Servant Leader in the Modern Era

Prof Lucia (middle) with UTAR staff and guests

Taiwan’s former Political Deputy Minister of Education Prof Lucia Lin conducted an inspiriting talk titled “Servant Leader in the Modern Era” on servant leadership on 18 July 2016 at Sungai Long Campus. The talk was organised by the Centre for Extension Education (CEE) and the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (INSAP).

In her talk, she explained the meaning of servant leadership. Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy in which an individual interact with others — either in a management or fellow capacity — with the aim of achieving authority rather than power. She also mentioned that in the era of the Internet of Things (IoT), Generation Y and Z are considered as the first generation of digital natives. Teenagers' minds require an outlet for innovation and creativity. Prof Lucia hoped that the youth of today can develop a clear mind and be brave to create new ideas in order to become the "leaders of servants" (仆人领导) in this new era. However, servant leadership is problematic in hierarchical, autocratic cultures where managers and leaders are expected to make all the decisions. Hence, servant leaders may struggle to earn respect.

The talk also introduced the relevant concepts in service leadership and recommendations on the skills to be acquired during students’ internship and career. Prof Lucia mentioned that the service leadership concept is based on the philosophy of servant leadership, and a leader is a servant first. She hoped that today’s youth can be brave successors and become leaders of human development in this new century.

Prof Lucia said, “The term ‘servant leadership’ may not be familiar to a large number of individuals, but it is a belief system that is already widely embraced by some of the most successful organisations in the world. A servant leader will value everyone's contributions and regularly seek out opinions. Good servant leaders will provide opportunities for growth and lead by example. That means thatleaders are not always leading the team, but also actively delegates responsibility to give others a chance to lead.”

Prof Lucia’s presenting

Prof Lucia highlighted thata true servant leader gives encouragement to followers, not just orders. She said, “A servant does not mean you have a lower position in society. A leader must be happy and willing to become a servant in order to serve in a team and to lead the team. Listening, awareness, foresight, valuing people, developing people, building community, showing authenticity, service before self, and creating trust are the main characteristics of a servant leader.”

Prof Lucia holds several positions in Fu Jen Catholic University. She obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in National Taiwan University. She also obtained another master’s degree from Harvard University and her doctoral degree from Florida State University. In 2011, she was awarded the “Outstanding Educator Award” and several awards for excellence since 2005.