Essay on Servant Leadership: Father Robertos Approach to Leadership

Father Roberto has a participatory approach to leadership. A participatory approach to leadership fits within servant leadership because it is based on respect and engagement. Diverse ideas are often welcomed in the participatory approach to leadership. The approach also encourages community building and creating a shared responsibility course of action. A participatory approach to leadership also empowers individuals being led. A participatory approach to leadership is common among social workers. A participatory approach to leadership encourages subordinates to be more committed towards an organizations vision and mission. Collaboration and cooperation in an organization are encouraged courtesy of participatory approach to leadership. The leadership approach encourages service to others. A leader is encouraged to assume a position of a servant in his interactions with his subordinates. A desire to help others first is exhibited in Father Robertos approach to leadership. Given that Father Roberto has often encouraged and motivated poverty struck and marginalized individuals to find greatness in themselves, it can, therefore, be said that he is more concerned about the welfare of other people than his welfare.

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Characteristics of servant leadership

Servant leadership is displayed throughout the organizational culture of the mission because the organization heavily relies on volunteers. Volunteers by nature are meant to serve others, with or without any compensation. The purpose of the mission is to look after poor and marginalized people in Toronto. Taking care of the unfortunate without being paid is a profound manifestation of service to humanity.

A member of the community may identify a societal need and feel obliged to do something about it. For instance, when Joanna Smith noticed that men who stayed in shelters were unceremoniously evicted into the brutal winter cold weather as early as 6 am, she asked Father Roberto if there is something that the mission could do. She suggested that the mission runs a breakfast program that would give shelter to the men and shield them from cold. As a result, Smith was given a key to the building that houses St. John Compassionate Mission so that she could run the breakfast program. Joanna Smith took up her new role with enthusiasm, manifesting servant leadership.

The Mission offers coffee, tea, and cookies everyday as a way of being of service to each other. Courtesy of people having coffee, tea and cookies together, mission members can share worries, jokes, joys and stories as a step towards improving each others mental well- being and health. The mission believes that communal meals were one way in which communities could be built. The mission offers lunch on a daily basis; paid staff and volunteers were involved in serving lunch. Serving of meals by volunteers to members of the community is a manifestation of servant leadership. Members of the general community who donate food to make lunch that is prepared by the mission, exemplify servant leadership.

External and internal pressures

The mission is grappling with both internal and external pressures that threaten to disorient SJCMs organizational culture. The St. Johns Bakery has scaled up to a level where it is a fully commercial business. The bakery was not expected to be profitable; it was only meant to create job opportunities for the community. The bakery has also taken more than its share of the managements attention; the missions leadership tends to spend a lot of time on bakery issues when this should not be the case. SJCM is torn between continuing with the bakerys operations or closing it down. The missions choice to be more holistically driven has come with a downside; it has problems accessing many sources of funding such as those that include government programs.

The mission lacks an organizational structure; it is too much reliant on Father Roberto. A successful mission is one that is not too much dependent on certain individuals; it is one that can thrive in the absence of certain individuals, as long as the organizational structure is sound.

Most of the individuals who are supposed to be helped by the mission, instead act as helpers and volunteers. Many of the volunteers dealt with mental problems and lived in poverty.

Most of the volunteers lack appropriate skills for the tasks that are assigned to them. There is a lack of clarity around roles of volunteers. Most volunteers do not know what they are supposed to be doing; many end up doing the same things, albeit in different styles and manner.

Unplanned growth of the missions entrepreneurial activities has imposed pressure on the organization. New entrepreneurial initiatives have led to staff burn out and ineffective program delivery. Most of the time, skills and abilities of the missions staff have not been well aligned with the initiatives.

The mission is grappling with a fundraising problem to deal with the growth of the organization.

The mission is grappling with a problem of limited space in the missions building.

Leadership succession

As the board, I would suggest that individuals who have been stakeholders of the mission for at least five years and who are interested in taking the leadership position currently occupied by Father Roberto make an application for the position.

As the board, we will meticulously go through each of the applications, assessing their strengths and weaknesses.

Applicants who have impressive resumes will be shortlisted for interviews.

Rigorous interviews will be then be conducted to identify the best contestant out of all the applicants. The applicants will be given an opportunity to inform the board about their long-term plan for the organization.

Maintaining culture of SJCM

The culture of the SJCM can be maintained when transitioning leadership by ensuring that the organizations vision and mission are not interfered with by new leadership. The new leadership has to ensure that the organizations ethics and principles are not violated.

Strengths and weaknesses of servant leadership

Servant leadership is appropriate in an institution or organization that has people with diverse backgrounds. Loyalty is encouraged among staff courtesy of servant leadership. In servant leadership, decision-making process involves all stakeholders. Productivity among subordinates in an institution is highly improved courtesy of servant leadership. Happiness levels and satisfaction in an institution or an organization are likely to be increased courtesy of servant leadership. Morale of subordinates is often high in servant leadership.

Servant leadership has its share of demerits. The role of leaders taking a leading and certain position on issues is likely to be violated courtesy of servant leadership. In most types of leadership, leaders are expected to take a certain position, develop a certain vision and direct their subordinates to fulfill that vision. Decision making is likely to take a long time when compared with other styles of leadership.