Leadership doesn’t have to be about power or prestige. A servant leader makes a conscious choice to lead through service to others. In their article, “Servant Leadership: A Model for Emerging Nurse Leaders,” Beth Fahlberg, PhD, RN, CHPN, and Robert Toomey, EdD, describe how nurses and the nursing ethos align with the approach of servant leadership.
Servant leadership comes from within. It’s a response to the world around us. A servant leader is primarily driven by the desire to serve others, and then makes a conscious choice to aspire to leadership to accomplish this goal.
In the article, Fahlberg and Toomey also identify five key practices and ten characteristics for servant leaders.
Key Practices
- Develop your vision.
- Listen and learn before speaking and acting.
- Envision and invest in others’ greatness.
- Give away your power.
- Build community by cultivating strategic relationships.
Key Characteristics
- Listening
- Empathy
- Healing
- Awareness
- Persuasion
- Conceptualization
- Foresight
- Stewardship
- Commitment to others’ growth
- Community builders
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