The Democratic School First to Serve, Then to Lead: A Review

This article presents the concept of servant-leadership and how this framework can be implemented in democratic schools. This concept was first introduced by Robert K. Greenleaf (1976) in The Servant as Leader. A leader is identified by his services he provides to the community as well as how he takes care of it, “in servant-leadership, it was through strategies of services and stewardship , that a leader was identified by the people to be first among equals or “primus inter pares” (Greenleaf,1976, p.16)

The writer pointed out that leadership without service is less substantial, more ego-driven and selfish. She also added that leadership should be community centered, altruistic and empathetic. In other words, the writer believed that the leader should serve the community and not the other way round. She also supported Greenleaf’s belief “that leadership involves teaching and mentoring, as one of the major requirements of leaders to invite others toward services”.

Crippen gave many ideas of what an educator should do in order to be a servant-leader in this article. First, educators must take time to reflect upon their practice and through their personal listening and hearing they may make effective decisions for and with the students. Second, a good servant-leader strives to understand and empathizes with others. Next, the servant -leader has the potential to heal one’s self and others. Crippen pointed out that the servant-leader should also have a general awareness especially self-awareness. After that, the servant should seek to convince others, rather than coerce compliance. Crippen also stressed that servant-leaders need vision to lead their organizations effectively towards a goal and they should have the ability to foresee or know the likely outcome of a situation. She also repeated Greenleaf belief that all members of an institution or organization played significant roles in holding their institutions in trust (caring for the well being of the institution and serving the needs of others in the institutions) for the greater good of society. Lastly, the servant-leader should seek to identify some means for building community.

The strength of this concept is that effective servant-leaders can be subtle that all anybody is likely to see is the result and not the cause of change. Crippen suggested that ten steps should be considered when the concept of servant-leadership is implemented. First, a school could begin with a reading and discussion of Greenleaf’s writing, through the use of staff study groups, beginning with The Servant as Leader. Next, the ten characteristics of servant-leadership could be used as a framework by staff while developing school plans. After that, the concept of volunteering or “giving back” in the community and the rationale for such service could become an underpinning in the school culture.

Next, servant-leadership could become the modus operandi for school administrators in a school division or district and the concept could provide seed for discussion during administrative council meetings. Then servant-leadership may provide a foundation for healing, listening, dialogue and problem solving during school or school division conflicts. Next, the philosophy of servant-leadership could be introduced as professional development for teacher candidates going into the field.

Subsequently, servant-leadership may provide a foundation for responsive and caring action that is particularly needed by special education resource teachers. After that, the servant-leader philosophy for building shared and distributive leadership within schools and committees through primus inter pares enhances the growth of the learning community by including and involving parents, students, staff and support staff. Lastly, the topic of servant-leadership could be included as a component of university educational administration courses for study and discussion.

On the other hand, there are also some weaknesses of servant-leadership concept. It could not be applied in a school that is in chaos or crisis as it need a different form of leadership, a transactional one and more directive in nature to stabilize the school before the leader can embark upon the process of building a democratic school culture. In some issues in school such as during fire drills and medical emergencies a more ordered approach is more suitable.

As conclusion, servant-leadership is a transformational and democratic form of leadership that need time to be implemented. However, it gives abundant opportunities for all member of the learning community to be involved in the running of the institution.