Eric Chavez
Leaders 481, Northouse Chapter 10
8/3/14
The servant theory of leadership states that leaders put the interests and wellbeing of their
followers first (Northouse, 2012). Servant leaders are most interested in serving rather than
leading. They are highly ethical, and their greatest concern is the growth of their followers.
Northouse (2012) mentions that these types of leaders are most often found in caring professions
such as teaching and healthcare.
Because I am a physician and professor of psychiatry, both a teacher and a medical
professional, this theory of leadership resonates strongly with me. I was attracted to my field
because I care about people and I want to use my talents to help people better themselves. I was
not attracted to medicine or psychiatry because I thought I would be a great leader. However, my
job does come with many leadership roles and responsibilities. I am in charge of education for
medical students and residents, and I am entrusted with leading patients and their families while
they deal with mental illness. I always try to be of maximum service to my trainees and my
patients. In the eyes of others, I may be seen as a leader. To myself, I am a servant. I am not a
dominant person, and I do not seek to control others. My goal is to share my knowledge, guide
students and patients in their change processes, and influence changes in thoughts and behaviors
that will eventually lead to growth, development, and autonomy.
On the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (Northouse, 2012, Chapter 10) I scored in the
high range for all seven characteristics of servant leaders when I asked two coworkers to rate me
using the questionnaire. I scored highest in behaving ethically (54), emotional healing (52),
empowering (52), and conceptual skills (51). This makes perfect sense to me. I was chosen by
the dean of the medical school to teach the medical students’ ethics seminar and have been doing
so for six years. My main job at the clinic is to help patients heal from their emotional illnesses. I
Eric Chavez
Leaders 481, Northouse Chapter 10
8/3/14
always try to empower patients and my coworkers in their lives. I feel very confident about my
skills in conceptualizing and addressing complex problems.
My scores for the other three traits were: putting subordinates first (43), helping
subordinates grow and succeed (42), and creating value for the community (35). I put the most
effort into helping medical students and psychiatric residents succeed. If I had given them the
survey, I probably would have scored higher in those areas. I believe that I could try harder to
devote more time to helping my coworkers in the clinic grow and meet their career goals. I tend
to overlook this in my day to day work life. In one way my work as a psychiatrist could be seen
as creating value for the community. I noticed that the questions on the survey asked about
community service such as volunteer work. Although I have done that type of work in the past, I
have not done so lately. This is also an area where I could make improvements.
I identify strongly with the servant leadership theory. To me it does not seem to be a
contradictory term as it was criticized in the text (Northouse, 2012). This is a way that I have
been living my life for years, and it makes perfect sense to me that I can leader others by putting
their needs first and modeling moral and ethical behavior with altruism as my highest value.
Eric Chavez
Leaders 481, Northouse Chapter 10
8/3/14
Reference:
Northouse, P (2012). Leadership: Theory and Practice [Kindle for iPad version 4.3]. Retrieved
from Amazon.com