Regional Group Presentation

By Pamela C. ForbesDecember 8, 2008

Can you think of a time when you were guilty of not doing a job well?

Now, can you think of how that “guilt”

got corrected?

Was the “correction” painful or liberating?

Or both?

Why?

Imagine someone who . . .

Could correct your bad behavior without embarrassment.

Could make you want to be better. Bring out the best in you. Let you know you were important.

What would this person be like?

Servant-leadership

Leadership like this might be called . . .

Overview

• Servant-leadership implies that one who leads must first be a servant to others – their employees, customers and the community.

• Important characteristics include listening, empathy, healing, persuasion, awareness, foresight, conceptualization, and commitment to other’s growth and development (Greenleaf, 1991).

Overview (continued)

Robert Greenleaf (1970) coined the term Servant-leadership

Greenleaf was born in 1904 and died in 1990.

His writings influenced leadership studies ranging from corporate philosophies to trusteeship, service-learning programs to religious communities (Frick).

Espouses Servant-leadership

Ken Blanchard(2003) Stephen Covey(2004) Scott Peck (2003) Peter Senge (2006) Margaret Wheatley (1999)

10 Major Components

1. Servant First

Best Test:Do those being served

become healthier,wiser, freer,

more autonomous, more likely to becomes

servants?

Has a natural desire to serve first.

Does not require position of authority.

Can be done in a position of authority.

2. Listening and Understanding

Automatically responds to a problem by listening first.

Seeks understanding through the speaker’s point of view.

3. Withdrawal

The ability to withdrawal and reorient ones-self.

For a moment or longer period of time.

So one can sort out the more important from the less important.

4. Acceptance and Empathy

Acceptance is receiving what is offered.

Empathy is imagining projecting one’s self into the other’s being.

5. A Sense of the Unknowable

Generalize based on previous happenings.

Intuition for a feel for patterns.

Choosing appropriate timing for balancing decision making and information getting.

6. Foresight

The ability to “see” the past, present, and possible future events - all at the same time.

7. Awareness and Perception

Using an ever broadening awareness of clues to decrease the cloudiness of one’s personal perception and expand the possibilities.

Provides a rich resource for future needs.

8. Persuasion

The art of persuading people to your point of view – sometimes one person at a time.

One action at a time.

9. Conceptualizing

The ability to lead through conceptualizing a vision for a better way.

10. Healing and Serving

Subtle communication to the one being served is the understanding and search for wholeness is something they both share.

Ethical use of power.

Servant-leadership

Servant First

Persuasion

Conceptualizing

Withdrawal

Awareness andPerception

A sense of theunknowable

Foresight

Listening andUnderstanding

Acceptance andEmpathy

Healing andServing

Conclusion

• Being a servant leader means putting others first. 

• It means gently confronting issues that need to be confronted.

• It means being open and sensitive to my own weaknesses and growing from that knowledge.

• It means empowering each individual to become all that God created them to be.

Conclusion (Continued)

• It means living in a state of forgiveness for being hurt and disregarded by those you work with. 

• It means being venerable to others in order to win their trust and then keeping that trust with an impeccable level of integrity. 

• Being a servant leader means that people are always first for they are the most valuable assets for anyone.

Conclusion (Continued)

• It means we sit around the same round table there is no difference in position - we just have different titles, roles, and responsibilities.

• Servant leadership is a privilege provided by God. 

Conclusion (Continued)

Being a servant leader

means following

in the footsteps of

Jesus.