Servant Leadership...
What Leading by Serving Really Means
Servant Leadership is a pay-it-forward concept. It means sharing skills,
experiences, and relationships without expecting anything in return. It’s based
on the belief that giving has its own rewards. We believe that helping others is
an on-going, life-long learning process. It’s why and how we live our personal
and professional lives. In short, Servant Leaders are givers first in everything
they do.
The Servant as Leader
“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. He or she is sharply different from the person who is leader
first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to
acquire material possessions. For such it will be a later choice to serve –
after leadership is established. 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."The difference manifests 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, while being served, become healthier, wiser,
freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is
the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least,
will they not be further deprived?”
- The Servant As Leader by Robert Greenleaf
Characteristics of a Servant Leader
A calling to serve.
You want to make a difference for other people. You pursue opportunities for
altruistic reasons.
You listen.
You’re receptive and genuinely interested in the views and input of others, so
people instinctively want to share their ideas with you.
You’re empathetic.
Understanding and empathy come easy for you.
You help others heal.
People seek you out in times of need. You help people heal and create an
environment that encourages emotional mending.
You’re aware.
You know what’s going on around you and are rarely fooled by appearances.
You’re a conceptual person.
You encourage others to dream. You value the creative process and foster an
environment that encourages big thinking.
You’ve got foresight.
You’re by no means psychic or always right, but you do have an uncanny ability
to read events and anticipate future outcomes.
A natural sense of stewardship.
You have a strong sense of stewardship and want your organization to contribute
to the greater good of society.
You want everyone to grow.
You work hard to help people grow in a number of ways – spiritually,
professionally, and personally.
You thrive on building your community.
You have a strong sense of community spirit and work hard to foster a sense of
community in your organization.
Contact us for more info
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