Question:

Respond to below post with 150 words and 1 direct question.

Servant leadership is a process of leaders and followers collaborating together for the purpose of accomplishing a common vision in which the good of the led are placed over the good of the leaders (Irving, 2005). In other words, this occurs when a leader partners with subordinates to develop a system or technique in order to effectively deal with a situation in which the solution benefits the subordinates as opposed to the leader. Servant leadership seeks to maximize the talent and potential of those being led while simultaneously placing the needs and desires beneficial to those in subordinate positions above the leaders. This type of leadership done effectively involves the occasional sacrifice of glory and recognition that is sometimes given to those in leadership positions without consideration for those who actually made it a reality.

This concept allows empowerment by including and considering the benefits and effects that certain decisions and the related impact will have upon direct reports. Through collaboration and interaction regarding the real and/or potential changes to policies and procedures, a leader can potentially develop a more empathetic outlook which can automatically improve the nature of these final decisions.

Transformational leadership occurs when leaders broaden and elevate the interests of their employees, and when they help cause their employees to look beyond themselves and their individual interests for the good of the group (Washington, 2007). This type of leadership places a determined common good, or the best arrived at conclusion that benefits more than not, above the needs and desires of those being led.

Transactional leadership is described as a transferring process in which leaders recognize followers' needs, and then define appropriate ways to meet both the needs of the followers and leaders' expectations (Washington, 2007). This type of leaderships appears to be more of a traditional approach in which the structure and system in place supersedes the needs of those not in leadership positions, therefore making it a near opposite to servant leadership.

References

Irving, J. A. (2005). Servant leadership and the effectiveness of teams (Order No. 3173207). Available from ABI/INFORM Global; ProQuest Central. (305356267). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/305356267?accountid=8289

Washington, R. R. (2007). Empirical relationships among servant, transformational, and transactional leadership: Similarities, differences, and correlations with job satisfaction and organizational commitment (Order No. 3265529). Available from ABI/INFORM Global; ProQuest Central. (304896742). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304896742?accountid=8289