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SYNTHESIS PAPER

Synthesis Paper
Karsten Olson
LDRS 4113 Applied Servant Leadership
Southeastern University
College of Business and Legal Studies
Dr. Emile Hawkins
April 30, 2015

SYNTHESIS PAPER
Abstract
This essay will answer these following questions and many more: Why did I
become an Organizational Leadership Major? What were my assumptions about
leadership prior to taking my first course in this major? What has been my greatest

surprise? Do I have any disappointments about the major? How have I developed as
a Leader since becoming an Org. Leadership Major? Have any of my assumptions
about leadership changed?
This essay will List and describe the leadership courses I have taken within
the Organizational Leadership major, discuss three major "take-aways" from each
completed course, and describe how I would explain the degree to either a stranger
or freshman considering majors.
This essay will synthesize major concepts throughout the Major Core
courses, and finally this essay will synthesize my understanding of Applied Servant
Leadership Concepts as it relates to other leadership theories.

SYNTHESIS PAPER
Table of Contents

Part 1: Introduction...4
Part 2: 5 Leadership Developments6
Part 3: Leadership Course Descriptions and Take-Aways.11
Part 4: 3 Synthesized Concepts...26
Part 5: Servant Leadership Defined and Applied.....30
Part 6: Servant Leader Journal....35
Part 7: References40

SYNTHESIS PAPER
Part 1: Introduction
Why I chose to become an Organizational Leadership major
I entered into college with a grand plan to be a millionaire by the time I was
twenty-two. I planned to study business, and learn the ins and outs of the stock
market so I could become qualified enough to manage others money while earning
enough commission to make my own investments, and do all this by the time I
graduated. I am twenty-two, and Im not a millionaire. However, over the course of

my four years at two quality universities, I learned that the most important thing to
search for isnt what I could get from the world, but what I could give it? How could I
improve it? Confucius said, choose a job you love, and youll never have to work a
day in your life. I was so wrapped up in what I hoped to do with money I didnt
even have yet, that I ignored the things I truly enjoyed doing, the things I excelled at.
I was trying to study business, but I had no passion for it. I love people, I love to
connect with people, I care about people, and I want to see others succeed. I wanted
to study something that could help me find a career path and be applicable no
matter what I chose. I found my answer in Organizational Leadership.
What I assumed before taking my first course in this major
Choosing to study Organizational Leadership seemed very straight forward
to me. I assumed it was going to be much like business management, except using
more modern leadership terms and concepts from modern leadership theory.
Although there are some straightforward answers to leadership, most are not. I was
surprised by the amount of literature written about leadership. So many academics,
coaches, business executives, pastors, and so many more have weighed in on the

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topic of leadership. These books date all the way back to the 1500s with pieces such
as Machiavellis The Prince. There are bits and pieces of each theory that make sense
to me, but overall there are no two identical theories, and absolutely no one way to
lead. I assumed that leadership would have two general groups, good and bad. I was
very mistaken. There are an infinite amount of solutions to any one leadership
opportunity or dilemma.
My greatest surprise
As I briefly mentioned earlier, the amount of literature surrounding
leadership was shocking. The authors are endless, and it seems as though everyone
wants to way in subject. Some of the books Ive read seem a little repetitive and
wordy, but others cut straight to the chase and give a very literal vision of what good
leadership looks like. In Machiavellis The Prince, he gives advice on how to assess
situations, but doesnt explicitly say what he best course of action is. He writes as
follows,
No government should ever believe that it is always possible to follow safe
policies. Rather, it should be realized that all courses of action involve risks
prudence consists in knowing how to assess the dangers, and to choose the
least bad course of action as being the right one to follow. (Machiavelli, 1988,
p. 79).
Machiavelli gives advice on how to asses the situation and make a choice.
Similarly, Jim Collins writes about building an effective vision and plan for an
organization. He doesnt claim to know how to create the vision, but he does provide
steps for the readers to consider when creating a vision themselves. Collins says it

SYNTHESIS PAPER
like this, The good-to-great leaders began the transformation by first getting the
right people on the bus (and all the wrong people off the bus) and then figured out
where to drive it (Collins, 2001, p. 63). These both serve examples of my surprise.
Now it seems ridiculous to think, but I honestly thought I was going find some one
single leadership model that would fit my every need and answer my every

question. In reality there is no right answer, but there is a right way to go about, and
thats through study, reflection, and experience.
My disappointments
If Im being totally honest, I havent had any significant disappointments to
this point. Classes like Leadership and Human Diversity, Great Leaders Through
History, Leadership, Teamwork, and Followership, and Cross-Cultural Leadership
have all exceeded my expectations and challenged my thinking in the areas of
leading, following, and viewing different people and cultures. One of my favorite
quotes comes from Stephen Covey, author of all of the 7 Habits books. He says, Seek
first to understand, and then to be understood. All of the classes listed above
helped me understand more about what it will take to lead, follow, serve, and create
impact. I can honestly say I have no disappointments worth mentioning.
Part 2: 5 Leadership Developments
During my time as an Organizational Leadership major, I have grown in many
ways. My exposure to lessons and classes on leadership has affected my life
everyday. In my case, I have packed all of my leadership courses into just two
semesters outside of just one other online course taken in a previous semester. This
schedule, packed tight with leadership, has made it difficult for me to think of

