What is coming up for me

After my last post about wondering why people use their blog to write about personal things going on in their life, I'll break one of my own rules of blogging and share something with you:

I'm very excited to bring you information regarding our recent Wisconsin Conversation on Servant-Leadership. However, posts may be either short or perhaps even nonexistent for a few days. My wife, who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and is in a wheelchair, is going in for surgery on Tuesday. Nothing major: she has to have a pump replaced that dispenses medication into her spine. But it will mean a little extra work around the house as she recovers.

I plan to spend this weekend organizing some thoughts about the Conversation and hope to draft some posts ahead of time. Obviously, family comes first; but I've gotten to know many of you via e-mail and am encouraged that so many of you enjoy the site. So I want to provide a site that people enjoy coming back to every day. I'll do my best; just know that if I don't get everything posted about the Conversation conference that I will get to it the following week.

Have a great weekend!

Oh no! I am a loser!

Read a very humorous article this morning about how ridiculous blogging is. The author says: " I'm not saying all blogers are losers, I'm just saying that most of them are." Hmmmmm

The author is actually talking about all those people out there who blog their innermost thoughts. I can certainly understand why it is driving her nuts! I've often wondered why some people are willing to blog on an affair they are having!

When I first started talking to people on campus over the summer about this project, there were some that thought I was crazy.....of course, there are some who thought I was crazy long before mentioning it...so the blog idea probably just confirmed their suspicions. But the reason I got some interesting looks was because the perception out there is that blogging is only about keeping a personal diary on-line. It has certainly come a long way since the early days.

We Can Learn to Listen -- A Helpful Resource

Listening and empathy are two of the ten characteristics of servant leaders. Talking never made the top ten list; persuasion, yes, but not speaking. When I consider how Greenleaf described servant-leadership, the centrality of listening and empathy became more obvious: “[The servant leader makes] “sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, not be further deprived?” Clearly, if I listen empathetically I stand a better chance of comprehending "needs". If I get wrapped up in my talking, I might not let others have a chance to share their wisdom for the benefit of all of us in a business, school, or any community.

Listening has not come easily to me. When I was in grammar and high school in the 1950s, leaders were always pictured as first and foremost great talkers. I have been teaching since 1967 -- from 8th graders to doctoral students, so naturally I've had to be a talker. When I started working as a high school and then university administrator, I knew that I had to listen more than speak, but switching old patterns of relating came in fits and starts. But, I'm learning.

One helpful website that does a nice job of outlining useful information and approaches to listening empathetically is called LISTENING AND EMPATHY RESPONDING. If you are helping leaders review how they listen, you might check this site out. You might look at some of the other "chapters" at this site, too.

The Wisconsin Conversation on Servant-Leadership Conference

As many of you know, yesterday was our 1st annual Wisconsin Conversation on Servant-Leadership. You can find it here. Several of you have e-mailed me and asked how it went.

Well, it was a great success! It was purposefully set up to be very low-key: a conversation. We were VERY pleased with our turnout: 160 people! La Crosse is a town of 50,000 or so, with about 100,000 living in the county. So to get 160 from a mid-size town such as this to talk about Servant-Leadership in practice was a pleasant surprise.

I will be putting notes together over the weekend....I probably have enough material to blog a couple of posts each day for the next month! So next week, at least, I'll bring you some of the great material from the conference. There are some things going on in my life at home that may effect this slightly; I'll know more today and have an announcement for you tomorrow.

Connecting with Employees

A recent series of three posts showed up on the Quality Service Marketing Blog that I thought many of you might find interesting:

Part 1 speaks of the importance of getting your employees to buy into the 'brand you are marketing' (or you can insert 'mission', 'leadership development program', etc.). In order to make this connection, money alone won't do it. Rather you need to create: 1) a sense of common purpose; 2) a sense of belonging; and 3) a sense of being part of something special.

Part 2 is about helping employees find meaning in an organization. The post says that leaders need to be able to answer these three questions: 1) What is your organization's mission and purpose?; 2) How can employees contribute to fulfilling the mission?; and 3) How can they be made to feel part of something special?

Part 3 is about helping employees feel connected to an organization through its mission. Here are some questions that relate to student engagement: 1) Do I know what is expected of me at work?; 2) At work, do I have the opportunity to be what I do best every day?; 3) Does my supervisor seem to care about me as a person? Answering 'yes' to these questions are a good sign that someone has a strong connection with their organization.

It is a very well done series of posts. While all three of these posts are about the same things that servant-leadership is espousing, there is not one mention of servant-leadership anywhere. But that is OK.....it isn't about servant-leadership taking over the world; it is about the principles of servant-leadership taking their place at the table within organizations.

Another University President committed to Servant-Leadership

The new president of Hancock College, a community college of over 17,000 students in Santa Barbara County, California is described by the president of the classified employees union as a servant-leader. But Dr. Jose Ortiz is not just being called a servant-leader, he is living it as well.

