Vanessa Goins

Grand Canyon University

PSC-410 Servant Leadership
Module 1 Assignment

Challenges and Opportunities Being Faced by Leaders,

Organizations/Boards, Communities and Society
Introduction

In the world today we face many challenges and come across many issues that need to

be addressed. This essay is about the different issues and opportunities that the leaders,

organizations, communities, and society are facing.

Issues

This article is about the findings of a study on the employment situation of people

with disabilities in a rural region in Lebanon. As one of the activities of a community

development project, the study that was conducted saw an establishment of a job centre

for people with disabilities. About 200 participants were out of work and many had never

worked. Some were self-employed, working from home. One study conducted by Balser

(2002) examined perceptions of people with disabilities in terms of the work place

discrimination. Participants were randomly chosen from a subscription list of a national

magazine targeting people with mobility impairments. Another study confirmed these

employee perceptions through a survey with a sample of 302 employers belonging to a

national association of human resources managers (Bricout &Bentley, 2000).The

hypothesis tested by authors showed that job applicants with disabilities would be less

employable than those without disabilities.

Another article was about an organization called FDA who had struggled with a

depleted workforce, obsolete information technology, and a weak science base, according
Vanessa Goins
Grand Canyon University
PSC-410 Servant Leadership
Module 1 Assignment
to its advisory Science Board. A new administration and new FDA leadership provides an

opportunity for change. The public was concerned about drug quality and imports; the

industry was struggling with a productivity crisis. Janet Woodcock, the director of the

center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), goals were to restore public

confidence in the drug regulatory process, capitalize on advances in science and

technology, improve postmarket oversight, and make FDA “the recognized leader in drug

regulation”. Improvements in FDA operations, resources, and infrastructure will be

considered by the next FDA commissioner.

A healthcare issue, obesity during the past 20 years in the U.S. has become a

pandemic, affecting more than half of the population. More than half of all U.S. adults

are considered overweight with a BMI 25 to 29.9 or 30 or higher. Obesity is

characterized by an excessively high amount of body fat or adipose body tissue. A

healthy weight can be attained by cutting down on certain foods, taking smaller portions

of food, and exercising regularly. Studies indicate inherited genetic variation is an

important risk factor for obesity. Each of us will feel better and be healthier if we engage

in a healthy diet and make sure we exercise. As leaders of our society, we must examine

how we can embrace opportunities to create and reinforce these behaviors in our homes,

schools, jobs, and communities.

This next issue is about the aging population, the senior citizens often disappeared

from the mainstream activities of society. Businesses did not consider them a viable

demographic market and the community organizations labeled them recipients rather than

contributors. One of the most striking characteristics of the senior population is the broad

range of ages and the lifestyles it encompasses. In 1996, the baby boomer generation of
Vanessa Goins
Grand Canyon University
PSC-410 Servant Leadership
Module 1 Assignment
approximately 78 million began turning 50 at the rate of 300,000 a month. In a paradigm

shift, both parents and their children are now members of the senior population. The

number of citizens over age 85 will double by 2030, and by 2050, 40 percent of the

population will be older than 50. For the first time in history, the senior citizens

outnumbered the children and youth. It seemed as that this would create a huge burden on

society as it faced members who require care and are dependent on others. The senior

population shows no signs of slowing down or decreasing in size. Diversity is one of the

senior citizens greatest strength and they have the potential to be a great influence in the

future of America.

Servant leadership

A servant leader believes that people have value beyond their tangible contributions as

workers. As such servant leaders are deeply committed to a personal, professional, and

spiritual growth of each and every individual within the organization. They seek to

identify a means for building community among those who work within a give

institution. They strive to understand the important issues and concerns and they have

compassion for others. How they deal with tough issues is they treat each person fairly

and respond to special needs and circumstances. They remain calm and believe in being

honest during the tough economic times. They redefine success.

Other contemporary models of leadership

Transformational leadership inspirational motivation provides it followers with

challenges and meaning for engaging in shared goals and undertakings. They help to

generate more creative solutions to problems. The transformational leader also offers a

good example for many cases of problem solving. They strive to achieve a true consensus
Vanessa Goins
Grand Canyon University
PSC-410 Servant Leadership
Module 1 Assignment
in aligning individual and organizational interests. They see the responsibility for their

organization’s development and impact on society. Emotional intelligence has become a

vital part of how today’s leaders meet the significant challenges they face. Emotional

intelligence can help leaders in an evermore difficult leadership role, one that fewer

people seem capable of fulfilling. The emotional intelligence is needed in leadership

because it helps address issues and concerns of the organization. Spiritual leadership is

designed to create an motivated, learning organization that maximizes the triple bottom

line. Studies have confirmed that the leadership has positive influence of spiritual

leadership on employee satisfaction, organizational commitment, and productivity,

various measures of work unit performance, and sales growth. Situational leadership, a

leader in any organization is able to quickly recognize which style applies to a given

situation, and make use of that style to achieve superior results. In the organization,

Situational leadership teaches managers how to recognize the strengths and weaknesses

of each leadership style and how knowledge can be applied to a give work situation. And

final, Chaos Theory is among consultants who seek to develop institutions capable of

planning and developing ongoing organizational change efforts. The theory asserts that

organizations that function within the ever-changing business environment today must be

capable of self-sustaining their efforts toward innovation and growth.

Values and beliefs

Leadership forward’s core beliefs and values create the foundation for the

development work we do with you and your organization. The process the leader uses

and the approaches are the formula to success. Values help determine the attitudes leaders
Vanessa Goins
Grand Canyon University
PSC-410 Servant Leadership
Module 1 Assignment
have about them selves and about their followers. Their beliefs are that a powerful

organization is built on strong relationships.

Conclusion

Different issues were discussed about the challenges and opportunities that the

leaders, organizations and society. The different types of leadership and their values and

beliefs were also discussed in the essay. By doing this essay it really made me think and

look at the society more closely and the environment we live in and most of all the

importance of being a true leadership.

References

Disability & Society. Jun 2007, Vol. 22, Issue No. 4, p.371-382, 12p

Wechsler, Jill, Applied Clinical Trials, Jan 2009, Vol.18 Issue 1, p.26-30, 3p

www.changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles.

www.cba.gsu.edu/magazine/aging.html

www.peoriamagazines.com/ibi/2002/oct/health-care-issues