Brought to you by Jeff Thoren, DVM  

“Leaders who don’t lord it over, but serve those they lead, will change the world through the people they serve.”  -- John Fischer

Our democratic, capitalistic society has always rewarded those who rise to the top with money, power, glory and independence.  But the big question is what they do when they get there.  Do they drive expensive cars, have lots of servants, push people around, and live to read about it in the paper the next day?  This image is so prevalent that we have almost come to expect it from star athletes, entertainment celebrities, CEO’s, and your average everyday lottery winner.

But leaders like this don’t change anyone or anything of significance.  A new type of leader is needed to unlock the creative, but discretionary, energy of people in the workplace.

Here’s this month’s feature ...

Servant Leadership: A Powerful Tool for Fast Change -- by Ann McGee-Cooper

From -- The Ann McGee-Cooper & Associates (AMCA) web site

Highlights from the article:

• Servant leaders understand that “sometimes we must slow down to go faster” and that “collective intelligence always is far superior to any one person’s ideas.”  They know that there is a huge difference in the traditional “leader as hero” approach (doing all the important decision making and being the only one with the big picture) and a high performance team creating synergy through their collective intelligence.
    

• Instead of focusing only on short-term outcomes, the most successful leaders also pay close attention to the long-term development of their team members.  They use daily challenges as opportunities to develop the judgment and decision-making capacity of everyone around them.  They listen more and give fewer commands.
    

• So, what are the defining qualities of a servant leader?  First is a deep belief in the unlimited potential of each person and that it is the leader’s role to invite, develop, and encourage this valuable resource.  Servant leaders are servants first -- wanting to bring value by lifting others up and doing what supports the greater good for all.  This is sharply different from those who see themselves as leader first -- who are motivated by the need for power, prestige, and material rewards.  What kind of leader are you?
    

• The Test of Servant Leadership:  “Do those served grow as persons, do they while being served become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous (self-reliant), more likely themselves to be servants?  And what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, will they not be further deprived?”  -- Robert K. Greenleaf

For the full text article, go to ...
http://www.amca.com/articles/article-servantleadership.html

More on Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership isn’t about being wimpy, weak, or subservient as the name might imply.  Rather, it is a supportive role that puts self-serving interests and ego gratification aside, choosing instead the goal of meeting the development needs of others.  It doesn’t abolish the demands a good leader must place on others -- such as expectations of competency, discipline, and excellence; instead, it effectively links corporate pragmatism and compassion.

The first sentence in the best selling book, The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren reads, “It’s not about you.”  What an important concept to apply to our organizations!  Working as individuals, we’ll never achieve greatness.  Only by working together, unselfishly, do we have a chance to reach our fullest potential.

There is a great need for the recognition of people’s self-worth and value to each other.  Unless American business can learn to use work to help people grow, it will be reduced to a lost soul, insensitive to people’s needs, known only for its power structures and bank accounts, and driven solely by self-interest and economic considerations.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.”  -- John Quincy Adams

“The greatest among you must be a servant.”  -- Jesus (Matthew 23:11)

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We’re all given the same 24 hours each day, seven days a week.  Learn how to manage your time differently to effectively deal with your plate that’s become a platter and is overflowing.

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