Not only did he spend the first day of school visiting classes and chatting with students waiting in line to buy textbooks and adjust their schedules, during welcome-back activities for the employees he asked them to send him, via e-mail, their input on what they like about Hancock, what they'd change, what they want to see him do as president and any advice they have for him.

It is obvious from the article that this way of doing thing is quite new to Hancock. I would suspect that most colleges and universities across the country are not used to a servant-leadership approach from their administration. Many of the staff are hoping people don't get cold feet and shy away from the prospect of change. The employee union president sums it up by saying: "I just hope the public and the board will stay the course with his ideas for change."

Most of the time change is resisted, sometimes at all costs. And introducing a servant-leadership model into an organization is no different. But I wish all the best to Dr. Ortiz as he begins his tenure as president of Hancock.

To what, exactly, are we servants?

There is a misunderstanding that many people have about servant-leadership. I see it all the time in those who first enter our program, as well as those who have not read much, if anything, by Robert Greenleaf. The confusion starts with a belief that servant-leadership is primarily about being servants to customers, as well as employees. It is from this belief that many get the idea that servant-leadership is simply a 'fad' or label it as 'soft'.

Don't get me wrong, this is certainly part of what being a servant-leader entails. But the primary focus of servant-leadership is to first be servants to the mission of the organization. Assuming the mission of the organization is sound (committed to the growth of employees, providing the necessary means for customers to be satisfied, etc.), then when one is servant to that mission a natural outcome of this will result in being servants to customers, employees, et. al.

A recent article in the Athens Banner-Herald (registration required) by Archie Carroll addresses this very issue. He states that "An organization's mission is its long term enduring purpose in society. Each organization begins with a purpose in mind, and the leaders of these organizations primarily are focused on why the organization exists and what objectives it takes to pursue and achieve to be successful." It is from this focus that servant-leadership thrives.

In explaining why non-profits generate more passion within their organizations, typically, than for-profits, Dr. Carroll says "Nonprofits understand that the mission is the driving force in the organization and that without this focus, organizational drift will undoubtedly occur."

One cannot be an effective servant-leader and be a good listener, empathize with others, conceptualize well, etc. if the mission of the organization does not foster an environment where these characteristics are encouraged and supported. And while non-profits have done this better historically, the for-profits companies out there are beginning to catch on.

I should note that Dr. Carroll, who last month wrote an article on the popularity of servant-leadership (click here), teaches in the MBA program at the University of Georgia. It gives me great hope that MBA programs around the country are finally talking about servant-leadership, ethics, and a commitment to the common good as an entire unit (as opposed to individually here and there with no connection to one another) that make up what it means to be a responsible, effective business leader.

Blogging University Life

It is becoming quite common to find universities that have students blogging as an admissions tool for recruitment. One that is a little more on the "cutting edge" is the blog at the University of Dayton (see here). Not only do they have rss and podcasting subscriptions available, but they also pay each of the six students who are blogging $500 each semester so long as they post at least once a week.

Also, the Chronicle of Higher Education has a nice article about using student blogs as recruiting tools. (Just like many articles, this one requires a subscription. However if anyone ever would like to see a copy of any article that I link to that requires a subscription, let me know as most of them are able to be e-mailed. Just drop me a note by clicking on the 'Contact Us' button above.)

Some blogs of interest

Ran across these two blogs that, if you haven't seen them, you may find useful or interesting. I have put links up under the Blogroll to the right:

1) One True God Blog: Moderated by Hugh Hewitt, of HughHewitt.com. Hugh has assembled a group of five people to ponder the typical theological questions that the layperson might have. Hugh posts a topic and the group posts their thoughts. Just started recently, the first two topics have been: Demons; and Scripture/Book of Job and the Gulf Coast (or, in a word, suffering). It reads a bit differently than a traditional blog, but worth the time IMO.

2) Creating Passionate Users: Moderated by a group of three who are all authors of the Head First books. There are some very interesting posts here. The last post, entitled Dignity is Deadly, is about what is missing from a company (or what creeps in) when an organization moves from start-up to corporate. The post before that, is entitled Subvert from Within: a user-focused employee guide. The blog has catchy titles with great insights.

Innovation and Servant-Leadership, part II

A recent post by Seth Godin caught my eye when thinking about ways that servant-leadership and innovation go together. His post, Bureaucracy=Death, has an excellent suggestion from a book of his:

Appoint a CNO—chief no officer. No longer can someone say no to an idea and leave it at that. If you want to turn something down, you’ve got to pass it on to your boss. Then either he says yes or gives it to his boss. For a "no" to be official, it’s got to be approved by the chief no officer and countersigned by every manager along the way.

Seth asks an excellent follow-up question: And what happens to any organization that creates a culture where maintaining the status quo requires your boss to give you the okay?

Microsoft, Innovation and Servant-Leadership

Last week I wrote about quality improvement programs, how they can hamper innovation, and the danger that lies in applying them to those hard-to-measure things such as leadership skills. Doing so does nothing more than turn people into 'data' or 'widgets' to be counted....certainly far from the purpose of servant-leadership.