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anything but leadership. In addition to my academic encounters with leadership, I

have to think about leadership everyday in almost every facet of my life. Leadership
on Southeastern Universitys basketball team, leadership in my future career as an
educator with Teach for America, and leadership in my family as the oldest of 7 and
the head of my own household consisting of my daughter and bride-to-be. There are
five specific areas in which my leadership has developed the most: study of
leadership, experiencing leadership, following in leadership, human diversity in
leadership, and servant leadership.
Study of Leadership
When I say study of leadership, not only has my study itself developed, but
more so my recognition of the need to constantly study and reflect upon everything
I learn both formally and informally. In his biography of the great American general,
George Patton, Carlo DEste wrote, Everything that interested [Patton] was
painstakingly typed on note cards and suitably annotated with additional ideas and
comments (1995, p. 99). Patton didnt just read the history passively. He made his
own knowledge by taking excessive notes and engaging the texts he read in
recorded dialogue. Martin Luther, the German monk who set out to reform the
Catholic Church, was able to start the Reformation because he realized that what the
church in Rome preached and shared with the people was wrong. Luther was able to
draw this conclusion because of his study. During my course with Dr. Fredric Rohm
on great leaders, we examined many of historys best (or worst) leaders. All of the
leaders that were effective (both good and evil) immersed themselves in a study of

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some sort that lead to their success because of the vast amounts of previously
attained knowledge.
I have now adopted this same habit. In addition to my class notes, papers,
and formal leadership education, I keep my own notes as well. These notes are the
combination of what I learn in class and how it relates to what I am experiencing in
any of my leadership roles I mentioned earlier, in other words I record my
experiences.
Experiencing Leadership
As I mentioned before, I experience leadership everyday. Basketball, family,
and my future career as an educator all require me to take on a leadership role of
some sort. These daily encounters with leadership, experienced through the lens of
my education, have incurred dramatic leadership developments in my life.
Basketball may be the most hands-on out of the lot, and as a result I have learned
the most from this area. The team at SEU has gone through tome pretty strenuous
ups and downs over the course of the year. In December, we had two players kicked
off of the team, and the affects of that event are still lingering in the program. Jim
Collins writes, You cant start off by asking which direction youre headed in First
you figure out if youve got all the right people on the bus, then you figure out where
to drive. We didnt have the right people on the bus. In addition to the team at SEU,
I also spent the summer coaching basketball camps all over the country. I had roles
as site director, coach, and supervisor. The biggest thing I learned in these roles is
that leadership requires an enormous attention to detail and constant positive
mental attitude.

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In my family, servant leadership is the most important thing Ive

experienced. As Krista(wife-to-be), Kelliana(daughter-to-be), and I grow closer and
prepare for a move to Nashville, it is essential that I always seek to serve them. In
my family, I get to put Robert Greenleafs test to work every day, the best test, and
difficult to administer, is: do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being
served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to
become servants? This test isnt actually that difficult to administer on my own
family. It serves as an indicator of not only my ability as a servant leader, but a
father and husband. Does my family become healthier, wiser, freer, more
autonomous, and more likely to serve while I serve them?
Lastly, next year I will be working as an educator in Nashville for the Teach
for America Corps. This organization grows teachers to be leaders in their
community. All of my leadership experience to this point has now opened a door to
experience even more in coming years.
Following in Leadership
In Dr. Fredric Rohms Leadership, Teamwork, and Followership course, our
class took one third of our time to dedicate to the study of followership. This seems
like an odd thing to study. Every one want to be a leader, but as Dr. Emile Hawkins
would say, I submit to you, that leaders and followers are in fact interchangeable.
The whole premise behind much of Greenleafs work on servant leadership is that
the qualities of a servant are the same as the qualities of a leader. In our society,
more often than not, we find servants are more often in the roles of followers. One
point made was presented as follows,

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It is the ability to take direction well, to get in line behind a program, to be

part of a team and to deliver on what is expected of you. It gets a bit of a bad
rap! How well the followers follow is probably just as important to
enterprise success as how well the leaders lead. (McCallum, 2013)
Followers play the most important role in leadership. Without followers,
there are no leaders. The most biggest development Ive experienced in the realm of
followership as it pertains to leadership is the idea that the most important
component is a shared purpose. Ira Chaleff, one of the biggest proponents of
followership, writes,
When a common purpose guides both the leader and the follower, control
shifts from the leaders to the purpose itself, we dont need or require
permission to act in ways that forward the purpose. (2009, p. 49)
Following is something I will do for the rest of my life, just as leadership is. I
will follow my principles as a teacher, my coach as a player, and most importantly
Christ since I am a sinner. The biggest irony in all of this is that Christ, the leader of
the Christian church was the greatest follower in history. He followed God the father
flawlessly.
Human Diversity in Leadership
This past semester I took a class in Leadership and Human diversity. The
world around us is so diverse. If you look at a city like Miami, New York, Washington
D.C., Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago just to name a few, you will see a rainbow of
people from a plethora of backgrounds. In such a diverse country it is impossible to

