Servant Leadership

For the last three weeks I have attended seminar classes focusing on servant leadership at UNI through the Education Leadership program I am in.  The following is a slightly modified version of my paper summarizing what servant leadership is to me.  Enjoy!

            Leadership is intentional influence.  A leader of service influences the people that they are surrounded by in unique ways.  Servant leaders value people, develop people, and actively engage in the improvement of the organization that they are part of.                                                                       

            "Leadership is not dog training.  It is the creation of the kinds of conditions in which people can bring their brains, hearts, talents, and energy to the realization of a vision." - Henry Cloud.  Leaders value people by treating them appropriately.  This means leaders know and understand what people need and can put them in situations and positions where they feel comfortable and valued.  Often times, this comes down to creating an environment that promotes vulnerability and accountability.  When a school environment promotes the value of individuals, ideas and solutions will flourish. 

            Servant leaders develop people.  Bob Goff stated, “If you want to be a great leader see people for who they are becoming.”  When a servant leader comes into an organization they immediately begin seeing how they can help develop the people around them.  In schools this means that principals/leaders are coming along side teachers, paras, and support staff to help them improve and take their practice to the next level.  Bill Hybels summarizes this idea well, “The central work of diligent leadership is to move people from ‘here’ to ‘there.’”

            Finally, servant leaders engage in improving the school, team, or organization.  Leaders who serve have skin in the game and passionately want to improve the environment they serve.  Servant leaders strive to develop this same excitement of improvement into all staff members and stakeholders.  Patrick Lencioni author of The Advantage states, “Collective responsibility implies, more than anything else, selflessness and shared sacrifices from all team members.”  When leaders serve others and engage in organizations people begin to feel a part of something bigger than themselves.  This drastically increases passion, drive, and productivity. 

            Servant leadership requires leaders to value, develop, and engage with people on a deeper level.  This will require leaders to sacrifice additional time, energy, and resources.  It is this sacrifice that makes servant leadership a personal and unique style of leadership.  The true servant leader will simply strive to follow the command that Jesus Christ gave in Matthew 7:12, "Do to others what you would have them do for you."