I received several comments from readers about this, which I was happy to see. With the blog still less than 2 months old, I'm glad that posts are able to generate some conversation. And it was this conversation that got me to thinking: if companies are having trouble using these quality improvement programs to foster innovation within the organization, what role does servant-leadership play in helping a company be innovative?

This weekend the Wall Street Journal had an excellent article on the inner workings of Microsoft as they develop their new OS, Vista. Jim Allchin, a senior executive, walked into Bill Gates's office and explained that the process for the new version was not going to work. Mr. Allchin explained that the way they have always built software would no longer cut it (mainly because of the way Google, Mozilla Firefox and others were beating them to the market with their products) and that Microsoft had to start over.

Bringing about change and a new way of doing things in an organization, particularily one as large as Microsoft, is not easy. The key is that those within the organization that recognized an opportunity for improvement did not simply mandate it. The process involved consulting with others, demonstrating the current problem so that those responsible for implementing change realize its importance, and slowly bringing along those that are resistant to a new way of doing things.

It is a fascinating story, and unfortunately far too long to go into here. But the end result is that there is a shift among the engineers at Microsoft on a better way to build code. And it has come about because Mr. Allchin began to ask questions about how things could be done better. The end result that Microsoft is aiming to bring products to market quicker. It is this commitment to doing what is in the best interest of those they serve, their customers, that makes this such a intriguing story.

A real life tear-jerker

A story like this can only come from Notre Dame: It seems the very first play that Notre Dame called on offense this past weekend was from a 10 year old boy named Montana Mazurkiewicz. Coach Weis met with the young boy, who has an inoperable brain tumor, in his home last week.

As a good servant-leader does, Weis asked the boy if there was anything he could do for him. He agreed to let Montana call the first play of the game against Washington, a 'pass right'.

There's much more to the story, but I don't want to ruin it for you.....take the time to read about it here. I promise that it will be the most memorable thing you'll read all day.

What responsibility do universities have in student success?

Today university professors have an expectation more and more that students will be accessing electronic information to augment textbooks or class notes. I, for one, am one of those. I'm still amazed by the number of students who walk into my classroom not knowing how to use the computer for anything other than instant messages and typing papers. Giving students the responsibility of downloading assignments, sending files via e-mail, etc. is just one way to help prepare them for the computer skills they will need upon graduating.

But there is just one problem: Not all students have personal computers. And for the students who do that live off campus, a modem connection often won't suffice anymore for today's large files, web registration for classes, and class discussion boards. In this article, a student at the University of Arizona finds himself heading off to the computer lab 4x/week for at least 3 hours each time....often very late at night in order to ensure that a computer is available.

Will there come a day when students will be required to own a computer? Will more and more campuses like this provide laptops for their students (for a fee, of course)? As students make great sacrifices to pay the ever-increasing tuition, must they also make the sacrifice of having personal computers as well? As students at the University of Arizona have found out, getting into even the 24 hour labs can sometimes be a challenge.

So exactly what is the responsibility of the university to today's students?

A look at corporate culture gone wrong

Ran across a rather humorous article in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) about corporate culture and some of the rather odd events that people have run into:

• A 'Wives Club' that a prospective employee's spouse was expected to participate in. The follow-up interview even included his spouse;
• An exec who approached a new hire and said that he would be praying for her that she have children;
• A bank who merged with another that insisted on having a halloween bash to increase morale. The VP finally relented, only to walk into work on Oct. 31st to find Little Bo Peep, Porky Pig and Pepe le Pew sitting at the morning meeting.

Process management and quality-improvement programs show signs of old-age

A recent article from the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) indicates that quality improvement programs such as TQM, ISO 9000, Six Sigma, etc. are beginning to fall out of favor with executives and corporations.

While these programs were once perceived to be universally good, questions are beginning to bubble to the surface as to their effectiveness. Many consultants have stopped talking about them altogether as the general consensus starts to build that these programs can hamper a company's ability to respond to technological change. And with as quickly as technology is changing, both inherently and in its impact on the world, this is not a good thing.

Many companies have now begun turning to the servant-leadership model of corporate structure and evaluation and have found it much more adaptable for hard-to-measure things such as leadership skills. While there certainly is a place for TQM and others in an organization, it can be destructive if applied across the board. It is merely a tool; servant-leadership is the culture that makes the tool effective.

The Career Path for Women in the Future

I recently read this article in the NY Times, which indicates that many women in college today have every intention to begin work and then put their career on hold in order to be a stay-at-home mom.

What seems to be changing is that while many women in college two or three decades ago expected to have full-time careers, their daughters, while still in college, say they have already decided to suspend or end their careers when they have children. Whenever I have done student surveys in my undergraduate classes, I have found more and more young women saying that one of their goals is to get married, stay at home, and raise children.

As trends such as these begin to unfold, it is important for servant-leadership run organizations to not only be aware but be prepared. In many ways the pendulum has swung completely to the other side; meaning that there is sometimes an assumption now that women coming into the workforce will be more concerned with moving up the corporate ladder than raising children. Servant-leaders need to be aware that this assumption may well be false.

