stephan metral 🐝 Innovative Brand Ambassador

7 years ago · 2 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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What about Servant & Heartfelt Leadership ?

What about Servant & Heartfelt Leadership ?


ER eT
~ sevice of others

~ Mohandas Gand

Servant leadership is an ancient philosophy. 

There are passages that relate to servant leadership in the Tao Te Ching, attributed to Lao-Tzu, who is believed to have lived in China sometime between 570 BCE and 490 BCE:

The highest type of ruler is one of whose existence the people are barely aware.
Next comes one whom they love and praise.
Next comes one whom they fear.
Next comes one whom they despise and defy.

When you are lacking in faith,
Others will be unfaithful to you.

The Sage is self-effacing and scanty of words.
When his task is accomplished and things have been completed, All the people say, ‘We ourselves have achieved it!’

Chanakya wrote, in the 4th century BCE, in his book Arthashastra:

the king [leader] shall consider as good, not what pleases himself but what pleases his subjects [followers]
the king [leader] is a paid servant and enjoys the resources of the state together with the people.

Servant leadership can be found in many religious texts, though the philosophy itself transcends any particular religious tradition. In the Christian tradition, this passage from the Gospel of Mark is often quoted in discussions of servant leadership:

42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
44 and whoever wants to be first must be servant of all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45.)

The best leaders are clear. They continually
light the way, and in the process, let each
person know that what they do makes a
difference. The best test as a leader 1s: Do

those served grow as persons; do they
become healthier, wiser, freer, more
autonomous, more likely themselves to
become leaders?

[CE AE

AZQUOTES

Robert K. Greenleaf and the modern movement

While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in "The Servant as Leader", an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said:

11 THEMES
OF SERVANT
LEADERSHIP

ITs TTIETESE SETHE

   

ITH HITTITE

  

ONCEPTUALIZATION

DESIGN BY EMILY LYONS: LINKEDIN COM/IN/EMILYLYONSDESIGN“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.”

“The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?“

Robert Greenleaf recognized that organizations as well as individuals could be servant-leaders. 

Indeed, he had great faith that servant-leader organizations could change the world. In his second major essay, "The Institution as Servant" (1972), Greenleaf articulated what is often called the “credo.” There he said:

This is my thesis: caring for persons, the more able and the less able serving each other, is the rock upon which a good society is built. Whereas, until recently, caring was largely person to person, now most of it is mediated through institutions – often large, complex, powerful, impersonal; not always competent; sometimes corrupt. If a better society is to be built, one that is more just and more loving, one that provides greater creative opportunity for its people, then the most open course is to raise both the capacity to serve and the very performance as servant of existing major institutions by new regenerative forces operating within them.” 

To illustrate this philosophy with nowadays time, let's listen what Howard Behar has to say in regards of "Heartfelt Leadership.


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Comments
#5
Its an old one, but still valid and asking oneself the good question>where do we stand and where shall we find ourselves. Money, Success, Cars, jewelery, fame, or..related to the many and the communities, because we serve them?

Debasish Majumder

5 years ago #5

stephan metral \ud83d\udc1d Innovative Brand Ambassador i wonder what exactly energize us to serve? are not we expect more than we deliver in return? even if out of our rendition we may treated as cult? away from the main stream of life and prompted many to admire as super human, forgetting about the mundane attribute we delivered? across the world by the name of serving there is only expression of greed being largely manifested and service is truly i guess, nothing but serving to a particular notion one may subscribe which may bring benefit to them only which they are passionately focused upon! however, intriguing buzz! enjoyed read and shared. thank you for the buzz.

Harvey Lloyd

5 years ago #4

I know we all think that we are out on the cutting edge of everything. This coming from a fundamental thought that we don't see "dinosaurs" roaming the earth anymore. They may be gone but our ancestors were fighting the same social ills we fight today. These mostly came from the violent unrelenting social aggression of history. stephan metral \ud83d\udc1d Innovative Brand Ambassador on a historic post is still relevant today.
#2
Thank you Ali, More than a Motto it is my conduct and rule #1 in life. Though I might be a bit priorities first and also think that if I do not take care of myself nobody will. There is no other way in life than the #servantleadership. Otherwise, you are just one of those few-months to years "superstars" and except from the noise you leave nothing consistent after your existence.

Ali Anani

5 years ago #2

stephan metral \ud83d\udc1d Innovative Brand Ambassador- great thoughts and buzz. I enjoyed reading the buzz. In expressing your thesis you wrote " caring for persons, the more able and the less able serving each other...". I couldn't agree more. The challenge is how to make this work. If it does both the more able and less able shall elevate themselves to a higher level. Very eloquent thought here.
Jeremy Miller thanks +++ for the relevant(s), share it around if you like it!

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