Summary Of Servant Leadership

The text, Servant Leadership, by Robert K. Greenleaf, is a fascinating book that outlines the aspects of a true leader. In relation to my summer internship at Fortress Bank, formerly known as First State Bank of Illinois, I took on the roll of a leader. More importantly, I took on the roll of a servant leader as I become a team player that was a vital cog in the running of the company. Throughout this essay, I will compare and relate the aforementioned text to my summer experience.

I enjoyed the author’s dialogue regarding community as I felt that it was comparable to Fortress Bank’s recent rebranding. The concept of community as a lost knowledge is something that every individual must understand. The teaching of this concept may be interpreted …show more content…
These two leaders are the day-to-day leader and the outside leader. At Fortress Bank, this example is very relevant. My supervisor, helps to assist with day-to-day issues, but is often consulted for big picture items as well. This proves how values she is as a leader within the company as a whole. However, the executives within the company are the masterminds behind major structural changes within the company and oversee the active leaders. The major rebranding of First State Bank of Illinois/Fortress Bank can be used as an example as such a major structural change. My supervisor, Jaime, is more active within the work environment in terms of feedback and face-to-face customer interaction. We have weekly one-on-one meetings with her to access our performance and continue to grow within our positions. This is opposed to the executives at Fortress Bank who benefit from simply overseeing large accounts and shareholders rather than smaller customers. In this sense, we can see that the hierarchy of the business is adamant in terms of keeping the company prosperous from day to day. I think that it is important to note that such a system would not be nearly as successful if the higher executives did not value Jaime to such a degree that they constantly consult her. It is through dialogues such as this that the voices of lower level employees as well as smaller …show more content…
The book helped me to understand the concept of community within a company and the ways in which such a community impacts one’s experiences as a leader within a particular organization. I also was able to further understand the power structure within the company of Fortress more due top Greenleaf’s discussions both regarding power and authority as a strength and weakness and his descriptions of the two types of leaders within an organization. I was also able to further understand that even within a regulated working environment such as banking institution, conceptualization can take place, one needs but further initiative to progress a particular vision and see it through. Lastly, and most importantly within any small business, a servant leader must never reject. Banking is a clear industry in which customer service must be perfected along every step of the business model. A true servant leader should therefore never reject any concerns of a customer so that they can perfect their customer management skills. As my internship has come to a close and I continue on as a part-time employee, I can only hope that I will be able to live out Greenleaf’s teachings and become a true servant