Servant Leadership

[BDPT00]

I was just reading about another subject, and the question of "What is Servant Leadership to you?" came up. I've seen the term thrown about, and I've seen at least one person label it as worthless. There seems to me to be a misunderstanding of what it is.

So let's get some definition to it. I honestly feel that most people don't understand what it's meant to be, but are willing to use the term anyway.

BDPT00

[ghermanno]

From "Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership"

Website http://www.greenleaf.org/whatissl/index.html

 

"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, he said:

 

"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 possessionsThe 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 peoples 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?""

 

 

 

[BDPT00]

Thank you. I was assuming that someone would quote Greenleaf, but not so soon. I know others have a different take on it, and I'm curious to hear how else to define it. The OA, for example, uses the term, and I don't think it carries the same meaning to them. One poster seems to think that it means to simply give in to the wishes of those you lead.

BDPT00

[evmori]

Being a leader to other for others.

[Bob White]

This has already been discussed at great length in the last 30 days.

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=197440

 

You might want to just pick up on that thread.

[BDPT00]

That's why I brought it up. The term got thrown into the conversation, and it was clear that people had differing ideas of what it was, and there was no resolution. It's been bothering me ever since... that people out there are using a term freely, and not knowing what it means.

I thought it might come in handy to discuss it by itself (outside the realm of pie and gravy, or whatever anybody else was thrown in there).

BDPT00

 

[evmori]

Great idea BDPT00! In the other thread, all that was posted was what was in books! Plus that thread wasn't about "What is Servant Leadership to you?"(This message has been edited by evmori)

[Stosh]

Servant leadership = taking care of others, meeting their needs, and assisting them in being successful. When the boys look good their PL looks good.

 

This concept is basic to scouting and is not as useless as some have suggested.

 

Tenderfoot - buddy system = this is basic servant leadership. Each boy taking care of someone else in their patrol. A scout isn't there just for himself. If he was, he should never advance beyond Scout rank. Every boy is responsible for someone else. Patrol members are responsible for taking care of their PL and vise versa. Each troop officer is assigned a task of taking care of the patrols and their leadership and the adults are expected to take care of the boys.

 

This servant leadership is true teamwork in action... everyone taking care of someone or something other than themselves.

 

Scouts who care only for themselves and their Eagle accomplishments are parlor scouts who have read the book, did the task and got the credit, but have in no way learned one iota about true leadership. The boy that directs, delegates and otherwise bullies or bosses the others around has in no way learned one iota about true leadership. The scout who will do anything to make things go well for everyone in the troop, not just his buddy, not just his patrol, not just his PL or troop officers, but even the adults and SM is the most powerful leader in your unit.

 

When my boys look good, I look good. That's the true essence of servant leadership as per my definition.

 

Stosh