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talk about leadership, and not address the how to lead in a country that is so
diverse, and has a history that hasnt always handled diversity well.
Through my Organizational Leadership classes I have been able to engage the
difficult questions regarding cultural, racial, and ethnic differences. The best way to
look at any of these issues is through the lens of the gospel. God has created all of us
beautifully diverse in His image, so we should treat each other accordingly.
Servant Leadership
Earlier this semester, my dad sent me a little survey that told me what kind
of character I personified. I took the test once, my mom took it for me once, and
Krista took it for me once, and my dad took it for me once. I received
caretaker/provider twice, and leader twice. My dad said, you know what I call that
combination? A servant leader. I am currently digging into servant leadership
deeper than I ever have. This section of my paper will continue to grow as I study it
more. This section will grow as the development grows over the course of the
semester.
Part 3: Leadership Course Descriptions and Take-Aways
In this section I will be using the official Course Descriptions from the
Southeastern University Catalog to give an overview of the learning objectives given
in each class. Following the course descriptions will be three personal Take-Aways
that I gathered during my time in each course summarizing what I learned.
LDRS 2123 Principled Leadership
This course examines patterns and styles of leadership in a business
environment from biblical and Christian perspectives. Special attention will be given

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to the development of a leaders personal life, including spiritual formation,

personal ethics, decision-making, and integrating faith, learning, and work.
Three Takeaways:
1. Critical Thinking is defined as, Thinking independently and being mindful of
the effects of ones own and other peoples behavior on achieving the
organizations vision. This means being aware of all current and potential
problems and their solutions. Being a critical thinker is essential to
leadership. Uncritical Thinking is defined as, Failing to consider possibilities
beyond what one is told; accepting the leaders ideas without thinking. This
kind of thinking is detrimental at any level of leadership, followership or
teamwork.
2. Theory X and Theory Y was first introduced in Douglas McGregors The
Human Side of Enterprise. Theory X is the assumption that people are
basically lazy and not motivated to work and that they have a natural
tendency to avoid responsibility. Theory Y is the assumption that people do
not inherently dislike work and will commit themselves willingly to work
that they care about. This is important to recognize in the workplace in order
to effectively manage/lead subordinates.
3. The Big 5 Personality Dimensions are: (1) Extraversion, the degree to which
a person is outgoing, sociable, talkative, and comfortable meeting and talking
to new people. (2) Agreeableness, the degree to which a person seeks to
understand and effectively communicate. (3) Conscientiousness, the degree
to which a person is responsible, dependable, persistent, and achievement-

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oriented. (4) Emotional Stability, the degree to which a person is responsible,

dependable, persistent, and achievement-oriented. (5) Openness to
Experience, the degree to which a person has a broad range of interests and
is imaginative, creative, willing to consider new ideas. If I can understand and
recognize these traits in others then I can better lead and serve them.
LDRS 2223 Leadership Practice and Theory
This course focuses upon the theoretical development and challenges of
effective leadership by reviewing the historical development of various early
leadership theories including: Great Man, Trait, Contingency, Transformational,
Transactional, Behavioral, Participative, and Servant Leadership.
Three Takeaways: NOTE: just began this course. To be completed later.
1. Lewins 3 Leadership Styles
a. Autocratic- one person in charge of decision making- could be
demoralizing and dictate
b. Democratic- many individuals involved in decision making- slow
downs the process
c. Laissez-faire (delegate)- hands off leaders, members make decisions,
high job satisfaction

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2. Blake Moutons Leadership Grid

3. Stages of Team development:

a. Forming- Team assembles and meet
b. Storming- Team discovers personality differences and role defining
c. Norming- roles defined, tasks assigned
d. Performing- Team in action, executes task
e. Adjourning- Team reflects on task, and adds finishing touches
BUSI 2113 BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS I
This course develops the skills of effective organizational communication. It
deals with verbal and non-verbal communication including written correspondence,
presentations, and the application of technologies to capture data and convey
information.

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Three Takeaways:
1. Strength of a resume- It is essential to cater the format, content, and voice of
a resume each specific potential employer. Facts about myself that directly
correlate with the job to which Im applying should be displayed in a clear
manor. Keeping a resume limited to one page is always best. Understanding
that different ways of formatting can attract the reader to different parts of
the resume, so understanding what parts are most important to the reader is
essential.
2. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs- Like everything in communicating and leading,
it is essential to understand who it is Im leading or communicating to in
order to be as effective as possible. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs addresses
the most basic and most complex needs that humans have.
a. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth,
sleep.
b. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, stability,
freedom from fear.
c. Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, affection and
love, - from work group, family, friends, romantic relationships.
d. Esteem needs - achievement, mastery, independence, status,
dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect from others.
e. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment,
seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

