Coates-Servant Leadership Paper

Kendra Coates
Servant Leadership Paper
LDR265-International Servant Leadership Experience

Coates-Servant Leadership Paper

What is Servant Leadership? Servant leadership is a paradigm of leadership.

It is a lifestyle and mindset from which many styles of leadership can grow.
Foundational to the idea of servant leadership, is that actions of the leader are
done in order that their followers might grow and have room to become leaders
themselves. The idea is reflected in the following quote: The servant-leader is
servant first. Becoming a servant-leader begins with the natural feeling that one
wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to
leadthe best test is this: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while
being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely
themselves, to become servants? (Greenleaf, 1991). Servant leadership is
others-focused instead of self-focused. During our trip in Hawaii, Dr. Malakyan
gave the following components as part of a definition for servant leadership. He
said that servant leaders were servant first, carried leadership that enhanced
productivity, creativity, and benefits. Servant leaders were able to rise above
circumstances and to transcend human common nature. We were also taught
that it is the only leadership style that Jesus left us with. It is: transformative, an
expression of free will, a courageous choice, a powerful force of love, and a
moral authority, not a position (Greenleaf, 1977; Class notes, 2015). Servant
leadership is not a weak form of leadership. There are many misrepresentations
of servant leadership that make it seem like a non-strategic, and cop-out form of
leadership but these are not accurate portrayals. Servant leadership, as
mentioned before, is a paradigm and so under it fall all kinds of leadership styles
and models.

Coates-Servant Leadership Paper

Servanthood for the Hawaiian Culture. During the course of our class
meetings in Kona, Hawaii, while staying at the YWAM Ships base, we had the
privilege to hear one of the founders of YWAM speak. He gave us his testimony
and explained how he came to live in Hawaii. He was not a native Hawaiian but
had lived there long enough to be able to describe to our class some of the
cultural prejudices that we my not have been aware of. The question was asked
him by one of our students, how can we serve the native Hawaiians? He
explained that there is a lot of resentment towards Haoles (white people) for past
wrongs that have comprised the history of the state and people. Because of this,
a simple way to serve them is by showing respect even when it is not necessary.
The example he gave was a story about his wife. His wife was at a park area with
tables. There was a native sitting at one table and the table next to it was free.
His wife had every right to sit at the empty table, but went ahead and asked
permission from the native at the table over, asking her if it would be okay if she
used the open table. This was a sign of courtesy and respect that both surprised
and honored the native. From that small action, a conversation followed and a
relationship was built. Because of their history, Hawaiians often do still feel
wronged and resentful towards people who come in and act like they are entitled
to the islands, and this is understandable. The challenge then, to those serving
would be to first understand that. Not to assume that they are wrong for feeling
that way, and not to put down people who do come to Hawaii but instead to live
and act in a way that directly opposes the view that all Haoles are there for
selfish gain. To live in service to the needs of the natives, to honor them in

Coates-Servant Leadership Paper

speech as well as action, speaks volumes that reach beyond cultural dividing
lines. Another experience I had was in a small jewelry shop. I spoke with a native
and instead of going in looking around and leaving, I (and several other girls)
engaged in conversation with her. We asked her about herself and about the
island. We inquired about places to get good local food and showed legitimate
interest in the culture. From this we had a lovely conversation and in return she
offered us pearl necklaces as a gift. The Hawaiian culture seemed to me to be
one of generosity. They have no problem giving of their resources and gifts, and I
think it is a symbol of good relationship within their culture. Taking note of this, a
good way to serve the Hawaiian culture would be to use the gifts and resources
one has and to engage in relationships, giving of your resources to others. It
seemed to be a common form of communication and one that would be easy
for any foreigner to join in practicing.
Cultural Differences. There were a number of cultural differences that a person
can gather from reading about a culture, but when you are actually in the culture
sometimes different things are emphasized or brought to light. The one difference
that really seemed to stand out to me above all others was the focus of
relationship-based interactions versus the schedule-focused lives that most of
America/College students live. There were relatively few times on the trip that we
were able to truly interact with locals, but the few times that I did, they never
seemed to be concerned with the time or getting to a task. They were very laid
back and always willing to have conversations. It did not take much effort to
strike up a conversation with someone and learn a bit about who they were and

