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Personal Narrative: Servant Leadership

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Epiphany One I am a servant leader. This came as surprise as I had never heard of servant leadership prior to this course; yet, I had been practicing all of the traits and behaviors all of my life, which basically ruined my childhood. The relief of finally recognizing that I was not alone in the world, that there were others who not only act as I do, but others who strive to act as I do, and even more surprising, others who value how I act, completely caught me off guard. When I read the chapter, I was at home with my husband and broke down sobbing. I was taken aback that many of my personal attributes were listed in a book, and that I was not horrible person, like my father, mother, and sister had told me I was my entire life. I have …show more content…
35). Six weeks into the term, this position was unbearable, but by using the tenets of servant leadership, I convinced the administration that there was a new and better approach for handling assessment. For example, there have been several faculty members who have loudly refused to comply with the assessment program; however, Keith (2015) states that developing colleagues and coaching them will allow them to “unleash their energy” and their intelligence within their positions (p. 49). I used this key practice to suggest a Special Projects Assessment Program for those folks, so they will be able to use their energy to design their own assessment plan. That should stop them from negatively criticizing the program in place. The administration has accepted this idea, and it will be put into practice within the …show more content…
Consequently, I view being a servant leader like being a tree: a natural entity with roots deeply connected to the earth with the ability to grow and help others; a servant leader helps others in many different ways, just as trees offer shade from the sun, shelter from the rain, and food and oxygen necessary for life. In addition, the concept of converting carbon dioxide into oxygen is similar to Keith’s (2015) “Paradoxical Commandments” as he states that “. . . the first phrase in each commandment is about adversity or difficulty . . . but each statement about adversity is followed by a positive commandment” (p. 50). In that way, the adversity is carbon dioxide, which is turned into a positive commandment, or changed into

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