Servant Leadership

Robert Greenleaf (1904-1990)

• He lived the phrase "Servant Leadership"
• AT&T for 38 years as Human resources director.
• He wrote a book in 1970 called "The servant as leader"
• He believed for us to lead we need to do it from within current structures if the current structureswill allow us the freedom to explore possible positive changes in our communities: Business associations, schools,local and central government and so forth.

My thoughts

• An individual or organisation who promotes a positive change tends to provide leadership.
• I like Robert Greenleafs explanation of servant leadership:

  "A servant leader is a servant first it begins with a natural feeling that one wants to serve, serve first. Then conscious brings one to aspire to lead. He/She is sharply different to the leader first model 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 a two extreme types. Between them are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of nature. The difference manifests itself taken by the servant first to make sure the other peoples highest needs are taken into consideration. The best test and difficult to administer: Do those served grow as people; do they,while being served,become healthier,wiser,freer,autonomous,more likely to become servants themselves ?And, what is the least privileged in society,will they benefit or will they at least be at least not deprived"
• Often we are passive in our application of choices we are given via our work and in our communities.
• My understanding of the servant leader is that if we see the need for change or the need for positive development in a sphere where we have positive influence. We need to take to that situation with assertiveness.
• Read More at WWW.greenleaf.org