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3. Guidelines for Preparing a Presentation Visual- these guidelines include: limiting

the number of visual aids used in a single presentation, including only one major
idea on slide or visual guide, keeping the design simple and clean(this will help
things remain clear and consistent) assuring that the visual can be read by
everyone in the audience, and proofreading it thoroughly.
LDRS 3183 Organizational Behavior
This course is a study of behavioral science theory and practice exploring
management, leadership, motivation, group dynamics, relations and organizational
system. Topics will concentrate on applying organizational resources for optimal
efficiency.
Three Takeaways: NOTE: just began this course. To be completed later
1. Cultural Intelligence- the ability to accurately interpret ambiguous crosscultural situations is an important skill in todays diverse workplaces.
2. Emotional intelligence- is the ability to manage oneself and ones relationship
in mature and constructive ways.
3. Job design, also referred to as job redesign- refers to any set of activities that
involves the alteration of specific jobs or interdependent systems of jobs with
the intent of improving the quality of employee job experience and their onthe-job productivity.
LDRS 3033 Leadership and Human Diversity
This course examines the complex nature of leadership, culture and personal
identity, explores populations at-risk, and encourages students to understand and
appreciate diversity. Specific knowledge of leadership as it relates to individual

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cultures, awareness of the patterns of oppression experienced by those cultures,

and skills relevant to developing a culturally competent approach to working with
diverse people groups are addressed.
Three Takeaways:
1. The Trail of Tears occurred 1838-1839. The Cherokee Nation was effectively
driven out of their native land in Georgia and marched 2,200 miles to
Oklahoma. Approximately 4000 people died during the forced march. The
dead consisted mostly of the young and the old, the past and future of the
Cherokee Nation. Andrew Jackson ignored checks and balances and allowed
this atrocity to happen despite the Supreme Court victory. American heroes
and famed writers such as Davy Crockett and Ralph Waldo Emerson
protested such actions. This is significant because even in a country as
amazing as the United States there are still the dark parts of the past that
must be learned from to avoid repeating in the future. Understanding racial
hatred of the past will allow prevention of such atrocious acts in the future.
2. Five Fallacies about Racism- These fallacies allowed me to examine and fix
my own subconscious prejudices and biases. The understanding of these
fallacies also helps me recognize them in real places now, and with the
understanding I can take initiative to address these issues as they arise.
a. Individualistic Fallacies-Belongs to the realms of ideas and prejudices.
Only the collection of nasty thoughts about another individual.
There are Racist and Non-Racist.
b. Legalistic Racism- Respectively based upon the law. De Jure or De

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Facto. Abolishing Racist laws automatically abolishes racism at large.

c. Tokenistic Fallacy- The presence of people of color in influential
positions is evidence of the complete eradication of racial obstacles.
d. Ahistorical Fallacy- What has happened in the past is in the past. That
is then, this is now. History doesnt matter. We shouldnt review,
revisit or dwell on the past.
e. Fixed Fallacy- Racism is fixed and immutable constant across time and
space. Practitioners tend to include that things have gotten better.
3. Four Secular Solutions to racism- These solutions are flawed because they
fail to recognize the fullness of the issue. These are solutions that have no
roots in faith, but Christians make the mistake of using these solutions all the
time. Understanding the flaws in these solutions lets me, as a leader, focus on
the Christian Solutions of racism, which are collective responsibility,
humility, grace, and forgiveness.
a. Colorblindness- Ignores race and the discrimination of the past. I
dont see color.
b. Anglo-Conformity-minorities should adopt/imitate EuropeanAmerican values in order to move up the economic ladder.
c. Multi-cultural- The presence of diversity indicates there is no racism.
d. White responsibility- The responsibility to fix and solve racial
dilemmas rests solely on white oppressors.
LDRS 3003 Cross-Cultural Leadership

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SYNTHESIS PAPER
This course introduces students to both the influence and impact of
leadership within a global framework. The course examines cultural values,

expectations, and patterns of communication that exist within various cultures with
an emphasis on cultural sensitivity.
Three Takeaways: NOTE: currently taking, to be completed later.
1. Hofestedes Cultural Dimensions Pt. 1
a. Power Distance: The extent to which the less powerful members of
institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that
power is distributed unequally.
i. Ex. US low (40), not afraid to approach a boss
b. Individualism vs. Collectivism: The degree of interdependence a
society maintains among its members.
i. Ex. US high (91), you look after yourself and your immediate
family and thats all that is socially expected of you.
2. Hofestedes Cultural Dimensions Pt. 2
a. Masculinity vs. Feminine: The fundamental issue here is what
motivates people, wanting to be the best (masculine) or liking what
you do (feminine).
i. Ex. US high (62), Live to work in order to gain monetary
rewards to gain a higher status.
b. Uncertainty Avoidance: The way that a society deals with the fact that
the future can never be known.

