youth leadership development overview

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    MONASH UNIVERSITY

    Out of the Boardroom

    and into the Classroom:

    Servant Leadership inYouth Leadership Development

    Nathan Eva

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    INTRODUCTION

    The phrase the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow is common in society, yet youth

    leadership development has been largely neglected in academic research. Although there is a

    plethora of organisational leadership research, leadership scholars have noted that society is

    experiencing a moral leadership crisis. This comes 30 years after Greenleaf first argued that the lack

    of moral leadership in society demands the establishment of a new style of leadership, namely

    servant leadership. There has been evidence which suggests that the leadership crisis is rooted inschools, thus highlighting the need to investigate the role that educational facilities play in

    leadership development. Therefore there is a need to examine the application of the servant

    leadership approach to Australian secondary college youth leadership development programs.

    Specifically this study analysed secondary colleges youth leadership development programs and the

    perceptions of secondary college teachers and youth leadership facilitators on youth leadership

    development on the basis of Sendjaya, Sarros and Santoras servant leadership framework.

    YOUTH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

    Leadership development is one of the most important outcomes in a students educational

    experience and has become big business for leadership facilitators and secondary colleges alike. To

    add to the numerous secondary college youth leadership development programs, private youth

    leadership development agencies have proliferating in the past decade. Even with the numerous

    students enrolled in these programs, youth leadership development research trails behind the

    practice There are no definitive answers as to why there is limited research in youth leadership

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    Covenantal Relationship: is the leaders attempt to foster genuine, profound and lasting

    relationships with others.

    Responsible Morality: a leaders leadership interactions must be thoughtfully reasoned, morally

    legitimised and justified ethically in both the ends sought and the means employed.

    Transcendental Spirituality: is the leaders attempt to fuse a sense of calling, meaning and direction

    in their own and others lives.

    Transforming Influence: is the leaders desire to produce contagious effects in others in multiple

    dimensions and turn them into servant leaders. This influence alters the individual in multiple

    dimensions such as emotionally, spiritually and socially.

    Figure 1

    Themes in servant leadership

    Dimension Theme

    Voluntary Subordination Being a servant

    Acts of service

    Authentic Self Humility

    Integrity

    Accountability

    Security

    Vulnerability

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    secondary college graduates, secondary college teachers and youth leadership facilitators. The main

    findings of this research are summarised below.

    RESEARCH QUESTION ONE

    Research question one sought to determine what students are learning to become servant leaders.

    A document analysis of secondary college youth leadership development programs revealed that

    through these programs, students are being taught the dimensions of Covenantal Relationship,

    Transforming Influence and to a lesser extent Authentic Self and Voluntary Subordination. However,

    Transcendental Spirituality and Responsible Morality were not being taught. Interviews withsecondary college teachers and youth leadership facilitators revealed that Transcendental

    Spirituality was not being taught due to its theoretical origins in religion. Responsible Morality was

    not being taught due to two reasons, first, some youth leadership facilitators believe Responsible

    Morality is too complex for students to understand and second, secondary colleges tend to focus on

    academic results and tangible skills than the internal personal development of their students.

    RESEARCH QUESTION TWO

    Research question two sought to determine how students should be taught to become servant

    leaders. Interviews with secondary college teachers and youth leadership facilitators showed trends

    towards the teaching of Voluntary Subordination and Responsible Morality. This echoes scholars

    stating that as society is in an ethical crisis of leadership, youth leadership development programs

    need to focus on the teaching of ethics. Structured interviews with university student leaders also

    identified Voluntary Subordination as a concept needed in secondary college youth leadership

    development programs There was also a majority consensus from secondary college teachers

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    Teaching Voluntary Subordination fosters the creation of altruistic individuals. Youth leadership

    development programs should seek to engage students in acts of service within their secondary

    college and community, such as charity work and social causes. To accompany these servantbehaviours, students need to understand why they are performing these acts of service and what it

    means to truly be a servant. The following comment alludes to this discussion:

    Unless you have an opportunity to practice and see altruism working, for young

    people it is largely invisible. If it is not done in schools where else do they get the

    opportunity.(Female, Principal, Public, VIC)

    To develop the dimension of Authentic Self, students need to discover who they are, what they

    stand for and why they lead. This can be achieved through students learning about their own

    personal values, vision and how their life experiences shape who they are. Understanding these

    elements will assist students in fostering their security, integrity, humility and vulnerability. These

    skills can be developed through students involvement in leadership committees and help students

    create a holistic understanding of self. Accountability can be used in conjunction with these

    committees, making students accountable to their peers and mentor when completing projects. Anexample of accountability is seen in one of the youth leadership development programs:

    It is the responsibility of the Co-ordinators [student leaders] to monitor the

    functioning of the committees. They need to check with staff regarding student

    attendance and participation and discuss with students if they are failing to meet

    their leadership obligations. (Taken from one of the Secondary College Youth

    Leadership Development Programs)

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    Transcendental Spirituality has its focus in religion, being connected to the world and understandingthe bigger picture. As many secondary colleges are non-denominational, religious ideals being put

    forward under the Transcendental Spiritually framework are unable to be incorporated into their

    youth leadership development programs. Therefore, it is suggested that the servant leadership

    framework be manipulated for use in non-denominational secondary colleges removing the factor of

    Transcendental Spirituality. Within religious secondary colleges the outcomes of Transcendental

    Spirituality development should be to understand that as leaders they are part of a bigger system.

    This can be taught in non-denominational secondary colleges if the themes of interconnectedness,

    sense of mission and wholeness are focused on from a non-religious base, as alluded to in thefollowing comment:

    I dont think it is linked to religion as such, it is Ive been linked to this cosmos and

    Ive been given this opportunity at this point in time to make a difference. (Female,

    Teacher, Private, NSW)

    As previously identified, Transforming Influence is the most prevalent dimension in secondary

    college youth leadership development programs. Practically, this has been achieved through

    mentoring by either teachers, ex-students or members of the wider community, students mentoring

    younger students, developing students visionary skills by creating d ifferent events and being

    empowered through numerous leadership committees. Theoretically, secondary colleges need to

    address the influence students can have on others and gaining trust from peers by displaying the

    characteristics of Authentic Self. The outcomes of exposing students to Transforming Influence are

    th t t d t d d d ithi th i d ll d l k t t

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    Figure 2

    Application of the servant leadership framework in secondary college youth leadership development programs