Coates-Servant Leadership Paper

why they were at that point in there life. When our group was on the beach we
ran into a young man who was voluntarily homeless. He spoke for quite a while
about his heart and why he chose to be homeless. The locals did not seem to
have an agenda that sucked up their time and energy. Even when it came to
driving the locals were very laid back; they were not in any rush on the roads. A
local person even told us if someone is impatient on the road, it is a tourist.
A second cultural difference I noticed was that the Hawaiian culture is a
very oral culture. History is spread by word-of-mouth, through story telling and
dancing. There seemed to be less of a focus on reading and writing, and more of
a focus on rhetoric and conversation.
Christ-like perspective on servant leadership and followership for the
native Hawaiians. I would love to see how Jesus would interact with the locals.
I think he would have fit in well with the Hawaiian culture. As mentioned earlier,
the Hawaiians are very generous; they are community-focused people and as
such always seem to be giving to one another of their possessions and talents.
Jesus always had something to offer people when he interacted with them.
Whether it was food, healing, or forgiveness, Jesus did not withhold from giving
to the people he was around. How then would Christ show servant leadership to
the native Hawaiians? I think he would have given them what they needed, even
if they were not aware it is what they needed. I think for those who feel bitterness
from injury towards Haoles, Jesus would have shown equality in respect. He
would have given them what they needed to feed their spiritual longings and
personal need for love. A Christ-like perspective on servant leadership and

Coates-Servant Leadership Paper

followership for the native-Hawaiians would cut through all of the superficial traps
and cultural divisions and would lead people to Christ by showing them, we are
all sinners and equally in need of Gods grace. And the same God who is Lord of
one culture is Lord of the other. We are all followers of Him. By the example of
following Christ, we are living lives of leadership that serve as testimony to who
we follow.

Servant Leadership and Followership Model. Servant leadership is a

paradigm from which many models of leadership come. When it comes to
servant leadership in a cross-cultural environment, specifically the Hawaiian
culture, I think the situational model of leadership is one that would be an
appropriate model to use. Situational servant leadership allows the leader to
adapt or change styles of leadership based on the maturity and needs of the
followers. It was developed by Hersey and Blanchard and is a model based off of
a 3-D management style. The 3-D management style theory was developed by
Bill Reddin in 1967 (Situational Leadership, 2015). Simply put, different
situations demand different styles of leadership (all under the Servant-Leadership
paradigm). A leaders operating within a Situational Leadership model must be
able to demonstrate flexibility while also being attune to the needs and maturity
of their followers. Being able to do this allows the leader to change and adapt the
style of leadership in order to best fit the situation at hand (Northouse, 2004).
The model that demonstrates this style of leadership is called the situational
leadership II model or SLII (situational leadership). This model shows four styles

Coates-Servant Leadership Paper

of leadership where the degree of directive and supportive behavior given by the
leader varies according to the development level of the follower. The
development of the follower is on a scale from D1-D4, D1 being low and
developing and D4 being high and developed. The leader then chooses from
four styles of leadership based on the development of the follower. The styles of
leadership have varying degrees of directive and supportive behavior. Directive
behavior is more task-oriented and helps followers achieve their goals.
Supportive behavior is more focused on the relational aspect and helps followers
feel comfortable in the work environment. The four leadership styles then have
different combinations of high and low directive and supportive behaviors and are
categorized as Directing offering high directive and low supportive behavior;
Coaching offering high directive and high supportive behavior; Supporting
offering high supportive and low directive behavior; and Delegating offering low
supportive and low directive behavior, (Coates, 2015).

Coates-Servant Leadership Paper

References
Coates, K. (2015). Capstone Paper. Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN.
Greenleaf, R. (1991). The servant as leader ([Rev. ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Robert
K. Greenleaf Center.
Greenleaf, R. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate
power and greatness. New York: Paulist Press.
Northouse, P. (2004). Leadership: Theory and practice (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks,
Calif.: Sage.
Situational Leadership II. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2015, from
http://www.kenblanchard.com/Solutions/Situational-LeadershipDevelopment/Situational-Leadership-II.