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SYNTHESIS PAPER
i. Ex. US below average (46), Open to peoples opinions and
ideas, but need rules.
3. Hoefestedes Cultural Dimensions Pt. 3
a. Long Term vs. Short Term Orientation: How every society has to
maintain some links with its own past while dealing with the
challenges of the present and future.
i. Ex. US low (26), practical and desire quick results within the
work place.
b. Indulgence vs. Restraint: The extent to which people try to control
their desires and impulses.
i. Ex. US high (68), work hard, play hard.
LDRS 3123 Great Leaders Through History
This course examines the historical impact of some of the worlds greatest

leaders from various backgrounds including, but not limited to those who represent
religious, government, business, military, and community organizations as well as
the arts.
Three Takeaways:
1. Mirror of Princes Philosophy- During this course we used the advice of
Desiderius Erasmus Roteradamus and his work, The Education of a Christian
Prince and Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli and his work, The Prince, to
compare with modern and historical Great Souls and great leaders. Mirror
of Princes is the philosophy of examining the great leaders of the past and
mirroring their success, or avoiding their failures. Erasmus providing the

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framework for a Christian leader, while Machiavelli providing the framework

for a power-seeking leader. Through these frameworks we were able to
study leaders such as Billy Graham, Nelson Mandela, George Patton, Winston
Churchill, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa to see
what parts of their leadership were most worthy of mirroring.
2. General George Patton- Patton is one of the most decorated generals in
American History. Some of the leadership lessons I was able to take away
from my study of him include, When in doubt, attack! Patton once wrote,
keep movingone round should be fired every two to three pacesKeep
walking forward. Furthermore the fact that you are shooting adds to your
self-confidence, because you feel that you are doing something, and are not
sitting like duck being shot at (Patton, 1995, p. 276). Patton was a man of
action. Another important lesson from Patton is the art of studying. Patton
believed in the study of everything he did. He once quoted Napoleon saying,
The only right way of learning the science of war is to read and reread
campaigns of the great captains, He added, and think about what you read.
He believed that excellent study would lead to excellent action.
3. Martin Luther- Luther lead the Reformation of the Catholic Church which
eventually lead to the Protestant movement and the beginning of the
Lutheran Church. Martin Luther believed that only scripture could enlighten
and educate someone in the matters of God, and his son, Jesus Christ. Luther
preached that only by God and through God, could some one be saved from
eternal damnation. Luther writes (c. 1517), A man cannot be thoroughly

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humbled till he realizes that his salvation is utterly beyond his own powers,
counsels, efforts, will and works, and depends absolutely on the will, counsel,
pleasure and work of AnotherGod alone (Luther, 1970, p. 100). Luther
truly sought to be lead by God, and in doing so he ended up leading others.

MNGT 4143 Leadership, Followership, and Teamwork

This course surveys the basic theories, styles, and applications of leadership,
including traits, skills, behavior, and relationships. It further considers effective
teamwork and the leader-follower relationship.
Three Takeaways:
1. Leadership- St. Francis once said, Lord, grant that I may not seek so much to
be understood as to understand (Greenleaf, 1997, p. 8). In this course, I
learned to use this idea as the framework to my own leadership philosophy,
understanding first. In addition to this, I learned to find my own strengths
through Strength Based Leadership. The author, Tom Rath, writes as follows,
Without awareness of your strengths, its almost impossible for you to lead
effectively. WE all lead in very different ways, based on our talents and our
limitations. (2008, p. 10). Knowing my strengths makes me a better leader.
2. Teamwork- In this course we did our teamwork study during a full day trip
to a high ropes course about 45 minutes away from the SEU campus. During
our time there were challenged with different ways of communicating,
working together, and over coming the obstacles ahead of us. The biggest
take away I got from my day at the ropes course was that theres no better

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way to build a team, and learn about teamwork, then actually spending the
time with team members and focusing on a common goal.
3. Followership- This a subject not often looked at. Dr. Emile Hawkins would
submit to his classes that, When done correctly, leaders and followers are
interchangeable. While studying Followership, we often used the work of Ira
Chaleff to dig deeper into following. Chaleff writes, When a common
purpose guides both the leader and the follower, control shifts from the
leaders to the purpose itself, we dont need or require permission to act in
ways that forward the purpose (2009, p. 49). This is just one of the many
different ways of looking at followership and what can be accomplished
through the right kind of following.
LDRS 4103 Leading Organizational Change
This course prepares learners to better comprehend the hyper-turbulent
environment of the 21st century by introducing behavioral science techniques and
methodologies to systematically bring about high-performing organizations.
Three Takeaways:
1. Although there were many theories covered in this class, the single fact that
stood out the most is the group of people that resist change the most,
successful groups. It was incredible to go over case studies where change
was so difficult because the organization trying to change was already
successful to some degree. I learned that despite this, change is often
essential even in times of success in order to stay relevant with the
constantly changing marketplace.

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2. Organizational Life Cycle- this cycle is the initial cycle of an organization.

Almost every organization will inevitably meet decline unless it recognizes
the need to change. This cycle provided the framework for the rest of the
class, but it was the most essential in my understanding of the right times to
initiate change agents. The life cycle provided by Jick and Pieper goes as
follows:
a. Entrepreneurial- change challenge: niche identification.
b. Growth- change challenge: survival shakeout (survival of the fittest).
c. Maturity- change challenge: renewal (beware of calcified norms).
d. Decline- the end of the change challenge.
3. Dissatisfaction with the status quo fuels organizational change- Isaiah
Thomas of the Boston Celtics uses the phrase stay paranoid, but it all
carries the same meaning. If your not satisfied, youll improve so its good to
have an attitude of dissatisfaction. However, dissatisfaction is not enough,
diffusion is the key. Professor Leroy VanWhy presented the information in
two main points as follows:

Leaders should diffuse dissatisfaction throughout the organization.

