Servant Leadership during Natural Disasters
Bryant, Micki
MLC Class 004-18
Servant Leadership during Natural Disasters
Servant leadership is a leader who displays ethical and caring behaviors. These leaders seek to enhance the growth of others while improving quality of life. The two main constructs of this leadership are ethical behavior and concern for subordinates. The characteristics embodied in this are stewardship, foresight, conceptualization, persuasion, building community, listening, empathy, awareness, commitment to growth of people and healing (Hunter 2004). When responding to natural disasters, a servant leader must possess all of these qualities to be effective. Natural disasters can happen at any time with…show more content… In the days leading up to Katrina, state government officials hesitated to react (Tkacz, 2006). The countless storms in 2005 prior to Katrina were not as threatening and did not make landfall. With this in mind, there was a lackadaisical response to Katrina. The government leaders waited too late to make a call to evacuate the city of New Orleans. With the public’s assumption of the storm being of no concern, citizens stayed in their homes when voluntary and mandatory evacuation notices broadcast. Foresight and conceptualization characteristics are having a sense of intuition and the ways to merge the present with future possibilities. Former Governor Kathleen Blanco’s lack of the two servant leader characteristics, contributed to the irrefutable damage suffered by the city of New Orleans and its’…show more content… Specialist Santana Brown is a Soldier currently with the 199th BSB who has responded to three natural disasters over the last few years. She believes there a negative work environment and less pride in work results from non-servant leadership. “Having served under leaders lacking these characteristics makes me strive to become a leader, a servant leader, so that I can take care of Soldiers like a leader should,” said Spc Brown. She recently responded to the current disaster mission in Puerto Rico. While in Puerto Rico, she went from a less than stellar Soldier to thriving. Spc. Brown is striving to become an NCO while also guiding her subordinates to do the same. She was finally under a servant leader who showed her good leadership. The leader mentored, took care of, and never left her behind. These actions resulted in a change in her attitude toward the military and