Servant Leadership Cultivates Grit and Growth Mindset in Learners

Servant Leadership Cultivates Grit and Growth Mindset in Learners A servant leader has a growth mindset, and makes a conscious effort to develop self effectiveness in areas of listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and community building. These are the characteristics of a servant leader as identified by Spears (2010). Empirical studies from Hays (2008) and Chan (2015) provided examples of these ten attributes in action, in the context of tertiary and secondary classrooms respectively. Servant leadership takes a developmental approach in meeting diverse learners’ needs. It does not put its emphasis on the talents of individuals but focuses on learning as a journey. Learners’ potential is actualized through effort and stamina, which is also known as grit, “perseverance and passion for long-term goals” (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, and Kelly, 2007, p.1087). It is argued that a servant leader is a learner and models a growth mindset. The practice of servant leadership in a learning community creates a supportive, respectful and demanding environment, which is conducive to cultivating learners with a growth mindset and grit.