LEARNING AND LEADING: A SEARCH FOR CORRELATION

Abstract

In the modern era all over the world options in higher education depend upon accepting certain premises: (i) leadership is essential in every profession and career field; (ii) everyone contributes to a healthy culture of leadership; (iii) all essential personal and social goals are achieved in the context of community; (iv) the principles and values advocated by servant leaders are vitally important; and (v) universities are the essential nurturing communities for authentic leaders.

Seconding the opinion of Larry Spears and Robert K. Greenleaf that leaders as a whole, and servant-leaders especially, are as essential to society as oxygen is to individuals, it is of vital importance to point out ten required qualities of a servant leader. The first of them is Listening as an intentional act that involves respect for others, being beneficial both to the leader and the speaker. Empathy is the second quality, that is a learned skill, needed to understand, recognize, and accept others. The next one – Healing, is required for leader to practice forgiveness in order to preserve relationships. Self-awareness is based on the servant leader knowing self, especially one’s core values, which is important for understanding situations from a holistic perspective. The fifth required quality is Persuasion – ability to convince rather than to coerce members of a team. The sixth – Conceptual Thinking – empowers servant leaders think conceptually, putting people and relationship at the top of their priorities. The seventh, closely related to the previous, is Foresight – a characteristic that enables the servant-leader to understand the lessons from the past, the realities of the present, and the likely consequences of a decision for the future. The next one – Stewardship, is sharply different from the greedy, power-oriented, controlling leader; its mission and its existence is linked with fulfilling the needs of others, and doing so in an ethical way. The ninth quality – the Growth of People – is based on the ability of the true servant leader to empower others, to seek and find people with a potential to lead even greater than his or her own, nurture their potential and then get out of the way. And the last one – Building Community – is connected with the people finding meaning in life, their purpose, and their calling in community. The role of the servant leader, therefore, is that of a creator of community.

Inasmuch as effective leadership is vital to societal progress and personal well-being for people in every culture, educators must find new ways to help their students prepare for the future. If such tradition prevails in higher education, new degree programs in leadership, to our mind, should be added at trend-setting universities. The potential impact of higher education on future leaders is revolutionary.