Do not jump straight from dissatisfaction to imposing new operating

models; fails to generate commitment.

LDRS 4013 Leadership Forum

The course acquaints students to contemporary authors, speakers, managers
and professionals recognized as successful leaders across various disciplines.
Students will synthesize their writings and critically reflect on their own leadership

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skills, traits and behaviors as they apply to their ability to manage in a global
economy.
Three Takeaways:
1. Jim Collins- In Good to Great, Jim Collins and his team of researchers search
for what it takes for a company to make the leap from good to great in
comparison to the its surrounding markets he looks at Level 5 Leaders who
put the ambition and success of the company or organization over his or her
own personal agenda, ambitions, and desires. Another important principle
he addresses is team building with these two ideas of, first who then what
and, people are not your greatest asset, the right people are. Getting the
right people on the team, then deciding what direction to go was my biggest
take-away.
2. Jonah Berger- In his book, Contagious, Berger analyzes the 6 Principles of
Contagiousness that build upon and improve the groundwork of marketing
research set by Heath and Gladwell. Berger looks deeper into the how of
things and what exactly about the message itself that makes something
contagious, rather than only focusing on the method of communication by
which it spreads. The first thing I learned that I was previously unaware of
was the full impact of emotional responses to marketing efforts or other
messages. The importance of emotion is something that I never considered
before when thinking of marketing. As Berger says, when you care, you
share.

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3. Ben Carson- In America the Beautiful Dr. Ben Carson seeks to analyze how to
improve our lives, our communities, our nation, and our world. First, to do so
he takes the reader back to times in his own life that he remembers in his
youth, education, and professional career, when he began to ponder some of
our nations biggest issues. Carson says, As a nation, we must first admit that
we a have a problem with racism and shallow thinking, and we need to
redouble our efforts to learn from the ugly episodes in our history and move
forward united to tackle real problems. This was just one of the many
issues Carson covered, but my biggest take away would be his focus on a
Christian nation, and like his quote said, move forward- united- to tackle
real problems.
LDRS 4113 Applied Servant Leadership (Capstone)
This capstone course synthesizes previous coursework by reviewing theories
and definitions in an effort to apply theory to practice. This course emphasizes the
importance of self-discipline, humility, servant leadership, and the art of being
contemplative. Take-aways in this class will be explained in depth in Part 5 of this
paper.
Part 4: Synthesized Concepts
In the field of Leadership almost everything is affected by or involved with
something else. No single leadership quality, trait, or theory stands completely
independent of all others. In this section I will look at some of the most prominent
theories and practices that have directly impacted my own leadership, how these

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27

theories developed over the course of my leadership education, and how these
theories relate and support one another.
Maslow + McGregor + Kelly = Effective Follower
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is a concept taught (and if not taught at least
referenced or mentioned) in every core leadership class. Maslows Hierarchy of
Needs states that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is
fulfilled a person seeks to fulfill the next one, and so on. The list of needs can be
found in under the Business Communication section in this paper. The most
important level of needs that will be focused on in this section is:

Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment,

seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

Management guru, Douglas McGregor, uses two theories to explain the way
people need to be need to managed. They are stated as follows:
Theory X: 1. The average human being has an inherent dislike of work... 2.
Because of this human characteristic of dislike of work, most people must be
coerced, controlled, directed... 3. The average human being prefers to be
directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has relatively little ambition, wants
security above all. (2006, p. 45).
Theory Y: Physical and mental effort in work is as natural as play or rest,
external control and threatsare not the only means of bringing about
organizational structure, commitment to objectives is a function of the
rewards associated with their achievement, under proper conditions the

SYNTHESIS PAPER
average human being learns not only to accept, but seek responsibility
(2006, p. 65)
These are very different approaches to management/leadership. Some
employees are only there to collect a paycheck, and keeping them engaged does
require a Theory X approach. However, Theory Y will eventually bring out more
productivity out of an employee/subordinate.
This is Robert Kellys Ideal Follower diagram:

28

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29

According to this diagram, it can be deduced, that implementing McGregors

Theory Y approach will then in turn lead to the meeting of Maslows highest need,
self-actualization, which will then lead to a subordinate landing in the top right
place of the graph, Effective Followers. Commitment to objectives is a function of
the rewards associated with their achievement, under proper conditions the
average human being learns not only to accept, but seek responsibility as Theory Y

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states, leads to realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal

growth and peak experiences. These two combined results in an active, critical
thinking, independent follower.
How Hofstede Helps Race Relations
International culture gurus, Geert and his son Gert Hofstede have developed
6 dimensions of culture to help people all over the world understand one another a
little better. The 6 dimensions are summarized under the Cross Cultural Leadership
section earlier in this paper.
The whole world deals with racism, but the U.S. in particular has had a very
rocky past with race relations and human rights. There are 5 fallacies of racism that
are often used to prove that racism doesnt exist or isnt present in an area. These
are listed under the Leadership and Human Diversity section of this paper. In
addition to these issues, however, lies the deeper issue of our human depravity.
Sin is what ultimately separated us from God, and therefore from each other.
But as Christians we know that Gods sacrifice, His son Jesus, makes us all equal.
Galatians 3:28 says, There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is
there male or female for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Matthew 26:28 says, This is
my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Knowing that we are all on the same level, the same playing field, should provide us
with enough reason to treat each other properly.
However, even with this perspective, it is difficult to understand where
others come from, and how differences come to be. Thats where Hofestedes
dimensions of culture can help us understand those different from us, so we can