Although some people will immediately jump to conclusions about whether this trend is "good" or "bad," that is not my place; nor should it cause any great alarm....it is what it is. I would like to think that we have advanced as a society enough over the past 30 years with regards to women in the workplace that this report should not cause any ire, nor backlash in the hiring of qualified women. Servant-Leadership, with its focus on the common good, should help leaders in preparing for a new examination of our assumptions about today's young women professionals and be ready to embrace the decisions they will make as they begin to have children.

Are universities providing essential information?

A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required) indicates that the U.S. Education Department has created a commission to devise a "comprehensive national strategy" on higher education's future. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings says that it is time to have a national conversation on our goals for higher education.

I'm not sure that we need more beuracracy in higher education, especially if it leads to the large amount of it that is seen in K-12 public schools. But Ms. Spellings said in her speech that the new commission would work to ensure that college is accessible to all Americans, and that students are prepared to compete in the global economy. Well.....we'll see what comes of it.

Here's what I found interesting:

Ms. Spellings, whose eldest daughter is a freshman in college, said the commission would also explore ways to ensure that parents and students get the information they need to compare colleges and universities. Speaking from personal experience, Ms. Spellings said she found "plenty" of information on dining-hall food, intramural sports, and campus architecture, but she had a harder time finding out "which courses to take, how long it takes the average student to graduate, and whether it's a better deal to graduate from a less-expensive state school in six years or a private school in four. I learned just how confusing the college process can be for parents," she said. "And I'm the secretary of education!"

Organizations that utilize servant-leadership principles make sure that their customers receive the information they need to make informed decisions. Clearly colleges and universities can do a much better job at helping parents and students in making what is a very tough choice.

The difference between manipulation and persuasion

Dave over at Marketing - The Bold Approach Method recently posted about persuasion and how it differs from manipulation. Here is what he says:

In a word the difference is intent. Manipulation is inwardly focused on what you can get another person to do for you regardless of the outcome for them......true persuasion is doing the things that impact people on a subconscious level and gets them to take actions that they are socially programmed to take. And we do it because they've, and this is important, they've raised their hand and asked to be moved from one place (confusion, ambiguity) to another (new homeowner, member of your church).

Well, I think that it might be a bit more complex than this, but what I do like is this: Manipulation has no concern whatsoever for the common good. Persuasion, on the other hand, involves working with others so that what is best for the organization/cause/etc. is laid out on the table, discussed, and everyone involved agrees that this is the best direction for everyone involved.

What will the future of work look like?

I recently ran across this post over at The Future of Work Blog. They recently held a conference and had some discussion about what the work world will look like down the road. Here are just a few of the questions that were raised:

• What forces will drive change in the nature of work?
• What will the world like be like in 2012?
• How can we build complete live-work communities that give workers their lives back while simultaneously giveing employers highly productive workers?
• What is an "effective workplace?"
• How can we measure and manage employee engagement?
• How does an effective workplace impact organizational capability and ultimately business performance?

All great questions! Knowing there are groups like this out there, asking the right kind of questions, get me excited about where we are headed when it comes to organizational leadership.

How do we handle hidden agendas?

We have all been in these type of meetings. Things seem to be productive, everything is moving right along, until the chair of the meeting opens it up for new business. Next thing you know, someone brings up the minuscule salary increases; someone else complains that their department budget was cut 3%, and someone else's only 2; and someone else drones on about their committee assignment vs. the assignment the new hire just received.

Why does this happen in meetings? Typically because it is the only place that people feel comfortable voicing concerns. Employees don't trust leadership enough to walk into their office and sit down to discuss issues, so they raise them in front of their peers in order to feel safe.

So how do we avoid these scenarios? How do we keep meetings productive, yet also give everyone a voice in the organization? And where does servant-leadership fit into all of this?

One of the things that I've mentioned over and over is that creating a servant-leader organization is not done overnight. It is a culture that takes time to build. Why? Because helping employees to hold the organization in trust is not an easy task. Rightfully so, they need to see leadership "walking the walk." And depending on past practices, it may take a lot of "walking" for that trust in organizational leadership to form. And once the trust in the organizatoinal leadership is there, then and only then will employees begin to take the step of trusting the organization as a whole.

Once this begins to happen, amazing things will begin to fall into place: employees feel comfortable bringing up concerns to the leadership team; and voicing concerns to leadership in their office rather at meetings is not only considered o.k, it is encouraged.

Just remember: the next time you are sitting in a meeting where these hidden agendas begin to come out, don't blame the person who brings the issue up. Rather, ask yourself what level of trust exists between the employees and leadership that would make the person feel the need to bring it up in this setting.

The Biblical concept of Servant-Leadership

Servant-Leadership finds its origins in business. When we think of servant-leadership, for-profit companies often come to mind: Southwest Airlines, TD Industries, Starbucks, etc.

Yet Robert Greenleaf had the model that Jesus provides for us in the Bible in mind when developing servant-leadership principles. Our Master's program at Viterbo is a Religious Studies degree. Clearly, the model presented in the Gospels by Jesus is one that generations of believers have been trying to emulate; even by those working in the business world.

