Thoughts on Servant Leadership

    Earlier this year our leadership team here at work reviewed the book The Servant by James C. Hunter.  Our team learned in this book review that the true foundation of leadership is not power, but authority, which is built upon relationships, love, service, and sacrifice.  The Servant is an easy read and I would recommend it for anyone wanting to work on becoming a true servant leader.  The problem I had with this book, and many others that I have read, is putting the things I have learned to good use.  We finished this book review and I placed it on my book shelf where it was collecting dust.

     Now here I am in a leadership class as part of my MBA degree program at Concordia University Texas.  Each week we are given reading assignments on various aspects of leadership as it relates to ourselves.  I have made a vow to myself that I am not going to just put these books on the shelf when I am finished with them, but I am actually going to try to put them to good use.  As part of trying to honor my vows I have expanded my study of the area of servant leadership.  I truly believe that a servant leader is what I want to be when I grow up.  Keep in mind I am 53 years old and still have a lot of growing up to do.

     I recently read an essay by Robert K. Greenleaf titled The Servant as Leader.  In this essay, he states: "The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first; perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature."  Think about this for a minute.  Let Mr. Greenleaf’s quote sink in.  I am overwhelmed by the power of this one quote!  What would our communities look like if all of our leaders were servants first?  I just wonder what my personal life would have been like if I had chosen to serve instead of worrying about what I could lead and when my next promotion was coming.  I agree with Mr. Greenleaf that if I had dedicated my life to service then my opportunities to lead would have found me.

    

      I am going to look at this servant leadership thing in a lot more detail over the last years of my life.  It is a shame that I started so late, but I am excited about the prospect of finishing better.  I hope everyone that reads this blog takes a little time to consider servant leadership and the positive changes it can make in people, corporations, communities, and families.  I plan to dedicate more time to it in this blog and make every effort to try to become a better servant.  Maybe I can inspire others to do the same.

     I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.