Meeting Servant-Leadership Again for the First Time

An ancient model of leadership and yet one which feels very new is emerging, servant-leadership. It proceeds from the conviction that God serves and loves God's creation and that we are to do likewise. It embraces freedom as it focuses on the central issues of identity, spirit, vision and mission. It embraces order as it focuses on, productivity, effectiveness and creation of human wealth. It honors personal fulfillment and expects contributions to the good of the commons. It is an act of faith as opposed to the pursuit of success.

Servant-Leadership: One Definition

Servant-Leadership is a disciplined spiritual journey dedicated to the growth of persons and institutions undertaken in the context of community rooted in relational power exercised for the common good.

Servant-leaders live clear examples which touch lightly.

In Search of And/Also For Organizations

Servant-leaders do not see the world in an either/or way. Rather, they embrace the complexity of and/also thinking and acting. They understand that the traditional model of organizations is characterized by the exercise of command, the pursuit of control, the goal of consistent execution with a focus on individual performance. It is a model focusing on order. The polar opposite of this form might be characterized by the exercise of compassion, the nurturing of commitment, the goal of continuous learning with a focus on team performance. It is a world view stressing freedom. While our temptation is to live in an either/or world dynamic people, organizations and societies live in a creative tension between order and freedom.