Why the Servant Leadership Approach is Ideal for School Administrators

Across the education profession, teacher burnout is a growing concern worldwide (Madigan et al., 2023). While teaching can be a rewarding and fulfilling career, it can also lead to significant physical and emotional exhaustion. So, what exactly is teacher burnout, and why is it important to be aware of? The following paragraphs will discuss not only this topic, but also the roles of teacher self-efficacy and servant leadership as positive approaches to support educators. 

Teacher Burnout

According to Agyapong et al. (2022), burnout is a stress-related problem for individuals working in community service-type occupations such as healthcare and education. Burnout among professionals, such as teachers, can result from excessive demands on their energy, strength, and personal resources. Agyapong et al. (2022) noted that burnout typically has three interrelated components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Emotional exhaustion is generally exhibited by a lack of energy and decreased mental functioning. Depersonalization, on the other hand, refers to a negative or excessively detached response to other people. The final component of burnout is reduced feelings of personal accomplishment, specified as “the self-evaluation dimension of burnout, including feelings of incompetence and a lack of achievement and productivity at work” (Agyapong et al., 2022, p. 2). Additionally, teacher burnout can affect students and the learning process, as well. As reported by Madigan et al. (2023), “there is evidence that teacher burnout affects student outcomes, with studies finding reductions in academic achievement and quality of student motivation” (p. 2). Hence, teacher burnout is a verifiable challenge in education today and a topic worthy of attention and discussion. 

Levels of Teacher Burnout

Varied levels of burnout also exist. Minor burnout, for example, involves short-lived irritability, fatigue, worry, or frustration. Moderate burnout demonstrates similar symptoms but lasts for at least two weeks (Agyapong et al., 2022). Severe burnout encompasses the above symptoms, yet may also entail physical ailments such as ulcers, chronic back or neck pain, and migraine headaches. As suggested by Agyapong et al. (2022), workplace improvements to aid in reducing burnout and stress for educators could also prevent “adverse sequelae, improve health outcomes, and reduce healthcare expenditures” (p. 2). One prime example of a teacher workplace enhancement relates to the leadership style of school and district administrators, namely the servant leadership approach. 

Servant Leadership

First popularized by Robert Greenleaf in 1970, the servant leadership model places serving others as the number one priority. As noted by Wilson (1998), “the ten characteristics of a servant leader include: Listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community” (p. 6). When school administrators consciously embody servant leadership attributes, the workplace environment shifts significantly. In fact, school leaders who personify servant leadership qualities positively affect teacher job satisfaction, in addition to student success and community involvement (Vaughn, 2024). When school principals are committed to the growth and care of their team, faculty and staff members tend to be more committed to their jobs, resulting in less turnover (Giambatista et al., 2016). As further outlined by Giambatista et al. (2016), examples of successful approaches to servant leadership as an administrator include creating a school culture of trust, demonstrating a commitment to valuing people, and nurturing long-term leadership in others. As a result, this impactful servant leadership style can foster enhanced teacher self-efficacy and confidence while decreasing feelings of burnout. 

Teacher Self-Efficacy

Teacher self-efficacy is defined as “teachers’ beliefs in their ability to effectively handle the tasks, obligations, and challenges related to their professional activity” (Barni et al., 2019, p. 2). Not only is teachers’ positive self-efficacy important for reducing burnout, but there are significant academic outcomes, as well. For example, student achievement and motivation tend to increase, along with greater overall wellbeing in the classroom and school site (Barni et al., 2019). When school administrators act as servant leaders, they set the stage for maintaining and fostering self-efficacy for their teachers and staff members. 

Fostering Self-Efficacy

As noted by Cerit (2009), this process contains three forms of influence: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, and verbal persuasion. Mastery experiences involve the servant leader setting up a vision for the teacher’s role at the school site, while simultaneously showing trust in the abilities and skills of the educator. Vicarious experiences are also utilized by the school administrator in the form of modeling; as administrators modeled appropriate behavior and provided rewards, teachers’ self-efficacy tended to be higher (Cerit, 2009). Finally, verbal persuasion may entail specific performance feedback from the administrator, which can strengthen an educator’s beliefs in his/her own inherent capabilities to teach and work with excellence. Therefore, school leaders with the servant leadership perspective have the ability to contribute to the self-efficacy of their staff while making a positive impact on the school community as a whole. 

Conclusion

Servant leadership is ideal for school administrators to embrace within their assigned school sites and district-wide. The benefits of this leadership method reach far beyond reducing burnout and fostering self-efficacy among teachers and staff. As seen above, the advantages are numerous and far-reaching. Servant leadership is more than just a well-known leadership model; it can be a powerful blueprint for encouraging all people to live lives of purpose, with humility, compassion, honesty, and courage.  

References

Agyapong, B., Obuobi-Donkor, G., Burback, L., & Wei, Y. (2022). Stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression among teachers: A scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), 10706. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710706

Barni, D., Danioni, F., & Benevene, P. (2019). Teachers’ self-efficacy: The role of personal values and motivations for Teaching. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01645

Cerit, Y. (2009). The effects of servant leadership behaviours of school principals on teachers’ job satisfaction. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 37(5), 600–623. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143209339650 

Giambatista, R., McCormick, D., McKeage, R., Tischler, L. (2016). Servant leader and its relationships with core self evaluation and job satisfaction. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 9(1).

Madigan, D. J., Kim, L. E., Glandorf, H. L., & Kavanagh, O. (2023). Teacher burnout and physical health: A systematic review. International Journal of Educational Research, 119, 102173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2023.102173

Vaughan, K. (2024). The effects of servant leadership on teacher burnout in elementary schools (Order No. 31641329). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/effects-servant-leadership-on-teacher-burnout/docview/3150942271/se-2

Wilson R. T. (1998). Servant leadership. Physician Executive, 24(5), 6–12.

Dr. Sandra K. Mercier is an Associate Professor of Education at Concordia University Irvine. She also serves as Director of two Master of Arts in Education programs: Curriculum & Instruction and Learning, Design, & Technology. Dr. Mercier attended Concordia University Irvine, both as an undergraduate and graduate student. Prior to moving into higher education in 2012, she taught various elementary and middle school grade levels, including kindergarten, 6th grade, and 7th-8th grade Literature. Dr. Mercier’s areas of research interest include innovative teaching strategies within higher education, best practices for online teaching and learning, and enhanced mental health support for both students and educators in higher education. Dr. Mercier holds an EdD in Adult Education from Capella University.