously absent from your life, the best way to acquire it is to start
serving. Begin serving with your body and your heart will catch up. Sign up to serve others, volunteer,
and serve. If your changes then it works.

Daily Take-Away

3. Daily Take-Away

Albert Schweitzer wisely stated, “I don’t know your destiny will be, but one thing I know. The ones
among you will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”

If you want to lead on the highest level, be willing to serve on the lowest.

In the truest sense, servanthood is the gift of doing good for others which sometime include the
exclusion of meeting personal needs. Servants look for ways to do for others both within and beyond
the congregation and community. Servants do not choose to serve, but serve from a sense of identity
and call.

Gifted servants never feel put upon or taken advantage of, but see each opportunity to do for others as
a way to be true to self and in service to others. As leaders, the need to reflect on it, bring it home and
take it away daily is a great passion for going along with one’s inner intention for the good of others.

"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.“

- Mark Twain
7 Habits of Highly Effective People

I. Independence or Self-Mastery

The first three habits surround moving from dependence to independence (i.e. self mastery)

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Take initiative in life by realizing that your decisions (and how they align with life’s principles) are the
primary determining factor for effectiveness in your life. Take responsibility for your choices and be
subsequent consequences that follow.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Self-discovery and clarify your deeply important character values and life goals. Envision the ideal
characteristics for each of your various roles and relationships in life.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Plan, prioritize, and execute your week’s task based on importance rather than urgency. Evaluating if
your efforts exemplify your desired character values, propel you towards goals and enrich the roles and
relationships that were elaborated in Habit 2.

II. Interdependence

The next three have to do with interdependence (i.e. working with others).

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Genuinely strive for mutually beneficial solutions or agreements in your relationships. Valuing and
respecting people by understanding a “win” for all is ultimately a better long-term resolutions than if
only one person in the situation had gotten his way.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

Use empathetic listening to be genuinely influenced by a person, which compels them to reciprocate the
listening and take an open mind to being influenced by you. This creates an atmosphere of caring,
respect, and positive problem solving.

Habit 6: Synergize

Combine the strengths of the people through positive teamwork, so as to achieve goals no one person
could have done alone. Get the best performance out of a group of people through encouraging
meaningful contribution, and modeling inspirational and supportive leadership.
III. Self Renewal

The last habit relates to self-rejuvenation.

Habit 7: Sharpening the Saw

Balance and renew your resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable, long-term, effective
lifestyle.

There’s no way but up.