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more effectively treat them in a way worth of the Gospel by which we have all been
set free.
Part 5: Servant Leadership Defined and Applied
Servant Leadership Defined
Robert Greenleaf, the biggest proponent of servant leadership, writes The
servant-leader is servant first It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to
serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead (Greenleaf,
1977). Greenleaf defines servant leadership as one who desires to serve first. He
continues to define how to find if servant-leadership is truly being exemplified when
he writes,
The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as
persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more
autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the
effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be
further deprived? (1977)
In addition to Robert Greenleaf, Ken Blanchard is another very large and
current proponent of servant leadership. Blanchard breaks servant leadership into
four parts:

The HeartMotivation or Intent/ Leadership Character

The HeadAssumptions and Beliefs/ Leadership Methods

The HandsApplication/Leadership Behavior

The HabitsDaily Recalibration of Commitment to Mission and Values

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While listed above are the four parts of being a servant leader, Blanchard
adds three aspects to being a servant leader as follows:
1. The Servant: Leadership is not about you its about those you serve.
2. The Steward: You dont own anything. The people, your
resources/facilities, finances, etc., are all on loan. Are you stewarding
them well?
3. The Shepherd: Every single human being is important. What are you
doing to help people win?
These definitions as a visual look like an upside down pyramid as shown
below:

All of this is defined in order to paint a clear picture of what servant

leadership is. Ive chosen to show Greenleaf and Blanchards models above, because
they appear to be the most conducive with my future, and the most applicable to my

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life at any level. Given the information about servant leadership above, combined
with all of the other theories covered in this paper, and my own experience I will
answer the following questions: How can one lead while serving? Management
theories have been around for decades, why should leadership and more
specifically, Servant Leadership be explored by managers and organizations overall?
What impact can those who study Organizational Leadership and Servant
Leadership have on society/the world?
How can one lead by serving?
One can lead by serving in a way that helps another grow as a person. This
could look like editing colleague, subordinate, or superiors emails voluntarily and
providing constructive feedback. This could look like the teammate that spends all
of their time in the gym working out their other teammates, and leading the team
toward success by ensuring the skill development of all the other players. This could
look many ways, but all of them require time. Over time, the results can be seen, and
over time the servant-leaders can find different ways to serve to help the ones they
serve become healthier, freer, more autonomous, and more likely to become
servants themselves. Serving in manner that fills a need, inspires others to action,
and serves a greater purpose is leading.
Why should leadership and more specifically, Servant Leadership be explored
by managers and organizations overall?
Managers, CEOs, coaches, officers, and anyone in role of leadership or power
is always looking to build their organization, improve their product or service, and
maximize productivity of their subordinates. While its easy to set high standards,

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sometimes hard to enforce/encourage them, its much more rare that subordinates
reach their full potential, or at least grow, through self-actualization, or being built
up from bottom up. Servant leadership does just that. When a leader serves his
subordinates in such a way that they become wiser, freer, more autonomous, and
more likely to reciprocate their treatment, then they are more productive. Servant
Leadership needs to be explored by all organizations, and at every facet, because
unlike any other theory of leadership, Servant-Leadership can theoretically lead to
the best productivity in the most satisfying, self-actualizing, and moral way.
What impact can those who study Organizational Leadership and Servant
Leadership have on society and the world?
Those who study Organizational Leadership and Servant Leadership have the
ability to have profound impact on whatever organization, company, business, sport,
or any kind of job they find themselves in. Whats more, our savior, Jesus Christ, was
the ultimate servant leader. Every time we participate in true servant leadership, we
partake in sharing a part of Christs Gospel. Every time we participate in servant
leadership we get to turn the traditional hierarchal pyramid upside down and
search for needs of society, as opposed to search for ways to manipulate society to
use our product. Serving the overall needs of society will ultimately lead to a better
society. Finally, if we do our jobs as servant leaders, we leave our subordinates,
healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become
servants. And, considers the effect on the least privileged in society and asks the
question, will they benefit or at least not be further deprived? (Greenleaf, 1970).

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Part 7: Servant Leader Journal
#1- -Natalie is the mens basketball teams manger-laundry-water-everything
professional. She does all the little things. One of our star big men, Tim Mitchell,

went out of his way to pick up his warm up and his water bottle and handed them to
her instead of letting her hunt them down. Because of Tims status on the team, he
has the eyes of everyone else, so everyone else followed suit. Tims act of servantleadership inspired others to do the same and made Natalies job that much easier
for the rest of the game.
#2-I had an opportunity to spend some time with coach Barsh this weekend. Coach
told me some things about his current family situation. His wife has been diagnosed,
and is in the process of battling leukemia. Coach wakes up, texts, calls, and checks
every few hours to make sure that his wife is taking her medication. In addition to
taking her to appointments and checking on her medication, coach puts sticky notes
around certain areas of the house that have encourage messages on them. These
messages like, You are strong, You will beat it, and You are a miracle build his
wifes PMA (Positive Mental Attitude). Coach Barsh also prays constantly with her,
for her, and about her. He serves her at every available opportunity. As a result, his
wife becomes healthier through her built up PMA, wiser through her battle with
cancer and prayer time with coach, and because coach serves her this way, she is
quicker than ever to serve her son, coworkers, and others battling cancer in the
same way. I couldnt think of a way that coach Barshs actions made her more
autonomous, but given everything else, I believe that this is an excellent example of
servant leadership.

