Being a Person of Character in Servant Leadership
This reflective essay examines the role of character as a foundational pillar of effective leadership, with particular emphasis on servant leadership theory. Drawing on Davis (2016), Roberts (2016), and Patrick (n.d.), the paper argues that moral character — rooted in virtue ethics, humility, and conscience — is essential for inspiring trust and creating lasting organizational value. The author shares a personal account of witnessing a character-driven leader navigate ethical risk to reshape organizational culture toward corporate social responsibility. The essay concludes that personal virtue is not fixed but can be cultivated and strengthened through experience, reflection, and deliberate effort throughout one's leadership journey.
- The Foundation of Character-Driven Leadership: Character as the pillar of servant leadership
- Trust, Empowerment, and the Servant Leader: How character builds trust and empowers others
- Morality in Practice: A Personal Account: First-hand account of ethical leadership under pressure
- Virtue Ethics and the Path to Lasting Leadership: Virtue ethics, personal growth, and reflective leadership
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The author successfully blends theoretical frameworks (servant leadership, virtue ethics, transformational leadership) with a personal narrative, grounding abstract concepts in lived experience.
- The personal anecdote about witnessing a morally courageous leader risk their position for ethical principles is vivid and specific, making the argument emotionally compelling and credible.
- The reflective conclusion turns outward argument into inward application, demonstrating genuine engagement with the leadership pillar being analyzed rather than summarizing it from a distance.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates effective integration of scholarly citations with personal reflection — a core skill in leadership studies. The author uses Davis, Roberts, and Patrick not as decoration but as anchors for claims, then extends each claim with reasoned analysis or lived example. This approach shows how academic sources can serve as a scaffold for original argument rather than a substitute for it.
Structure breakdown
The essay moves in four logical steps: (1) establishing character as central to servant leadership, (2) connecting character to trust and empowerment, (3) illustrating moral character through a first-hand organizational account, and (4) reflecting on virtue ethics and personal growth as a leader. Each paragraph builds on the prior, sustaining a clear argumentative thread from definition to application to self-assessment.
The Foundation of Character-Driven Leadership
Leaders can be born or made; either way, character is one of the fundamental pillars of effective leadership. A person of character will not automatically become a skilful leader, and likewise, many skilful leaders end up lacking some of the core features of strong or virtuous character. However, character ultimately builds the type of servant leader that creates sustained value for any organization or team. As Davis (2016) defines it, a servant leader "lives, loves, and leads by conscience — the internal moral awareness of what is right and what is wrong" (p. 1). A leader who lacks moral character may enjoy temporary successes but will ultimately miss the mark in making a meaningful impact on the world.
Trust, Empowerment, and the Servant Leader
Character-driven leadership inspires trust, and is also based on building trust within the organization. The character-driven leader trusts others, thereby empowering them in the manner of transformational leadership. Being a person of character also means possessing "the humility and ability to empower others" (Roberts, 2016, p. 259). No leader achieves goals alone; the definition of leadership means having followers — a team comprised of individuals who have faith in the ability of the leader to achieve desirable goals and make the world a better place through systematic effort and action. Even when a leader goes against the grain or thinks outside the box, that person inspires trust and respect because of their innate character. Being a person of character therefore also means deserving respect, not demanding it, and also respecting others in return (Patrick, n.d.). A servant leader puts others before the self, taking the ego out of decisions related to the team or organization.
References
Davis, C. (2016). Servant leadership and character. https://research.phoenix.edu/research-centers/center-workplace-diversity-research/blog/servant-leadership-and-character-pillar-i
Patrick, M. (n.d.). The role of character in leadership. The Chronicle. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/role-character-leadership-31066.html
Roberts, G. (2016). CSLSI servant leadership character, competency, and skill sets. In Working with Christian Servant Leadership Spiritual Intelligence. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, pp. 259–292.
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.