I thought that the ideas expressed in the Servant Leadership hand out were very interesting. I especially liked the idea that working on the personal development of yourself and others was the way to be a successful leader. However, I wonder how effectively this applies to women. I think in many ways, the leadership style of women has to be different from the leadership style of men in order to be successful. If those who have been working in the professional world would like to correct me, I welcome it, but this is my perception from my limited experience in the working world.
I see people reacting negatively to female leaders who take on an agressive and traditionally male leadership styles. People reacted to Hilary Clinton as cold and to Margaret Thatcher as heartless. I think in many ways, the servant leadership style would be more suitable for women because it hits closer to the personal lives of employees.
I also think that servant leadership would be very successful for male bosses. The point I’m trying to make is that when it comes to analyzing leadership styles, gender plays a role in deciding how effective that style will be, whether it is fair or not.
2 Comments on “Women and Servant Leadership”
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When a see country like the US not having provided its women a chance to serve on top position like that of the president, I conclude that the struggle for women to lead has a long way to go.
I have seen Servant Leadership work whether the person using it is male or female. Servant Leadership is about making the decision to lead by being of service to others. It means that being a leader isn’t based on whether you have a certain title or not, but that you step up when it is needed. A Servant Leader makes the choice to lead. Yes it is true that people haven’t responded well in certain circumstances to strong women ( which is what both Hillary Clinton, and Margaret thatcher are.) They are both strong, intelligent women. People also didn’t respond well to Hillary when she cried either. It’s not about leadership style at all. It is about a certain perception of what a woman is and is not supposed to be.