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#3-Im still struggling to find a more adult or organizational leadership example of

servant leadership, but one of the best examples Ive seen has come from parenting.
As a father/soon-to-be-father I see how serving my daughter molds her into who
she is. I dont simply provide for her so she can survive, and I dont require her to
listen to be for the sake of having authority. As I bring her food, change her diapers,
and teach her to while explaining my reasoning all along, I begin to see her
interactions with others change. Already, at the age of two, she understands that she
can make her mom happy by running a quick errand. She, while being served,
certainly grows healthier and wiser in her daily life. While being served she grows
more autonomous and able to make her own decisions, and when done right I even
get to see her serve others. Parenthood done right is servant leadership to its core.
#4-Leaders arent perfect. They make mistakes too. This past week, our basketball
team suffered a very tough loss at home. In the locker room, after the game, coach
Barsh took responsibility. He called out the times he could have given us extra effort,
he called out all the times he failed to help us prepare ourselves for a challenging
season ahead. As he took responsibility for all of these things, it freed us to do the
same for ourselves. It freed us to take an introspective look at ourselves and find out
what problems we could self-diagnose. In this case, as he coached us we became
more autonomous and likely to take responsibility ourselves.
#5-It is difficult for me to think of an example for servant leadership this past week.
As it pertains to this past week, it has been a difficult one as far as leadership goes.
Our basketball team is in a slightly tumultuous state, and there are too many
example of terrible leadership from players and coaches alike, that it is impossible

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37

for me to find one there. Parenting, being a spouse, and being a true friend will
always provide a certain degree of servant leadership, but in an effort to find an
example outside of those three things, I have not seen any that I have witnessed in
person or even been directly informed of.
#6-This week I didnt witness one specific event that I can use as my example, but I
did witness a cultural difference that changed some of the way I looked at servant
leadership. My girlfriend is Samoan. Samoa is a collectivist society. Everyone seeks
to find what they have to offer others as opposed to themselves. As a result, every
child is raised in this same way. This idea of serving others is completely woven into
their society. In the future I hope to examine this idea more, and see how my family
can learn from it in the future.
#7-Today, while traveling on the road with our basketball team, Coach Barsh was in
Taco Bell with the rest of us waiting for our order, when all of sudden I realized he
had gone. When I looked again I saw that he had walked outside to a group of people
huddled around a bench. These people had clearly fallen on hard times, and I saw
Barsh looking something up on his phone and then praying with the people outside.
When he returned to the restaurant, he sat back down and went about his business.
A lot of times, people in leadership positions like to put the great things they do in
the spotlight. There were only a few of us who even realized Barsha had gone. Yet
those of us who did recognized his servant attitude and his leadership were
impacted forever.
#8-In church this past Sunday at Oasis Community Church, I heard a great message
from Dr. Robby Waddell. The next day, I learned that Robby, the lead pastor, Matt

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38

Huett, and the teaching pastor, Phil Grimes, all refused pay from the church. They all
have jobs either at SEU or elsewhere that supply their income, and Oasis is strictly
ministry. They pay the people who make the building run, who make the life groups
and Bible studies click during the week, but they take no money themselves. They
do what they do out of necessity as opposed to livelihood. As a result, they are all
quick to listen, and incredibly open to all who come through their doors. I believe
that this kind of service encourages others to do likewise. I think that overtime, the
autonomy or the congregation will grow. Meaning that the congregation will seek
God on their own, guided by the pastor as opposed to leaning on them. Then they
can truly lean on God, on whom we should all lean.
#9-This week I had to experience my servant leadership vicariously through Krista.
Krista had an experience at Starbucks where her superior, Justin, gave full
explanation to all of his tasks that he sees to as an assistant store manager. Krista
has watched Justin for the last several months, doing an excellent job at essentially
running the store. Justins willingness to include Krista in his mental step by step
process along the way has now set Krista up to easily pursue her own goals to be an
assistant store manager when she moves to Nashville.
#10-This week I was contacted by several principles for job interviews. During
every interview I had I got to learn something about each principles leadership
style and how they like to operate. The two interviews I enjoyed the most were with
two principles who broke down their leadership philosophies for me. One in
particular had a very servant leadership based model. He told me that his goal was
to find ways serve the students by providing every resource he possibly could for

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them to learn. The thing about these resources is that the students have to take
action and initiate the process first. Once they do, they have full access to tutoring,
training, or whatever other kind of help available. By making it voluntary, but
incredibly compelling, he seemed to me to meet Greenleafs criteria, especially
regarding wiser, freer, and more autonomous.

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References
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