Biblical and Secular Perspectives of Servant Leadership Essay
Describe how servant leadership is viewed from both the secular and the biblical perspectives. Next, research the differences and similarities between the biblical and secular perspectives of power and authority. What do you consider to be the most significant differences between the two? Biblical and Secular Perspectives of Servant Leadership Essay
Leadership is the skill of directing the efforts of a group of people to the accomplishment of specific goals. Servant leadership is one of the forms of leadership that have been proposed and implemented in different types of settings. Notably, servant leadership exists in both biblical and contemporary settings. This essay looks into servant leadership as expressed in the Bible relative to the secular perspective.
Servant leadership in the Bible is a way of leading where spiritual leaders serve their followers rather than be served. Servant leadership in the Bible is best demonstrated by Jesus Christ who had power over the forces of nature. Jesus miraculously fed 5000 hungry followers who had come to listen to his sermon. Ezekiel in Chapter 34 says that servant leaders strengthen the weak and empower those under their care, and are compassionate to the lost and disadvantaged (Friedman & Fischer, 2021)Biblical and Secular Perspectives of Servant Leadership Essay. Secular servant leadership is pictured in the organizational sense where leaders share power with subordinates and mentor their growth and development. As such, secular servant leaders value accountability, capacity to listen to and understand the needs of others, empathy, foresight, and stewardship. Secular servant leaders seek to inspire followers and motivate them to give their best at work.
There are similarities between the biblical and secular approaches to servant leadership such as concern for the wellness of followers and a willingness to bridge the divide between leaders and followers (Gonaim, 2019)Biblical and Secular Perspectives of Servant Leadership Essay. Some notable differences are that the power of prophets and spiritual leaders in the Bible is not shareable, unlike in the secular sense. Another difference is that secular servant leadership has as its objective the economic interests of the group or organization, whereas spiritual awareness is the objective in the biblical case. Finally, secular servant leaders are accountable to their followers and other stakeholders whereas Biblical servant leaders are accountable to God.
References
Friedman, H., & Fischer, D. (2021). What Biblical Leaders Teach Us about Leadership in a
Global Society. Analysis and Metaphysics, 20, 7-30.
Gonaim, F. A. (2019). Leadership in Higher Education in Saudi Arabia: Benefits, Constraints
and Challenges of Adopting Servant Leadership Model by Department Chairs. International Journal of Education and Practice, 7(2), 101-111 Biblical and Secular Perspectives of Servant Leadership Essay