Whether it be income, gender, or race inequity, the gap between the haves and have-nots in the United States continues to increase, yet most people remain only concerned with themselves (Singh, 2012). Even without intention, injustice can fester. Following Robert Greenleaf’s (1977/2002) premise that caring for others is the foundation of a good society, servant-leadership provides a vision for...
Robert Greenleaf speaks of his relationship to Robert Frost’s poem Directive as a symbol in understanding servant-leadership, offering meaning for others in their reconciliation of who and where they are on life’s inward journey. Reflecting on my personal journey, in searching for a higher purpose and identifying what needs changing, a closer examination into the learnings inspired by my family...
I grew up in the African American Baptist Church. It was there that I would first learn about servant-leadership, although I did not know about Robert Greenleaf or the theory of servant-leadership. What I did know about servant-leadership was from the Holy Bible. Jesus was the ultimate servant-leader, and I saw servant-leadership in action through my Mother.
What follows is a personal case study in servantleadership. For the sake of confidentiality and clarity, I will employ pseudonyms both for my subject (the library dean at a small but growing Catholic institution of liberal arts) and for the school itself. I first met the subject of this study, whom I will refer to as Evelyn Bentley, late in November of the year 2000, not long after she had...
Awareness is not a giver of solace-it is just the opposite. It is a disturber and an awakener. Able leaders are usually sharply awake and reasonably disturbed. They are not seekers after solace. They have their own inner serenity.