I recently ran across some links that help to clarify the roots of Servant-Leadership. The first is a post by Todd Rhoades at Monday Morning Insight. Todd lays out some of the New Testament verses where Servant-Leadership principles can be found. The second link is an audio of a sermon that Jeff Musgrave gave recently on God's definition of Servant-Leadership. And if you haven't checked it out look at Ken Blanchard's book, The Servant-Leader, as an example of how your professional life fits together with your personal/spiritual life.

What constitutes success in the workplace

Christianity Today recently ran this editorial titled Neighbor Love Inc. With the recent and upcoming trials of corporate executives who are known as active churchgoing believers, one begins to wonder if those working in the for-profit world truly understand how their faith relates to their work.

The article does a nice job of describing what the Christian's calling in the business world is and is not. There is a great quote by Father Robert Sirico who leads the Acton Institute: "When people accept the challenge of an entrepreneurial vocation, they have implicitly decided to meet the needs of others through the goods and services they produce. If the entrepreneur's investments are to return a profit, the entrepreneur must be 'other-directed.' Ultimately, business persons in a market economy simply cannot be both self-centered and successful."

In other words, business leaders should utilize the principles of servant-leadership in the work that they do. They should understand the importance of the common good and how it can help guide their actions. Unfortunately, this is not happening.....yet.

So where does the blame lie? With the business execs themselves? With the business school they attended? A place that is far too often overlooked is the church to which they belong. The article explains that most pastors do not feel equipped to discuss violations of business law at the top levels of major corporations. But the church does need to help its businesspeople develop a fundamental understanding of what it means for Christians to engage in business.

One of the many ways that pastors can do this is by affirming businesspeople in their calling. What does that look like? It is about getting out from behind their desk and meeting their parishoners in their places of work! Ask questions about the successes, failures, frustrations, etc. that they have in running a business. And most importantly, ask their parishoners what they as pastors can do to help them.

If you can, please join us!

On Wednesday, September 28th, Viterbo's Institute for Ethics and Leadership will be sponsoring the 1st Annual Wisconsin Conversation on Servant-Leadership. The keynote speaker will be Don Frick, who recently wrote a biography about the founder of the servant-leadership movement, Robert Greenleaf. Other presentations will be given by leaders of organizations in the State of Wisconsin that are implementing servant-leadership principles.

I will be there that day (only a small reason why you should try and attend...LOL) and will hopefully be blogging about each organization over the days that follow the conference. You can download a registration form here. The conference runs from 8:30 - 3:00 and the cost, which includes conference materials, breakfast and lunch, is only $20 if you register by the end of this week; $25 to register after September 15th.

I doubt that Hans over in the Netherlands will be able to make it :-), but perhaps some of our regulars that are a little closer by will be able to join us. Let me know if you are coming so we can hook up for lunch!

Microsoft, the next generation product, and Servant-Leadership

For all of you interested in the next new technology products to be coming out......

Yesterday Microsoft previewed a little more of their new operating system, Windows Vista (formerly "Longhorn"), and their new Office product, currently called 'Office 12'. The new version of Office looks to be simply amazing. Everyone is talking about it, as you can see from this google search. The entire UI (user interface) has changed. What does that mean?: All the pull-down menus you are used to in Office - GONE! It looks like it has been built from scratch. But it looks like it will be for the better. If you are REALLY interested, you can find a video preview here. It is an interview with the leader of the design team. It is 41 minutes long, but I found it simply too fascinating to turn off. If you can't take the time now to watch it, take a look at some screenshots here, here and here. And just so you know, the new Office won't be entering Beta testing until at least mid-2006.

Many look at Microsoft and would not even consider them to be a servant-leadership organization. I certainly understand that viewpoint. Yet I've had other people argue that Bill Gates embodies many of the traits of a servant-leader. Take a look at this list of the 10 principles of servant-leadership. Does Microsoft, from what you know of them, as an organization embody and/or embrace any of these? Let me know what you think.

Signs of hope in the midst of disaster

I don't know about all of you, but the blame game happening in the MSM surrounding Hurricane Katrina is getting old. And so when I saw this story, I wanted to pass it along.

Steve, over at Micro Persuasion has this post (Steve always has great posts about technology and those ideas and companies leading the way) about how Wal-Mart has not only started blogging, but is blogging about real-life hurricane heroes who have stopped their daily lives to help in the aftermath of Katrina. Click here to see Wal-Mart's blog.

We could talk about Wal-Mart and their feeble attempt at being a servant-leader organization, but I've had about enough of the negativity the past two weeks. Not to mention that whatever your feelings are about Wal-Mart as an organization, they were one of the very first into Nola with supplies and their checkbook. I'm excited to read some of their stories...I hope more of them are like this one. Might be a bit too much "tooting their own horn" for some, but with the way they responded after the hurricane I don't mind.

