respond back to these 2 responses: 1.Hello and good evening all,

I chose to answer question number one for this weeks discussion on Servant Leadership. Some behaviors a servant leader has, and one I think is most prominent is selflessness. They always put “the people” first and try to help improve them to their core and organizations in their entirety. For the question, what do they mean to their followers, in my opinion they think of themselves not as leaders, but as all the same with everyone. Servant leaders do not boast, do not take pride, they take care of those around them and try to nurture, having the best intentions for anyone and everyone. When it comes to what needs to be considered when applying servant leadership to practice is stewardship, obligation, partnership and elevating purpose. The first stewardship means acting on the behalf of others and trusting subordinates with responsibilities and opportunities. Second, obligation means taking duty serious, the servant leader owes certain things to their subordinates. Partnership, the third is the deeper understanding that servant leaders do not see their subordinates as any lower than they are. The leaders see their subordinates as partners, equals versus followers. The fourth consideration when applying servant leadership to practice is elevating purpose. Elevating purpose is the much larger picture, its the depths a servant leader goes within themselves and looks for within their subordinates to help better them and situations at hand. This type of leadership displays generosity, courage, selflessness, beauty, and grace. 2.Authentic leadership is a still evolving leadership theory. It stems from the idea that the better someone knows themselves, empowers their followers, and behaves genuinely, the more effective of a leader they are. Authentic leaders are transparent, compassionate, and don’t back down from their principles. The core competencies associated with authentic leadership are self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and internalized moral perspective. Self-awareness is knowing and understanding your strengths, weaknesses, personality, and emotions and using that information to effectively interact with others. Relational transparency or orientation is being yourself and genuine in relationships. Balanced or unbiased processing is staying objective and accepting facts regardless of personal opinion. Internalized moral perspective or action is staying true to your core beliefs and not compromising them to receive favors or please others. Authentic leaders must practice all four components.

Authentic leadership theory differs from other theories because it lacks research and a comprehensive, agreed upon definition. Many of the concepts around this theory are not evidence-based so they cannot be accurately measured which also means it would be difficult to train someone to lead authentically. I like the idea of authentic leadership, but it is a tall order. Relational transparency is one core competency that I think is especially difficult in the workplace especially if you don’t work with people who you trust.