October 2006
Servant Leadership—An Oxymoron that Breeds Successful Organizations
It may sound like a dichotomy, but, in my opinion, Robert Greenleaf’s “Servant Leadership” is the most effective leadership style for creating a culture that recognizes the importance of and supports individuals and accountability. And in doing so, breeds a high-performance organization. As I said, this is my opinion, but I’m in good company because not only is it the opinion of such outstanding management gurus like Warren Bennis, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, and others, our outstanding local examples in Ken Melrose, past CEO of Toro, and Plymouth Chief of Police Mike Goldstein report great success with “Servant Leadership.”
Today’s business climate is growing ever more murky. HP spying on board members…fresh scrutiny of William McGuire and UnitedHealthcare for stock option pricing. If the public is skeptical of America’s corporate leaders, think of their employees. Show me a company comprised of distrusting employees, and I’ll show you low productivity, lack of creative problem-solving, and low growth.
So, while the concept of servant-leadership is simple—the leader’s commitment to serving is what matters—hopefully, you’re beginning to appreciate how leaders who convey moral authority are most effective. I recently attended a seminar sponsored by Magellan Executive Resources at the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership about how to “operationalize” servant-leadership.
I learned about the seven pillars in which three core leadership competencies or traits are embedded.
The Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership
1. Person of Character
2. Puts People First
3. Skilled Communicator
4. Compassionate Collaborator
5. Has Foresight
6. Systems Thinker
7. Leads with Moral Authority
For the rest of the story, see Book Reviews on this site.
Look forward to hearing me discuss this concept in greater depth over the next year!