Empathy's Importance for Servant-Leaders

Empathy had little place in the old, top-down model of leadership. Putting oneself in another's shoes smacked of weakness and often was judged to be opposed to "treating everyone the same", which was mistakenly considered being fair.

Everyone is not the same; this is a fact of life. Being fair recognizes differences. Servant-leaders know this. To be an servant-leader -- that is, someone who influences others for a common good -- means knowing what followers are feeling, thinking, perceiving as much as possible. Great servant-leaders nurtured empathy: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa certainly exemplify empathy in leadership.

Thus, Robert Greenleaf listed empathy as one of the ten characteristics of servant-leaders: "The servant-leader strives to understand and empathize with others. People need to be accepted and recognized for their special and unique spirits. One assumes the good intentions of co-workers and colleagues and does not reject them as people, even when one may be forced to refuse to accept certain behaviors or performance. The most successful servant-leaders are those who have become skilled empathetic listeners."

Empathy can be encouraged in any organization. For example, when dealing with a difficult issue or person, step back and take time to reflect on these questions: What if I were in this situation? How would I feel? What would I want to happen?

Dr. Virginia Pharr teaches a course on Empathy and Imagination in Viterbo University's MA in Servant Leadership Program. Here are some websites that she has found helpful in learning about empathy:

BusinessBalls. Empathy and Trust.

Clark, Gable, & Barakat. Raising Kind Children.

Clemmer, Jim. Apathy and Cynicism Zap Our Spirit.

The Conover Company. The Success Profiler – Empathy.

The Organization Development Company. Empathy – A Key Concept

A Servant-Leadership Mission Statement

Recently JLP at Man on a Mission posted the Mission Statement for Whole Foods. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Whole Foods is a Natural/Organic Supermarket. This is no ordinary organic store, nor supermarket. How can one tell? Their company philosophy, which starts with a Declaration of Interdependence, spells it all out. Most of the ideas and principles one would expect from a servant-leader organization are here: teamwork, collaboration, passion, empowering others, stewardship, etc.

The other thing that makes this mission statement, and organization, unique is the way in which this was put together. In 1985 sixty (60!) people collaborated on it on their own time. It was subsequently updated in 1988, 1992 and 1997. The sheer length of this document also shows how much deep thought went into the process.

Take some time to read their mission statement. And if you are unfamiliar with Whole Foods, take the time to check them out. They are found mostly in larger cities. For those who have visited, leave some comments/impressions. Do their stores reflect what is in their mission statement?

Business education at the liberal arts university

Last week qualityg posted a comment wondering how many MBA programs teach servant-leadership. The answer is probably 'not many'. And those who do teach it are probably only talking about it, not integrating it into the curriculum. But it is a great question and I spent much of the weekend pondering why more business schools have not begun integrating servant-leadership into their programs.

Although all MBA programs should be integrating servant-leadership principles into their program, I believe that business schools at liberal arts universities in particular have a duty and obligation to do so. Why? Business schools and faculty have focused on equipping students with a repertoire of financial, marketing, and managerial vehicles for getting from "here" to "there." But little has been done to equip students to reflect on whether the "there" was worth getting to. This reflection is the reason why liberal arts universities exist.

While it has often been held that the liberal arts component of the business student's overall education would address the question of the "there," the practical result is an "alongside" education under the implicit motto "isolate, don't integrate." Understandably, students form the impression that they receive two types of education: one to make them more human (liberal arts classes), and the other to make them more money (business classes). Unsurprisingly, they are no clearer than their faculties about how the two fit together.

This is where servant-leadership fits in. One could say that servant-leadership takes the principles that liberal arts programs espouse to teach (ethics, common good, etc.) and fuses them together with how to run an effective business. Perhaps this is why more MBA programs have not picked it up and made it part of their curriculum.

I would encourage you to comment or e-mail me your thoughts. There is much more to this topic that cannot be addressed here, and I'm sure I'm only starting to scratch the surface of where this should go. But hopefully it will lead to further fruitful posts down the road.

A day of remembering heroism and tragedy

Hat tip: Steve @ Micro Persuasion

Great Help on Building Community

One of the ten characteristics of servant-leaders is "building community." Larry Spears, CEO of the Greenleaf Center, describes building community this way: "The servant-leader senses that much has been lost in recent human history as a result of the shift from local communities to large institutions as the primary shaper of human lives. This awareness causes the servant-leader to seek to identify some means for building community among those who work within a given institution. Servant-leadership suggests that true community can be created among those who work in businesses and other institutions. Greenleaf said, 'All that is needed to rebuild community as a viable life form for large numbers of people is for enough servant-leaders to show the way, not by mass movements, but by each servant-leader demonstrating his or her unlimited liability for a quite specific community-related group.'"

If you want to build community in your organization, school, or business, a helpful source -- a virtual toolbox -- is The Community Toolbox from the University of Kansas. Check it out for practical advice and strategies about everything from how to hold successful meetings to strategic planning for solving problems.

TGIF.......

It's been a rather long week at the office. And it was a holiday week to boot! Not that I'm complaining; it was a 'good' kind of long. I had some ideas for posts that just aren't going to make it on the blog....hopefully this weekend.

