Leading within the Trenches
One leadership philosophy that has stood the test of time is Servant Leadership, a concept developed by Robert K. Greenleaf in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Greenleaf proposed leading through serving as one of the best ways to help people and organizations navigate their way through tumultuous times. The servant leader focuses on providing people with the resources and tools to be successful. Unlike autocratic and despotic approaches of influencing and intimidating people into compliance through fear and power tactics, the servant leader earns loyalty through leading by example and empowering others to use their talents and skills to contribute to a team and organization. Rather than being arrogant and authoritative, the focus is on humility and doing what is best for others.
Servant Leadership is in essence a commitment to service in every area of life. The focus is outwards instead inwards and selfless versus selfish. A servant leader looks for opportunities to encourage, empower, and give people the support they need to be successful. It is a way of life that lifts up others with positive influence to maximize their talents and works together as a team to meet organizational goals. Commenting on Robert Greenleaf’s overall leadership philosophy, the introduction to his essay, “The Servant as Leader,” states that the servant leader “…emphasizes increased service to others; a holistic approach to work; promoting a sense of community; and, the sharing of power in decision making” (Greenleaf, Servant, ii). Our work should become part of our overall life in a balanced way where family, work, school, and recreation all fit together into a complete picture of who we are as individuals within a larger community.
Our coworkers and classmates become a part of us, and we work together toward common goals. Instead of a leader directing and managing his subordinates to complete tasks, the servant leader engages in the activities and empowers the team to make their own decisions for accomplishing activities and shared goals. According to Greenleaf, “The servant-leader is servant first…” (7), which requires letting the team share the power and direct their own path to get the work done. The leader is there to answer questions, step in and do some of the work, and provide the team with the required resources to be successful. Greenleaf says “The servant always accepts and empathizes, never rejects” (12). This doesn’t mean we agree with everything or accept sub-par performance. However, it does mean we are truly focused on what’s best for others.
People don’t have to aspire to positions of power and prestige to make a difference. In fact, there are only a select few who hold top leadership positions in organizations. According to Greenleaf, “Leaders work in wondrous ways. Some assume great institutional burdens, others quietly deal with one [person] at a time” (21). It is so important to have caring and compassionate leaders in top positions because they determine in large part the overall culture of the organization. But, we also need leaders who are willing to serve at whatever level of the organization they function within.
Even a servant who does what may be considered the most inglorious tasks can dramatically inspire and uplift his colleagues to perform their tasks with the same level of commitment and care. Greenleaf believes “…servant-leaders [must] show the way, not by mass movements, but by each servant-leader demonstrating his own unlimited liability for a quite specific community-related group” (30). The point is we can make a difference wherever we are by focusing on the people who are connected with our lives today.
Greenleaf uses the term liability to show that all of us have a responsibility to serve and bring out the best in those around us. And it’s not just the younger generation who carries this burden. Greenleaf points out that “…old people may have a part to play in helping the potential servant-as-leader to emerge at his optimal best” (22). For example, mentoring allows us to pass on a legacy of serving that unifies and transcends the boundaries of change, time, and even death.
The bottom line goal of any servant leader is expressing love but not as it’s often viewed in our society today. It is not an emotional feeling, nor is it a physical expression. The love that servant leaders need is an honest concern for the well-being of others. It is selfless, and according to Greenleaf, “Love is an undefinable term, and in its manifestations are both subtle and infinite. But it begins, I believe, with one absolute condition: unlimited liability! As soon as one’s liability for another is qualified to any degree, love is diminished by that much” (29). It is a challenge as a leader to be fully committed to those in our circle of influence where we are completely liable and committed to them.
We have our own imperfections we struggle with, and it is even more difficult to take on the imperfections of others and work together towards a common purpose. From Greenleaf’s experience, “The only sound basis for trust is for people to have the solid experience of being served by their institutions in a way that builds a society that is more just and more loving…” (Greenleaf, Institution, 19). Trusting relationships are founded on love, which requires a giving and serving nature with an outward focus on success for everyone.
The Servant Leadership model unites an organization, and it’s no longer about me; it’s about we. With all the focus on profit, productivity, and processes, we are missing the most important resource we need to place first, people. Long-term, lasting results come by sincerely placing people as the top priority for organizations who are tested by the storms of change and innovation yet stay on course for arriving at the ultimate destination—eternity, where service is the standard.
Works Cited
Greenleaf, Robert. The Servant as Leader. Indianapolis: The Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1991.
Greenleaf, Robert. The Institution as Servant. Indianapolis: The Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1976.