First Among Equals
I applaud Trevor for bringing up the issue of organizational structures and their link to servant leadership. I have read letters from some of Greenleaf's best friends in the business community who loved his first essay about individual servant-leaders but were horrified when he wrote about the implications of primus inter pares in The Institution as Servant. "The world doesn't work that way!" they protested to Bob.
Actually, it can work that way but it takes high maturity on the part of the change agent(s).
Last year I was honored to write a short story about a remarkable friend who implemented primus inter pares in his workplace. I'd like to quote from it and wish to give proper reference to the book: Positively M.A.D.: Making A Difference in Your Organizations, Communities & the World, (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler).
To set the scene, George SanFacon was weary of the lack of community in the workplace and always hoped he'd be in a position to change things...
"Now he was director of Housing Facilities at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, a department with several hundred employees, and he felt even more isolated. His people did their jobs well but were reluctant to connect, be authentic and admit to faults. During a three-day silent retreat, George realized that his traditional management role of holding power over others created a climate of fear.
'Then I asked myself what love would look like in the workplace,' remembers George. 'What would I do if my mother reported to me, or my sons? I knew that I would want them to be true partners with me in the enterprise. That’s what love would look like. Then I realized that the people reporting to me were mothers and sons from other families. And so I decided to change the framework.' It was time for George to step out and live the change he sought to create, even though he did not yet know what form it would take."
After many trust-building meetings with his team and discovering the "first among equals" idea in Greenleaf's writings, George decided to give up unlateral control for a system of shared governance. We pick up the story again...
"Today, no one person alone can hire, fire, promote or evaluate an employee. It is done by group process and consensus. By the time of George’s retirement in the spring of 2004, the commitment to a consensus structure was embedded in the hearts and minds of many partners. George reminds us that 'creating better workplaces is not different than creating better selves and a better world.'
George SanFacon on building a consensus workplace:
1. 'Be willing to look at yourself first and your need for power. We are all broken but are more than our brokenness. This model won't work unless you come from a deep place.'
2. 'You don’t have to know the answers; you only need to steward a process of dialogue and consensus decision making. People will support what they help to create.'
3. 'Go for the long haul. This work takes time.'"
Anyone interested in the Housing Facilities governance structure can go here to read an article about it and find a link to download the Facilities Housing Department's Council Handbook.
Go here to download George SanFacon's free online book Awake at Work: Concepts and Principles for Creating Better Workplaces and a Better World which provides a conceptual base for George's journey.
Don Frick
Actually, it can work that way but it takes high maturity on the part of the change agent(s).
Last year I was honored to write a short story about a remarkable friend who implemented primus inter pares in his workplace. I'd like to quote from it and wish to give proper reference to the book: Positively M.A.D.: Making A Difference in Your Organizations, Communities & the World, (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler).
To set the scene, George SanFacon was weary of the lack of community in the workplace and always hoped he'd be in a position to change things...
"Now he was director of Housing Facilities at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, a department with several hundred employees, and he felt even more isolated. His people did their jobs well but were reluctant to connect, be authentic and admit to faults. During a three-day silent retreat, George realized that his traditional management role of holding power over others created a climate of fear.
'Then I asked myself what love would look like in the workplace,' remembers George. 'What would I do if my mother reported to me, or my sons? I knew that I would want them to be true partners with me in the enterprise. That’s what love would look like. Then I realized that the people reporting to me were mothers and sons from other families. And so I decided to change the framework.' It was time for George to step out and live the change he sought to create, even though he did not yet know what form it would take."
After many trust-building meetings with his team and discovering the "first among equals" idea in Greenleaf's writings, George decided to give up unlateral control for a system of shared governance. We pick up the story again...
"Today, no one person alone can hire, fire, promote or evaluate an employee. It is done by group process and consensus. By the time of George’s retirement in the spring of 2004, the commitment to a consensus structure was embedded in the hearts and minds of many partners. George reminds us that 'creating better workplaces is not different than creating better selves and a better world.'
George SanFacon on building a consensus workplace:
1. 'Be willing to look at yourself first and your need for power. We are all broken but are more than our brokenness. This model won't work unless you come from a deep place.'
2. 'You don’t have to know the answers; you only need to steward a process of dialogue and consensus decision making. People will support what they help to create.'
3. 'Go for the long haul. This work takes time.'"
Anyone interested in the Housing Facilities governance structure can go here to read an article about it and find a link to download the Facilities Housing Department's Council Handbook.
Go here to download George SanFacon's free online book Awake at Work: Concepts and Principles for Creating Better Workplaces and a Better World which provides a conceptual base for George's journey.
Don Frick
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