Community Service or Social Project Service Essay

Community Service or Social Project Service - Essay Example The information accessed by these people may take the form of case studies, theoretical literature and role plays, where their interactions with the members of the public improve their abilities, including their leadership outlook and overall leadership performance. This paper will use the case of leaders in Skid Row to explore the enhancing effect of community service on the leadership abilities and the leadership style of a leader. Lastly, the paper will discuss the ways in which the leadership of an individual reflects personal values and the ethical values of an organization. The ways in which community service enhances a leader’s leadership style Building sustainable peace and development in communities affected by crisis requires the leaders involved in the negotiation proceedings to be highly skilled, so that they can communicate their views to the groups in conflict. From the case of the Skid Row area of Los Angeles, the role of the leaders of the Skid Row Housing Trus t has remained critical to the resolution of the poverty and the housing crisis facing the area. The leadership structure of communities facing crisis situations plays an important role in worsening the situation or closing the gaps and addressing the crisis situation (Elliott & Kaufman, 2003). The area is known, since its history as the residential neighborhood for the poorest and the homeless. However, the formation of the Skid Row housing trust in 1989 set to address the problem of homelessness, through the development and the refurbishment of housing facilities. During the years between 1950 and 2000, the redevelopment of residential hotels led to the destruction of the highly affordable housing in Los Angeles, which threatened the areas’ residential community; redevelopment forced thousands of residents into the sidewalks and the city’s shelters. The crisis situation made business leaders and community activists respond to the alarming wash-away of permanent, affo rdable housing; the two groups formed the Skid Row Housing Trust (Skid Row Housing Trust, 2013a). The leadership of the trust pushed for the mobilization of private equity, low income credits, conventional debt and public finance, which helped with the salvage of housing units that were on the verge of being lost. The work of the trust oversaw the transformation and the renovation of decaying hotels into attractive, safe and affordable permanent housing, which offered housing to the homeless and the low-income population (Skid Row Housing Trust, 2013a). The initiative taken by the business leaders and community activists, through their respective leaders demonstrated the outlook of servant Leadership, which is contrary to the traditional leadership outlook of autocratic leaders (Greenleaf, 2002). Servant leadership is evident from the strategies adopted by the leaders, because instead of compelling the residents of the area to live on the streets or struggle to afford the redevelope d housing, they employed the moral power of guaranteeing the availability of affordable housing to the homeless and the poor (Greenleaf, 2002). The strategy offered them the platform to improve their living standards. The success of the leadership outlook of the leaders is evident from t