DPLS 778: Listen, Discern, Decide

Expected Competencies:

  1. Assume the Role of a Servant-Leader-in-Training: Engage with leadership as a journey that prioritizes service, humility, and listening as foundational practices.

  2. Articulate the Philosophy of Servant-Leadership: Demonstrate mastery of servant-leadership theories, including key definitions, historical evolution, and distinguishing characteristics.

  3. Apply and Interpret Servant-Leadership Concepts: Analyze real-world leadership situations using servant-leadership frameworks. Develop the ability to explain these concepts to diverse audiences.

  4. Reflect on the Moral Dimensions of Leadership: Evaluate ethical and moral dilemmas within organizational and personal contexts through the lens of servant-leadership.

  5. Develop Leadership for Self and Others: Construct both personal and organizational servant-leadership development plans grounded in practical insight and discernment.

Achieved Competencies:

  1. Narrative Reflection on Listening: I explored the life-altering effects of both failed and transformative listening through personal narrative. This helped me solidify the moral imperative of listening in leadership.

  2. Theoretical Integration of Listening Models: I incorporated servant-leadership theories into my reflections on interpersonal and political listening, identifying holistic, collective, and generative listening practices.

  3. Moral and Ethical Discernment: My writing critically examined systemic injustice, healthcare inequity, and civic dysfunction, drawing ethical insights from real-world contexts.

  4. Understanding Leadership as Relationship: Through servant-leadership models, I expanded my awareness of leadership as an act of service and moral engagement rather than authority or control.

  5. Strengthened Writer-Scholar Voice: The depth and vulnerability of my storytelling in these assignments clarified my academic voice as a scholar-practitioner committed to change.

Applied Competencies:

  1. "The Power of Listening in Politics" Paper: Analyzed the film Lincoln through servant-leadership and listening theory. Identified different forms of listening (holistic, collective, generative) and related them to contemporary civic discourse, justice, and societal needs.

  2. "The Building Blocks of a Fortuitous Encounter" Narrative: A personal, richly detailed reflection on how a life-threatening birth experience and NICU care revealed both the failings and power of organizational listening. The paper explored systemic trust, trauma-informed leadership, and the transformative role of servant-leaders in healthcare.

  3. Listening as Leadership Practice: Across both papers, I demonstrated the power of listening to heal, to reveal purpose, and to drive organizational and personal transformation. These experiences laid the groundwork for my continued research on parent voice and healthcare leadership.

Artifact Inclusions:

  • The Power of Listening in Politics: This paper bridges servant-leadership theory with political analysis and ethical discernment. It examines Lincoln as a case study for moral listening and democratic leadership.

  • The Building Blocks of a Fortuitous Encounter: A deeply personal reflection that combines healthcare trauma, systemic leadership failure, and servant-leadership breakthroughs into a compelling narrative.

References:

  • Brown, B. (2017). Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone. Random House.

  • Burley-Allen, M. (1995). Listening: The Forgotten Skill. Wiley.

  • Frick, D. M., & Spears, L. C. (Eds.). (1994). The Power of Servant-Leadership: Essays by Robert K. Greenleaf. Berrett-Koehler.

  • Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. Paulist Press.

  • Horsman, J. H. (2018). Persuasion and Listening in Servant-Leadership. Gonzaga University.

  • Sardello, R. (2006). Silence: The Mystery of Wholeness. North Atlantic Books.

  • Spielberg, S. (Director). (2012). Lincoln [Film]. DreamWorks Studios.

Keywords:

Servant-leadership, listening-first leadership, moral discernment, trauma-informed care, political listening, NICU leadership, narrative ethics, generative listening, holistic listening, Robert Greenleaf, transformative care, civic engagement, parent advocacy.