Running Head: MY EVOLUTION OF UNDERSTANDING

Leadership Paper
My Evolution of Understanding
Matthew Wengrowich
SOWK 667
University of Calgary
00289429

MY EVOLUTION OF UNDERSTANDING

Matthew Wengrowich SOWK 667

My Evolution of Understanding
Starting this course I thought I knew the style of leadership that I believed in. I valued
organizations that put people first and I thought this meant utilizing a servant leadership model
would suit me best. I shared that feeling in class and was challenged to assess why I
automatically identified with this model. I spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on this
and unpacking some very ingrained beliefs. The more I thought about it I realized I was still
being affected by what I was taught growing up in an evangelical environment. I did some
research on servant leadership and made the connection when I read, The concept of servant
leadership has frequently been closely tied to religious theology numerous biblical accounts of
servant leadership indicate that the concept is strongly rooted in Judeo-Christian theology. In
fact, many contemporary publications on servant leadership are associated with the Christian
faith (Sendjaya, Sarros, & Santora, 2008, p. 406). I thought I had moved past that point of my
life and it actually upset me to realize how it was still impacting my behaviour and beliefs today.
What really resonated with me was the definition of leadership in Lean In, Leadership is
about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your
absence (Sandberg, 2013, p. 157). Digesting that statement took some work and it challenged
me to consider the type of impact I wanted to leave. Stone, Russell, and Patterson wrote, The
principal difference between transformational leadership and servant leadership is the focus of
the leader the overriding focus of the servant leader is upon service to their followers. The
transformational leader has a greater concern for getting followers to engage in and support
organizational objectives (2004, p. 354). Working at Distress Centre Calgary I want my work to
have a lasting positive impact on the community as a whole and not just the staff or volunteers I

MY EVOLUTION OF UNDERSTANDING

supervise while there. I want my focus to be on engaging staff and volunteers in meeting the
organizational objectives to serve our community by making sure everyone is heard. This was a
moment of clarity for me as I began to evolve in my understanding of the type of leader I want to
be.
As I moved into my groups case study of Nenshi, a man whom I admire, I realized that
transformational leadership was a model that more accurately aligned with my current values. I
could still be people focused while strategically moving towards organizational objectives. In our
presentation the author Mary stated that when working with people transformational leaders are,
concerned with the development of the fullest potential and their motivation toward the
greater good vs. their own self-interests, within a value-based framework (2005, p.108).
Encouraging growth and potential within staff and volunteers is part and parcel with achieving
the greater good that the organization is aiming for. Previously, on some level I think I thought
that these could be mutually exclusive. I could also see how this belief had backfired on me in
the past. Many times when I first started training new volunteers or staff in crisis intervention I
got so caught up in their immediate wellbeing that I lost sight of the organizational objective of
answering a crisis line. I would focus on trying to be everything for everyone instead of
challenging people to grow. This resulted in approving some people for work on the crisis lines
that I should not have. After which I would need to backtrack and resolve the problems cropping
up because of this faulty modus operandi. I made life so much more difficult for myself when I
could have pushed people harder in the beginning instead of just trying to be a servant along
the way. Today I try to, inspire followers to raise their criteria for success and develop
problem solving skills (Barbuto, 2005, p.28) which is an element of transformational leadership.

MY EVOLUTION OF UNDERSTANDING

As I grow within the field of social work I hope to be able to emulate other
transformational leaders who encourage the feelings of, trust, admiration, loyalty and respect
towards leaders and are motivated to perform extra-role behaviours (Barbuto, 2005, p. 28). That
ability will be crucial to my success in facing the various challenges in this field. It is not
uncommon for me to struggle with personal capacity within my role due to high demands and
limited time. The ability to encourage a team to take on those extra-role behaviours and help out
is unequivocally necessary to meeting organizational objectives.
This evolution in my understanding of leadership, moving from a servant to a
transformational model, has been challenging. I do not feel I am done the process yet, but if
anything I have gained awareness and prospective on how my past still affects me and what I
need to do to become a better leader. I have realized that I can still be people focused but also
challenge and push people for more. After examining people I admire who display
transformational leadership styles I can use those examples to light the way forward. It is through
this reflection on the application of these theories in my own work that I have seen how valuing
servant leadership was a vestige of my past. I no longer need to let that past dictate the leadership
choices I make today. Now that I have a better understanding of the differences between these
models I will keep my focus on meeting the objectives in front of me without losing myself in a
servant mentality during the process.

MY EVOLUTION OF UNDERSTANDING

References
Barbuto, Jr, J. (2005). Motivation and Transactional, Charismatic, and Transformational
Leadership: A Test of Antecedents. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies,
11(4), 27-40.
Mary, N. (2005). Transformational Leadership in Human Services Organizations. Administration
in Social Work, 29(2), 105-118.
Sandberg, S. (2013). Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Toronto: Random House of
Canada.
Sendjaya, S., Sarros, J.C., & Santora, J.C. (2008). Defining and Measuring Servant Leadership
Behaviour in Organizations. Journal of Management Studies, 45(2), 402-424.
Stone, A.G., Russell, R.F., & Patterson, K. (2004). Transformational Versus Servant Leadership:
A Difference in Leader Focus. Leadership & Organizational Development Journal,
25(3/4), 349-361.