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Servant Leadership Philosophy

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Servant Leadership Philosophy
We all have the choice to lead or not. So the question becomes: Why does someone choose to lead? I believe the answer is, fundamentally, that they believe strongly enough in something that they want to take action and are willing to take on the responsibility of being a leader. Such is the case for me with regards to teaching. When I was young I simply wanted to be led. As I matured, however, opportunities to assume leadership roles presented themselves and, with support from my peers and mentors, I found myself taking them on and have grown to enjoy being a leader and helping those around me succeed.
My values and beliefs about teaching can be summarized quite simply: good teaching is important to me, and we should help each other become
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Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” ~ Robert K. Greenleaf, 1970
The characteristics of servant leaders are: Listening, Empathy, Healing, Awareness, Persuasion, Conceptualization, Foresight, Stewardship, Commitment to the Growth of People, and Building Community (“The Understanding and Practice of Servant Leadership”, L.C. Spears, 2005) but this is perhaps better embodied by the following:
“A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid,” servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.” ~ Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant
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Gladwell’s “Maven” is someone who is an “information specialist” (p.19), who accumulates knowledge and is “almost pathologically helpful”. Gladwell’s idea of a “Maven” explained why I feel the unyielding need to help people solve their problems, especially if it pertains to something I know about, and why I like to hear about how other people have solved their problems; I want to acquire their knowledge and expertise both for my own use but so that I may also share it with others. I read the passage several times; I had discovered why I like to help people so

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