Have you seen those insurance commercials where someone watches another person do something good like open a door for someone, pick up trash, wipe up a spill etc, and then they repeat something good. It starts a cycle of positive behavior. It makes me think of servant leadership. Throughout my career I have been asked, “What is your leadership style?” My response was always, “I believe in treating people the way I want to be treated, and that shouldn’t ask them to do a task that I cannot perform at their level or better.” Simple concept for someone raised in a Christian home. After all, Christian and non-Christians alike know the Golden Rule. Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” What many Christians do not know, and some do not care to know, is that this teaching was first taught by Vishnu Gupta. He stated, “This is the sum of duty; do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.” This teaching is present in so many belief systems.
What
I didn’t know was there is a real leadership style called Servant Leadership. The
modern servant leadership movement was launched by Robert K. Greenleaf in his 1970 with his essay, “The
Servant as Leader”, in which he coined the terms “servant-leader” and “servant leadership.”
(Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, www.greenleaf.org) Since his death in 1990, the
concept has been developed by other writers such as James Autry, Ken Blanchard,
Jim Hunter and Larry Spears.
Since learning about the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, I have been a member, and the information has been invaluable. Here are some questions that I have answered about Servant Leadership in past presentations.
What
is Servant Leadership?
It
is a philosophy which supports people who choose to serve first, and then lead
as a way of expanding service to individuals and institutions. Servant leaders
may or may not hold formal leadership positions, but they encourage collaboration
trust, foresight, listening and the ethical use of power and empowerment.
What
makes Servant Leaders effective?
Servant
leaders know how to listen and build a sense of community. They devote
themselves to serving the needs of organization members while focusing on
meeting the needs of those they lead. Key areas of focus are employee
development, coaching, and encouraging self expression to bring out their best
gifts and talents while facilitating personal growth with all who work with
them.
Servant leadership is characterized by a belief that
leadership development is an on-going, life-long learning process. There are 11
characteristics that servant leaders commit to continually developing. Those characteristics include:
- Calling
- Listening
- Empathy
- Healing
- Awareness
- Persuasion
- Conceptualization
- Foresight
- Stewardship
- Commitment to
the growth of people
- Building community
What
are some limitations of servant leadership?
Servant
leadership is not a quick-fix, and is not quick to absorb in the DNA of an
organization. It can be perceived by some as weakness, and too much listening
or empathizing can lead to indecisiveness or lack of vision.
Are
you a servant leader?
Some
characters of servant leadership are inherent in attributes or beliefs that a
servant leader needs to hold, some skills are developed, and the ultimate
servant leader has developed all characteristics and is continuously growing
and improving. If you are a believer in Christ, you already have a solid base
for being a servant leader.
I
am not the ultimate servant leader, but I am working on it every day. If your like me, you will find that it is easier to be a servant leader to those outside your own home. The same qualities that I am able to provide with those in my professional life are often difficult to bring into my personal relationships. Too often those closest to us bear the brunt of our unservant like behavior. My goal is to stive to bring servant leadership to my home as well as to those whom I serve at work. The process requires continious growth and improvement. Remember, one does not have to be a manager, director, senior leader etc. to be a servant leader. Anyone in any position can be a servant leader... won't you join me in impacting your world by serving others?
