Election The election has ended. government formation is taking place. New Goy We urgently need to have a new political agenda. Any of our newly elected public representatives could give a bit of thought about this: they can embrace the following proposals; servant leadership. According to Robert K. Greenleaf, servant leader concept is derived from the term “servant first”. Which means it is based on self-empowerment and not self-enrichment, genuine concern for others’ well-being, and long-lasting solutions for their constituents’ problems.
According to Greenleaf, “A servant leader first… It begins with a person’s natural feeling of wanting to serve first. Then a conscious choice leads a person to desire to lead.” This is very different from one who becomes leader later as opposed to someone who was already leader at that time particularly due to abating abnormal cravings for power or wealth accumulation so that service will be an afterthought once leadership has been established.
Gandhi “The president means chief servant,” he said, emphasizing that elected leaders must serve those who believe in the leader’s ability to govern. Servant leaders do not seek power for themselves but rather put people first by helping them better themselves in life. Among all individuals-Are there any other qualities more important than these like empathy and active listening skills?. Whether they are congressmen or women or the founders of unicorns. CEOs from Fortune 500 companies –are able feel the pain of others and find practical solutions and alternatives.
Additionally, servant-leaders don’t employ their powers but rely on consensus building as an approach towards decision making. They are farsighted focusing on long-term gains instead of short-term victories and predicting future problems leading ways out of them. Such kind of leaders critically assess mistakes done before so that this may make them painless as well as ready for now. Another thing he is not some sort solitary boss in his tower located at the top but as a steward of organization or nation that values resources and behaves responsibly. They would willingly put their money where their mouth is as far as raising others to one’s own level is concerned even if it means defying loyalty. There is no room for pettiness in the mind of a servant leader. They seek to foster community, organizational unity while promoting inclusion.
Different servant leaders have existed such as Ram. Bharat, Mahavir, Buddha, Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Dr B.R. Ambedkar. Some examples of servant leadership are Herb Kelleher from the corporate world; Indra Nooyi, Satya Nadella and Ken Blanchard.
There are numerous examples of servant leaders in Indian philosophy and mythology including Ram Rajya located in the center which was an empathetic leader. Justice defines Ram’s rule with fairness. He ensures that no matter what caste they belong to every citizen must have access to justice. To ensure happiness for his people, Ram denied himself personal gratifications.
The Buddhist concept of emptiness reflects similar virtues associated with servant leadership. It implies that all phenomena rely on multiple causes and conditions which have no independent existence whatsoever. Therefore every phenomenon arises due to relative conditions being cause by dependent arising. Awareness about emptiness promotes humility sense of connectiveness and compassion hence making a true servant.)
How to gain freedom from endless desires: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 17
