Servant Leadership

[Leigh]

I've felt for years that Servant Leadership would be the cornerstone of any community, virtual or real-world, that I'd be a member of.

This is what Wikipedia has to say about the concept:

Servant leadership is an approach to leadership development, coined and defined by Robert Greenleaf and advanced by several authors such as Stephen Covey, Peter Block, Peter Senge, Max De Pree, Margaret Wheatley, Ken Blanchard, and others. Servant-leadership emphasizes the leader's role as steward of the resources (human, financial and otherwise) provided by the organization. It encourages leaders to serve others while staying focused on achieving results in line with the organization's values and integrity.

Concept of Servant Leadership

The modern concept of Servant Leadership started with Robert Greenleaf, who published his essay, "The Servant as Leader" in 1970. This led to further essays from Greenleaf, and further works from others, especially in recent years.

However, the concept is thousands of years older than this. Chanakya or Kautilya, the famous strategic thinker from ancient India, wrote about servant leadership in his 4th century B.C. book Arthashastra:

"the king [leader] shall consider as good, not what pleases himself but what pleases his subjects [followers]"

"the king [leader] is a paid servant and enjoys the resources of the state together with the people".

The concept of servant leadership in the west can be traced back, at least partly, to Jesus, who taught his disciples that

"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45)

Robert Greenleaf is recognized as the father of servant leadership. Greenleaf (1977) described servant leadership in this manner:

"It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead…The difference manifest itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: do those served grow as persons, do they grow while being served, become healthier, wider, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?"

Through extensive work with Greenleaf, Larry Spears, the director of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, identified ten characteristics, which describe the essence of a servant leader. The characteristics are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of others, and building community. Several educational theorists, such as Bolman, Deal, Covey, Fullan, Sergiovanni, and Heifetz also reference these characteristics as essential components to effective leadership.

Servant Leadership is also the main principle concept behind the film, The Emperor's Club, that shows the relation of a teacher and student after years of distinctive differences in their ambitions and philosophies on life. Servant Leadership in the film, teaches how "it is not living that is important, but living rightly". In such a context, The Emperor's Club clearly defines "right" and brings out its moral implications on a heavily mortalised world.

Unlike leadership approaches with a top-down hierarchical style, Servant Leadership instead emphasizes collaboration, trust, empathy, and the ethical use of power. At heart, the individual is a servant first, making the conscious decision to lead in order to better serve others, not to increase their own power. The objective is to enhance the growth of individuals in the organization and increase teamwork and personal involvement.

[Brother Jarou]

Leigh~

Service, once a clear, inner mission is established, can be an ultimate gift...I've, more recently, been taking steps in what seem, by definition, to be heading in this direction. I continue to find truth in "your direction can be found in others" ~ Thank you for bringing this to the tribe.

[Brother Jarou]

Leigh~

This topic has been in my thought. You stated that Wikepedia gave way for the above, which I was able to note. Would you elaborte on your 'cornerstone' thought for us. See, the quote from the bible "...be a slave..." I will not, but I do, however, find some greatness in the following excerpts from Chief Executive

...Empathy and Healing...these characteristics may seem to have less to do with good leadership than clarity and decision making and other leadership traits...they are very important soft skills that really great leaders demonstrate in abundance...
Not everyone has active listening skills or a natural empathy...being able to help people to handle emotional issues takes skill and practice...personal skills [can be built] through training and mentoring...
Encouraging these attitudes, especially by example...will...result in a happier and better performing team[or organization]...
Excerpted from an article by Brian Chernett

In a desire to hear your thoughts on another subject, I included the link below.

~ Brother Jarou

[Leigh]

Thanks for the link! In terms of being a cornerstone, I feel that inasmuch as our existing social structures are based on, shall we say, "despotic leadership," with the resulting mess in individuals and systems alike, our new parenting, teaching and community-building efforts need to be reversed in their polarity. In this way the flow of energy goes into our younger generations, building an ever more solid foundation in a top-down way, as opposed to the "crust" and "crusties" on top draining the life force, and often the very lives, of their slaves (read: children, employees, soldiers, constituents, etc.) below. I absolutely agree that empathy and healing are critical pieces of the servant leadership paradigm; a large portion of my work is directed in precisely these areas.

[Brother Jarou]

Interestingly put!
The 'servent' style has shown us leaders, humble and worthy, yet, recognized with time, usually a long time!? The 'despotic' style, an almost founding cornerstone of civilization, continues still, yet we find in many places an uproar against it. What must be done to motivate an 'All Enlightened One' to step to the 'Big Plate'? Are we rightously wrong in our beliefs of a better tomorrow? Although I think not and strongly support the theory of what you have said (your mission), I have yet to see a movement astir that can shake the 'Standers of the Plate'.

Maybe, in it's possible way, we will 'vibrate' beyond and they can continue 'ruling themselves'. LOL ~ Jarou

[Sol]

I suggest that we won't see a single "movement," but a synergy of grassroots movements like wildfires sweeping clean the old and making room for the new. I further suggest we're already seeing such movements in action--that, in fact, we're participating in one of many such movements here on Bird Tribes, nested within Ning, nested within social networking, nested within the greater Internet, etc. Our focus need not be on the collapse of the old, but on the creation of the new. In Carey's words (Terra Christa):

"There is an unmistakable sense of something sacred about to happen here on this earth. The image is of a woman, nine months pregnant with child. Human attitudes and activities cannot affect the inevitability of the birth, but they can help to determine whether humankind experiences the birth as natural or apocalyptic. There may be some inevitable contractions felt through tightening monetary policies or through rapid adjustments of one sort or another. But just as the human mother continues to breathe easily and deeply throughout the contractions of natural childbirth, so those who are consciously helping to prepare the way of the Lord breathe easily, trusting throughout these times of transition that what is occurring is not only inevitable, but precisely what we have been longing for."

[Brother Jarou]

Gracefully put...Bravo!

With emphasis on the 'creation of the new', it is agreed, and as you said, is the focus. It is true a mission is greater than ones self.
Knowing an ability is not always enough. Great moons have passed as I believed in those whom no longer share view. A suggestion, being not always enough, can need to become a view of elaboration: Till it is known for sure a topic should matter.
Suggestion accepted ~ Brother Jarou