 |
In the Catalog
What is servant leadership? Is it a philosophy, or a theory, or a set of values, or a list of characteristics, or a series of practices—or some combination of all of these things? Professor Stephen Prosser addresses these questions in the context of the literature and research on servant leadership in the new essay Servant Leadership: More Philiosophy, Less Theory. After reviewing the ways in which people try to describe and explain leadership, he provides six reasons why servant leadership is a philosophy, not a theory, concerning service and the practice of leadership. The essay is concise, and designed for the practitioner. To buy copies of the essay, click here.
Servant-Institutions in Business by Jerry Glashagel, Greenleaf Center Program Consultant, is now available. The 84-page book tells how eight companies approach the challenge of serving their employees, customers, business partners and community partners and outlines the characteristics of servant-institutions in business. To order copies, click here.
Support the Greenleaf Center
Each search through GoodSearch will raise money for the Greenleaf Center. Select Robert K. Greenleaf as the charity you want to support.
|
|
Margaret Wheatley
Here are comments from other authors regarding Robert K. Greenleaf and servant leadership:
Margaret Wheatley gave a talk on “The Work of the Servant Leader” at the 1999 conference. In her talk, which was published in Focus on Leadership, she said:
"There are many patterns, many beliefs, out there about leadership, about people, about motivation, about human development. The essential truth I’m discovering right now is that when we are together, more becomes possible. When we are together, joy is available. In the midst of a world that is insane, that will continue to surprise us with new outrages…in the midst of that future, the gift is each other. We have lived with a belief system that has not told us that. We have lived with a belief that has said, ‘We’re in it for ourselves. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. Only the strong survive and you can’t trust anybody.’ That’s the belief that’s operating in most organizations if you scratch the surface. The belief that called you to be a servant-leader, I believe, is the belief of who we are as a species. We have need for each other. We have a desire for each other, and, more and more, I believe that if the real work is to stay together, then we are not only the best resource to move into this future—we are the only resource….We need to learn how to be together: that is the essential work of the servant-leader."
|
|
