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What Kind of Leader Are YOU?
By Marti Nelson
When you think of a strong leader, what comes to mind? If the words “servant” and “leader” seem paradoxical, stay with me while we walk through this together.
The casual mention of “servant leadership” over coffee with a friend recently piqued my interest and renewed my pursuit of the topic. Robert Greenleaf, having coined the term over 30 years ago, brings up some interesting points as well as evaluations to see if we are, indeed, servant leaders.
Obviously we see everything through the lens of our own experience or position, so I looked at Greenleaf’s characteristics of servant leadership from my own perspective of a leader/consultant. I’m asking you to do the same, regardless of your leadership role.
In light of Greenleaf's premise that leadership characteristics are inherent, the question that begs to be asked is: “Do I have those qualities? Some of these traits, including empathy, healing, and stewardship, cannot be taught! Is there something within me that feels called to make others successful? Do I instinctively put myself in others’ shoes and proactively work at making each environment healthier?"
On the other hand, characteristics such as listening, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, growth and building community are all "learnable" skills. Ask yourself: "Am I learning to listen without judgment or distraction? Do others follow me because they want to or because they have to? Do people believe that I am committed to helping them develop and grow? Do they feel a strong sense of community in the organization I lead? Am I willing to invest whatever it takes to learn those qualities that are learnable?"
Greenleaf said that servant-leadership ” . . . begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. 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."
Are you the kind of person that seeks first to serve, knowing that is at the very heart of a true leader? In every arena of your life, do you really see that making others successful will bring you the greatest success?
These questions have prompted me to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses in the “mirror” of those values. It’s been both a humbling and stimulating experience. We cannot lead where we haven’t been, and we are the embodiment of what we teach. What we do is so much more than level charts, budget guidelines, promotions, inventory, and daily responsibilities.
On my worst days, I must be reminded that leading is not so much what we do . . . but who we ARE!
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