The "Sacrifice" of Servant Leadership

One of the most interesting comments (to me) that came out of the panel discussion on servant leadership (“Lead from the Heart: Ethical Perspectives on Servant Leadership”; see March blog) had to do with the “sacrifice” of servant leadership. The perception was that foregoing the power model of leadership for a servant model entailed a sacrifice of some sort. I don’t know about the other panelists, but I was somewhat puzzled by this comment until I reflected upon it for a while.

Some people embrace servant leadership naturally. It bubbles up inside them as the only possible way to lead. As Robert K. Greenleaf says: “It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. . . .” (Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership; http://www.greenleaf.org/index.html)

But not everyone is so naturally disposed to servant leadership. They lead as they see others lead – and most of the time that is a power model. So perhaps the question this raises is whether one can be a servant leader if one is not naturally disposed to that model. I think one can. It may seem like (and even truly be) a sacrifice at first, but with training and commitment, I think someone can learn to be a servant leader. And after all, don’t we all have much to learn about being servant leaders?

I’m thinking here of Aristotle’s understanding of virtue ethics as something that must be learned and practiced – it is not innate. So if we think of the practices inherent to servant leadership as virtues that must be learned, clearly we all need to learn to be servant leaders. Another important aspect of learning virtue is to learn to associate pleasure with virtue and discomfort (even pain) with vice. Perhaps this is the key difference between those who embrace servant leadership and those who view it as a sacrifice. Those who have had some training and experience take pleasure in the dialogue, shared leadership, and mentoring. They have learned to associate pleasure with the gift of relating to and being concerned for others. Others simply haven’t had enough training or experience with this model to appreciate its virtues. To be formed in the model of the servant leader – that is, to become the kind of person who serves as a leader – we all must train and learn and practice. And of course, it takes our whole lives to become servant leaders. Remember Aristotle again: One swallow does not a summer make.

Lead from the Heart: Ethical Perspectives on Servant Leadership

On Thursday, March 11, the Center for Organizational Ethics at Marian University will sponsor a panel discussion on servant leadership titled "Lead from the Heart: Ethical Perspectives on Servant Leadership." Servant leadership was first suggested by Robert K. Greenleaf, who understood servant leadership to be a vocational approach to leadership that opts for servanthood rather than power as the basis for leading others.


The event will be held at Civic Theatre, a venue selected because it provides fully accessible facilities. Starting with a continental breakfast at 7:30, the program will begin at 8:00 a.m. A discussion and Q&A opportunity will follow the presentations. The event will end at 9:30.


Our speakers will be Dr. Kent Keith, CEO of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership; Marcy Ripberger, President of the Character Council of Indiana; Richard W. Smith, consultant and Organizational Development Specialist with the Peace Learning Center; and me.


Dr. Keith will provide an overview of servant leadership and Ms. Ripberger will present on character traits of servant leadership. Richard W. Smith will take a narrative approach with stories of ideas that were significant markers in the life of Robert Greenleaf. Finally, I will present on a Franciscan understanding of servant leadership.


This is the first public event for the Center for Organizational Ethics, so I am very excited. I hope some of you might be able to make it to the event and learn with us about the ethical value of a servanthood approach rather than a power approach to leading and nurturing others.