Servant Leadership is still a thing...
And we should learn about it.
A peer sent me an article on a thing called Host Leaderhsip. Posed as a replacement for Servant Leadership.
I often feel that when someone have some new revolutionary idea that replaces a tried and true powerful idea it should be scrutinized. I love it when I start to work with organizations and the talented individuals that work there challenge and scrutinize the organizational change that I may represent. We can have debate try experiments and compare results. This feels right. If I were to disregard what their current context was, I think I would struggle with success in the breadth of my encounters.
Here was the question that I was asked.
Have you seen this article on leadership: http://www.infoq.com/articles/host-leadership-agile
I like his concept. I believe that while he references "Servant Leadership", he may not have read it (the book). The author seems to miss the true meaning and deep purposefulness of Servant Leadership. Often people miss the original theological grounding and foundation of Servant Leadership.
Here is a quote from the chapter on Servant Leader in bureaucracy.
- "I suggest these five words-beauty, momentaneity, openness, humor; and tolerance-as marking some dimensions of a lifestyle that is rooted in an inward grace: sensitive and aware, concerned for the ever-present neighbor, both the well-fed one next door and the hungry one on the other side of the earth, seeing and feeling what is right in the situation."
Here is a quote from the chapter on Servant in Business
- In addressing businesses, therefore, with the intent of encouraging a greater voluntary striving for excellence as servant, I am mindful of the special conditions under which businesses operate, as distinguished from other institutions. A principle is suggested: When any action is regulated by law, the incentive for individual vidual conscience to govern is diminished-unless the law coincides With almost universally held moral standards."
AND
- "Let me suggest to the reader that the assumptions he examined-both ined-both about the making of profit and about undertaking to compel service by law. Is all that we want from profit-making business the lowest price we can exact? In my own efforts to help business to become more serving I feel that I am contending with a popular view that price is all. Personally, I would prefer to pay a considerably higher price if thereby the institution could become substantially more serving to all who are touched by its actions."
I like the host leader concept, but I think the servant leader has a higher purpose. I am thankful to my peer. This made me go back and reexamine how I interact with my people and my clients. I will try to be better about this in the future.
We have an entire world to change. ..