So I thought I'd leave you with a little science/management joke. My apologies if you've seen it before. For all of you public speakers out there, you might be able to get some mileage out of this one:

Elementronics:
The heaviest element known to science is Managerium.

This element has no protons or electrons, but has a nucleus composed of 1 neutron, 2 vice-neutrons, 5 junior vice-neutrons, 25 assistant vice-neutrons, and 125 junior assistant vice-neutrons all going round in circles.

Managerium has a half-life of three years, at which time it does not decay but institutes a series of reviews leading to reorganization.

Its molecules are held together by means of the exchange of tiny particles known as morons.

Pocketmod

Ran across pocketmod.com the other day via Bren at Slacker Manager. It is a neat little way to make an organizer out of a single sheet of paper. Didn't believe it until I tried it out, and it works!

There are times when I am at a conference or a presentation when I just want to jot down a quick note. By the time I get the information into my PDA, the speaker is on to another idea/story, etc. This will allow me to jot a quick note on paper without becoming distracted for long. And the nice thing is that it fits into my shirt pocket without being noticed.

Give it a try. Pay close attention to the directions as the first time can be a little tricky. Or perhaps it is just how my slow mind works!

They are at it again......

Last month I posted an article (see here) about a vote of "no confidence" that a university president received from the faculty. There were many reasons for this, but the one that stood out was a $25,000 raise the president received while the rest of the university was going through budget cuts.

Well, another president is coming under fire, this time at Idaho State University. Upset with the manner in which administrators received a sweeping pay raise, professors adopted a memo Wednesday calling on ISU President Richard Bowen to remedy the escalating situation. Here are a few things that stuck out in the article:

1) All 36 ISU administrators received raises totaling about $350,000 this past year. Some quick math will tell you this is almost $10,000 per administrator! That's a pretty nice raise when the faculty claim they've only seen minimal raises in recent years and have been misled about the availability of institutional funds.

2) The university president is out of town until later this month. OK, I must plead ignorance in that I really don't know what this president's job description is. But it's the start of the school year, and the president isn't on campus for at least the next couple of weeks?

3) The Vice President of Academic Affairs described himself as "between a rock and a hard place." I most certainly can understand how this person is torn between his work with the president and with the 600 or so faculty on campus. Tough situation to be in for sure.

And so where has all this left the faculty? A biology professor says "I think whatever shred of trust was left between administrators and faculty was violated." Certainly an understatement given the circumstances.

From a servant-leadership perspective, it sounds like the faculty are going about this the right way: drafting a memo, using strong language to express their frustration, and wanting to meet with the president. When we feel we have been wronged by those who we work for, we need to first think through our options and not let our emotions get the best of us.

The worst thing to do in this situation is to metaphorically "burn the house down." Demanding a resignation, which I'm sure is what many would like to see happen, will not do any good as the faculty do not have the power to remove the president; furthermore, it will only escalate the tension between the president and faculty at this point.

The prudent path is to communicate their displeasure and to attempt to open up the lines of communication, which is what was done here. The ball is now in the president's court. It will be interesting to see how he returns volley.

Servant-Leadership: Not a quick fix!

Many individuals that I meet are very interested in developing a servant-leadership culture in their organization. Inevitably the conversation gets around to timeframe. They often ask: How long will it take? Many think that they can have a few meetings, introduce the concept, and away they go.

They don't realize this isn't something that occurs overnight. This isn't a "10 point plan to running an effective business". As those who have successfully integrated Steven Covey's important work into their organization know, it take a large commitment, acknowlegement that there will be setbacks, and a deep desire to continually renew both oneself and the organization.

Perhaps the best explanation I have ever found is Peter Senge's. In his book, The Fifth Discipline, Peter proclaims that, unlike other forms of leadership, which tend to focus on what leaders should do, the domain of servant-leadership is rooted in “a state of being, not doing”.

Servant-leadership is not about action. It is about who we are, as individuals and as a community, at the core of our being. Tough stuff. And it takes time.

Why is Servant-Leadership becoming more signifcant?

In the same article as my previous post, Larry Spears, CEO of the Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, says that out of the many reasons why servant-leadership is becoming more significant, two are foremost:

1. Over the past 30 years, there has been a rising level of dissatisfaction at the workplace, with employees expecting much more of their companies in terms of care and encouraging attitudes. While the old hierarchical model still exists, many organizations are becoming flatter with decision-making increasingly made by teams rather than by a single individual.

2. Higher expectations are now demanded of organizations when it comes to customers and communities, on both the service side and the leadership side of the equation. Hence, more and more organizations committed to servant-leadership are rising or staying at the top of their specific industries.

Let me add a little bit more to Larry's 2nd point: Higher expectations are indeed demanded. And more than ever organizations must make sure that they do not become too focused on customers at the detriment of their employees and shareholders. Servant-Leadership can help in creating a model so that all three (customers, employees, and shareholders) are held in tension with one another. And that is why servant-leadership organizations are so successful.

