Servant Leader Assessment: Nehemiah vs. Warrick Dunn
Nehemiah: the Servant Leader
How Nehemiah as a biblical leader exemplified servant leadership and how the principles of servant leadership transcend time and place with specific reference to Warrick Dunn.
At times we take leadership abilities from the corporate global so attempt to use them to guiding a congregate of Christians, however these abilities are frequently distant from the kind of leadership we comprehend inside the Bible. One such instance we encompass is Nehemiah, a gentleman who spearheads via service just like Warrick Dunn. He is one instance we contain of a servant leader within the Bible.
A Personally Involved Leader
Within Nehemiah 1:1-11, Nehemiah perceives of the Jerusalem state, its barricades, as well as the temple. His retort to this information is to beseech. He states himself as servant of God; also he devotes himself to guiding people of God as His servant, his has transcended time and place as is the case with Warrick Dunn. Both bears a vivid acknowledgement of a precise necessity. They are individually involved with that necessity. The state of Jerusalem propels him to cries, also these sentiments shove him to act as is in Warrick Dunn case. Through his book, Nehemiah shall show various emotions, also he utilizes these sentiments to assist him guide God’s persons.
Prior to all else, Nehemiah departs to God. He pleads for the skill to assist his citizens as well as he prays for triumph during that attempt. Furthermore, like a guide, both Nehemiah and Warrick Dunn need to be in the midst of things. They need to help out look out for these desires individually instead of retreat and let others to lift up the loose. Both identify that a guide requires to be individually caught up.
A Servant Leader
Within Nehemiah 4:22-23, Nehemiah shows that he shall stand up alongside with individuals he was guiding within their endeavours. Just like Warrick Dunn, Nehemiah was a worker to his worldly ruler, as well as he grows to be a servant in guiding the individuals of his right Ruler. We’re all putting up an edifice in our individual lives. There are periods when we require reconstructing. There are periods when our endeavours disintegrate and hesitate. We could support each other, be encouraged to work for God as well as others, and be religious guides similar to the one we observes in Nehemiah, God’s servant.
Like God`s servant Nehemiah, Warrick Dunn is a pro-NFL player who has won many awards with a lot of reputation to his name. He was raised by a single mother who worked as a police officer and a security guard to raise enough money to take care of her family. She was killed in an attempted robbery that left Warrick Dunn to take care of his younger siblings. However, the death of his mother did not deter him from becoming the best that he could be. He worked his way up to honor the dream of his mother – the American dream of home-ownership. He went way ahead to start Homes for the Holidays, a charity that has benefited many children and families (Warrick Dunn Charities, 2016). The success of Warrick Dunn Charities is attributed to Greenleaf’s principles of servant leadership that the philanthropist employs to motivate, influence, and lead others.
Servant leadership is not just a management style, but a way of life that focuses on the desire to serve first (Parris & Peachey, 2013). According to Robert Greenleaf, the developer of modern servant leadership, “the servant-leader is a servant first… it begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first” (Greenleaf Center, 2016, par. 1). Some of the relevant principles of servant-leadership include the trust to employees where the staff is allowed to influence change, accountability to the mission of the organization, and that the leader should regard the needs of the servants above his/her desires (McCann, Graves & Cox, 2014). However, the leader should demonstrate essential leadership attributes and inclination to influence the followers to adopt virtuous attitudes through love, compassion, humility, self-service, trustworthiness, and fairness (Sipe& Frick, 2015).
The mission for Warrick Dunn Charities aims to provide hope and healing to communities through innovative programming inspired by the Dunn’s life journey. Warrick Dunn inspires his organization to emulate his behavior by regarding the needs of others above their desires. For instance, Warrick Dunn Charities through the Hearts for community service scholarship awards “help those that help others” (Warrick Dunn Charities, 2016). The program targets students that have dedicated their lives to serve their community. According to Liden, Wayne, Liao, and Meuser (2013), a serving culture an organization improves job performance, enhances individual morale, increases creativity and customer service behavior. Thus, Warren Dunn Charities has been able to combat hunger and poverty and improve the quality of life of thousands of families through it elaborate culture.
All in all, servant-leadership cuts across many organizations and is also essential in nursing practice. Going forward, I would like to employ the principles of servant-leadership in my practice to enhance the quality of health care and to improve patient outcome through dedication and the commitment to serve first. I desire to exhibit the virtuous attitude of unconditional compassion and benevolence which will enable me to focus on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which I belong (Sipe& Frick, 2015). These attributes are essential pillars of servant-leadership in the healthcare profession that enhance leadership behaviors and influence patient satisfaction (McCann, Graves & Cox, 2014).
References
Greenleaf Centre, (2016). What is servant leadership? Retrieved form, https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/
Liden, R., Wayne, S., Liao, C., &Meuser, J. (2013). Servant Leadership and Serving Culture: Influence on Individual and Unit Performance. Academy Of Management Journal, 57(5), 1434-1452. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amj.2013.0034
McCann, J., Graves, D., & Cox, L. (2014). Servant Leadership, Employee Satisfaction, and Organizational Performance in Rural Community Hospitals. International Journal Of Business And Management, 9(10). http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v9n10p28
Nehemiah 1:1-11. From KJV
Nehemiah 4:22-23. From KJV
Parris, D. L., & Peachey, J. (2013). A systematic literature review of servant leadership theory in organizational contexts. Journal of Business Ethics, 113(3), 377–393. http://doi.dx.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1322-6
Sipe, J. W., & Frick, D. M. (2015). Seven pillars of servant leadership: Practicing the wisdom of leading by serving.
The Warrick Dunn Charities, (2017). Retrieved from, https://wdc.org/about-us/
