About 55 years ago, a man named Robert Greenleaf wrote an essay titled “The Servant as Leader.” He started an entire movement, which we know today as Servant Leadership. In essence, Servant Leadership is a philosophy and set of principles that enrich the lives of an individual, builds better organizations, and ultimately creates a more just and caring world. Servant leadership flips the traditional model and puts the CEO at the bottom in a supporting, serving role. The Servant Leader is a servant first. This represents departure from a leader-first approach, where leaders may prioritize acquiring power or material possessions.

The basic pillars of Servant Leadership include: 

1) LISTENING – You always know when someone is really listening.

2) EMPATHY – Empathy relates to sympathy, but goes deeper into an active sharing of the others' experiences.

3) HEALING – Healing relationships and bringing people together through dialogue and common experiences affects not just the people involved, but also the larger community.

4) AWARENESS – A Servant Leader is aware of their strengths and weaknesses and surrounds themselves with people that will complement those strengths and weaknesses.

5) PERSUASION – Persuasion is based on relationships built over time. A Servant Leader’s words and ideas can be trusted in times when discernment is needed.

6) CONCEPTUALIZATION – Articulating an organization's the lived experience into concise ideas or principles helps those involved move forward together.

7) FORESIGHT – Servant Leaders actively think ahead and consider the potential positive and negative consequences of decisions.

8) STEWARDSHIP – Servant Leaders keep the reputation and integrity of the organization in mind at all times.

9) COMMITMENT TO GROWTH OF PEOPLE – Servant Leaders want staff and volunteers to grow personally as they serve the organization. The goal is to become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous and more likely to become servants.

10) BUILDING COMMUNITY – Building trusting relationships is at the heart of building strong communities. Servant Leaders build trusting relationships. 

Listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, stewardship, foresight, commitment to the growth of people and building community. What do you think? Do you know people who possess these characteristics? In a world where the hunger for power is so evident, we must recognize and support those among us who choose a different path. Servant Leaders need your support! Reach out today and let them know they are valued and not alone in their quest for a just and loving world.

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For more information about Servant Leadership go to www.greenleaf.org.

Find Greenleaf's book, Servant Leadership

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