The importance of Servant-Leadership

Two weeks ago I posted this article on servant-leadership that appreared in a Malaysian paper. Here you can find the second of the two-part series on servant-leadership. Just like the first article, those who are keenly aware of servant-leadership principles will not find anything new revealed. But the article points out two key reasons for the importance of servant-leadership in today’s organization:

1. The old command-and-control approach to leadership is no longer effective in today’s knowledge economy where people’s knowledge and skills play a key role;

2. Servant-leadership works well with the newer generation who do not wish to be told what to do but prefer to participate in analyzing situations, making decisions and exploring options.

I don't know that I would use the second point in reasoning with an organization to encourage them to utilize the principles of servant-leadership, but in my experience of working with teenagers and young adults it certainly does give an added benefit that I had not thought of before.

Work & Servant-Leadership

As this Labor Day weekend draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the role of servant-leadership and work. I find many employees today who are unhappy in their current jobs. When I inquire about the reason, I usually get the same answer in slightly various wording: "Management". For many employees, they see the leadership/management team that they are working for as being disconnected from what they do each day. Requests for change not only go unresolved, but often ignored completely. I've also found that people who are happy in their jobs largely credit this to "having a great boss".

How do we get some real, systemic change in organizations? This obviously isn't something where a quick fix will suffice. There are many facets to all of this. Here are just several areas that should be explored:

1) How is the business set up organizationally? In other words: what are the barriers keeping real communication from happening?; and how does the leadership respond to criticism? (This list could go on forever!);

2) What is the role of business schools in creating this environment? Is it fair to lay any blame at their feet, or are the management/employee disconnects all related to #1?; and

3) Are people allowed to integrate spirituality and work? How do we bridge the gap between the personal vocation of employees on the one hand and managerial practice on the other?

During this upcoming week, I'll explore all of these in a little bit more detail. In the meantime, I encourage you to leave thoughts/ideas/comments about other issues involving people's unhappiness at work.

Blogging from New Orleans?!?!

Yes, believe it or not, there is a web-hosting company in the Big Easy that is still up and running! The company has employees that are continuing to update their Live Journal with on-the street reports. They also have a photo gallery that is being updated with dozens of pictures each hour. We wish them the best and pray not only for their safety, but also for all the stranded in and around the area.

Are our organizations prepared to serve?

With all of the heartbreaking news pouring into our homes this week, Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans has likely not been far from our minds. And in talking with some colleagues about what we can do to help out the victims of this tragedy, the servant-leadership angle to all of this came to mind:

After 9/11 most organizations, including colleges and universities, developed or expanded crisis plans in case of disaster. Most business owners I talk with feel very prepared in case an emergency and/or disaster were to strike. The details are in place to secure people and the facilities. But as we are seeing events unfold along the gulf coast, I wonder if we are also prepared to assist and serve our neighborhoods and cities during these times as well.

Even in times of crisis, we should not abandon servant-leadership principles. Times like this are when we should be utilizing our resources for the common good. Most large businesses and colleges alike have the facilities, meeting rooms, etc. that can be used to help in times of need.

Does your organization have a crisis plan? Does it also involve making use of the resources available at that time to help those outside the organization? Does it include information about how to contact local, regional and state emergency-management agencies to offer assistance if possible? As servant-leaders, we should always be ready to contribute to the common good; even in times of crisis.

A Million Dollar Education

Recently the President of Purdue University, Dr. Martin C. Jischke, delivered a speech to the recipients of Purdue's full-scholarship program. He begins the speech by asking this question: What would you do if someone walked up to you at the close of this evening and gave you $1 million? He goes on to tell the story of two people and what they did with $1 million.

The speech ends like so:

In your lifetimes, you will use your Purdue education to earn in excess of a million dollars. Some of you will earn many, many times more.

Some of you might even have the opportunity to do something greater: impact the lives of millions of other people with the work that you will do.

For that, your greatest reward will not be monetary.

And it will be priceless.

You are here today because we believe in you.

We believe in your abilities. We believe in your future.

We are providing you the opportunity and all the support that you need to succeed.

What will you do with this million-dollar education?

What will you do with this million-dollar opportunity?

It is the most exciting question of your lives right now.

It is among my greatest hopes and dreams for tomorrow.

It is a wonderful read and well worth the time to read in full. It can be found here.

Abraham Lincoln: Yes, a Servant Leader

In the July 4, 2005, issue of Time, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin in "Master of the Game" makes a strong case that indeed Lincoln was a servant-leader. Goodwin lists and describes some of the characteristics of Lincoln's leadership: empathy, humor, magnanimity, generosity of spirit, perspective, self-control, a sense of balance, and a social conscience. These well-match the ten characteristics that Larry Spears, CEO of the Greenleaf Center, uses to describe servant-leaders.

Goodwin remarks: "Lincoln was a towering political genius--not because he had mastered the traditional rules of the game, but because he possessed a remarkable array of emotional strengths that are rarely found in political life. He had what we would call today a first-class emotional intelligence."

Lincoln had what we would now understand as many of the characteristics of a servant-leader.