Choosing to be a ‘servant, first’ is a challenge not to be taken lightly. Responding to the call to be a servant-as-leader is even more daunting. Greenleaf’s ‘requirements’ for both always cause me to pause. I often wonder how many folks are aware of all that Greenleaf ‘requires’ of one in order to become a ‘servant-first’ and a servant-as-leader. Consider the following (and these do not comprise an exhaustive list):
SERVANTS:
1. Act with integrity. Integrity = adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character and is the state of being whole. Now as we know Greenleaf did not expect us to be perfect; at our healthiest, he noted, we are living paradoxes. We are good and evil (his words), we are virtue and vice, we are light and darkness. AND to the best of our ability we are called to ‘act with integrity.’
2. Build trust. Can one build trust if one does not trust? To what extent do I lead with trust? To what extent do I believe that trust must be earned? To what extent do I believe that the other is trustworthy? What, exactly, do I do that helps build trust? What attitudes, values, and guiding principles have I integrated that nurture my trust building?
3. Lift people. Too often I hear in our culture that ‘he should pull himself up.’ We seem to be suspect of people who need to be lifted up. There are many ways a servant can lift people. One way is to call forth the best in them. One way is to treat them as if they are trust-worthy [the Chinese sage reminds us that we help people become trustworthy by trusting them]. Actually, I know of no one who ever ‘did it on his own’ – there were always others who helped ‘lift him/her.’
4. Help people grow. There are four dimensions of growth that servants can help with – the Physical, the Intellectual, the Emotional and the Spiritual. Greenleaf’s ‘Best Test’ can be a helpful guide for us. ‘Do those served grow as persons?’ [‘Persons’ = the four dimensions.] This growth occurs ‘while’ they are being served – the serving and the growth occur at the same time.
SERVANT-AS-LEADERS:
1. Are Trustworthy. We trust them because of who they are, first as persons, then as servants and finally as leaders. The quality of leadership is a by-product of the relationship between the leader and the led; thus, trust is crucial. Servants build trust and servant-as-leaders are trust-worthy.
2. Show the way. They also invite others to go with them (which loops us back to their having to be trustworthy). In showing the way they also shape destinies – theirs, the others, and the ‘community’s.’
3. Are ‘natural’ persons who act naturally. Greenleaf does not provide us even a hint as to what a ‘natural’ person is. The dictionary might be of some help. Here are some of the entries from an unabridged dictionary: free from affectation or constraint; arising spontaneously; in alignment with the character of; genuine.
4. Are mortal persons. These persons are subject to error – no one is perfect – and thus they are deserving forgiveness. We do tend to be a forgiving culture especially if a person – a leader, for example – transgresses, admits it and seeks forgiveness. We also like to put our leaders on a pedestal and then act surprised when they fall off; sometimes we celebrate their fall and sometimes we help them fall (the Australians call it ‘cutting down the tall poppy’).
BOTH ‘SERVANT-FIRST’ & THE ‘SERVANT-AS-LEADER’:
1. Make hard choices. Both are intentional and purpose-full when it comes to choosing. Both accept the responsibility of their choices (the intended and unintended consequences and the effects upon themselves and the other[s]).
2. Undertake rigorous preparation. For example, a few are ‘born’ servants; it is in their nature. For most of us we choose to become servants and commit ourselves to rigorous self-discipline in order to become ‘second-nature’ servants. Both also prepare themselves without knowing what they are preparing for (we do not choose the time and place for the challenges that will be presented to us).
3. Are thoughtful and aware. The discipline of reflection and selective withdrawal can support our being thoughtful. In order to be aware I have to be awake and ‘present’ in the moment. Greenleaf reminds us that awareness does not bring comfort; frequently it brings disturbance [the Servant-First and the Servant-as-Leader are disturbed by what they see and hear. Given this disturbance they then choose to respond
appropriately or they choose to be appropriately reactive.
Each time I sit with this list and take the time to reflect and ‘evaluate’ myself I am both affirmed and disturbed by all that emerges from within me. What emerges for you, Gentle Reader, as you sit with and reflect upon these characteristics?
Servant As Leader 