In The Spirit of Servant-Leadership editors Shann Ferch and Larry Spears present an elegant and powerful approach to the nature of the leader-follower dynamic, with a specific focus on many of the most radical, life-affirming, and transformative facets of the servant-leader. In essence, The Spirit of Servant-Leadership speaks to the soul of humanity by gathering a bright symphony of voices, including some of the current thought-leaders of contemporary leadership. Among the many voices in this volume, Peter Block questions the very nature of leadership and draws people to more deeply understand the subtlety, humility, and self-transcendence required to develop one another, individually and collectively. Larry C. Spears delves into the rich earth of holistic servant-leadership, and creates multidimensional growth and healing for the heart, mind, and spirit. Margaret Wheatley calls people to deeply consider the interior formation of leaders that create greater transparency, less command and control, and more willingness to be sincerely changed by others. James Autry unveils important truths about the process of insight involved in true servant-leadership, and Shann Ferch speaks to the nature of intimacy and the profound questions of forgiveness between people, cultures, and nations. Robert Greenleaf, former AT & T executive and the contemporary founder of servant-leadership said, "Behind every great achievement is a dreamer of great dreams." The Spirit of Servant-Leadership affirms people in all the complexity and nuance of the human endeavor, and helps renew in readers the ability to dream great dreams. +
From INSIGHTS ON LEADERSHIP . . . Robert K. Greenleaf from "The Servant as Leader" "The servant-leader is servant first. Becoming a servant-leader begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. . . . The best test is this: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?" Stephen R. Covey from "Servant-Leadership from the Inside Out" "You may be able to buy someone's hand and back, but you cannot buy their heart, mind, and spirit. And in the competitive reality of today's global marketplace, it will be only those organizations whose people not only willingly volunteer their tremendous creative talent, commitment, and loyalty, but whose organizations align their structures, systems, and management style to support the empowerment of their people that will survive and thrive as market leaders." Ken Blanchard from "Servant-Leadership Revisited" "With the traditional pyramid, the boss is always responsible and the staff are supposed to be responsive to the boss. When you turn the pyramid upside down, those roles get reversed. Your people become responsible and the job of management is to be responsive to their people. That creates a very different environment for implementation. If you work for your people, then what is the purpose of being a manager? To help them accomplish their goals. Your job is to help them win." INSIGHTS ON LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTORS Stephen R. Covey * Larry C. Spears * Robert K. Greenleaf * Ken Blanchard * Elizabeth Jeffries * Joe Batten * Lawrence J. Lad and David Luechauer * Jack Lowe Jr. * Ann McGee-Cooper * Peter Block * Susana Barciela * John J. Gardiner * Richard P. Nielsen * Jill W. Graham * Bill Bottum with Dorothy Lenz * Robert E. Kelley * Judith A. Sturnick * Parker J. Palmer * Diane Cory * Diane Fassel * Thomas A. Bausch * Christine Wicker * James Conley and Fraya Wagner-Marsh * Joseph Jaworski * John P. Schuster * Ken Melrose * John S. Lore * James A. Autry * Irving R. Stubbs * James M. Kouzes * Jeffrey N. McCollum * Margaret J. Wheatley * Don M. Frick "It is one of the great ironies of our age that we created organizations to constrain our problematic human natures, and now the only thing that can save these organizations is a full appreciation of the expansive capacities of us humans." --Margaret J. Wheatley from "What Is Our Work?" Leadership without hierarchy? Organization in a whirlwind of change? Community and shared responsibility in a global village? Soul in a free-enterprise world? Robert Greenleaf's visionary theory of Servant-Leadership continues to engage many of the best minds in and out of business. Greenleaf's prescriptions for employee empowerment and organizational change continue to achieve nothing short of miraculous results in organizations worldwide. As one enthusiastic observer wrote in Fortune magazine, "Once the consensus is forged, watch out: With everybody on board, your so-called implementation proceeds 'wham-bam.'" In this sequel to the critically acclaimed Reflections on Leadership, many of today's most respected business thinkers share their insights into key aspects of Robert Greenleaf's revolutionary thinking. Over the course of 33 essays, a dream team consisting of such luminaries as Stephen Covey, Ken Blanchard, Peter Block, Margaret Wheatley, John Schuster, and James Autry explore how Greenleaf has influenced today's business leaders and discuss a range of leadership principles at the heart of his philosophy, including stewardship, the spirit of the workplace, and the concept of healing leadership. A source of inspiration and instruction, Insights on Leadership is required reading for senior executives, community leaders, and managers in for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
Servant Leadership addresses a fundamental concern of the contemporary church by asking pertinent questions of the New Testament: Who became a leader in the Jesus movement and in Pauline Christianity? What was the social status of these leaders in the outside world as compared to the importance of such social status within the faith community? What practices characterized their leadership within the communities they served? The book explores models of leadership in the New Testament s two prime exemplars, Jesus and Paul, and in their respective communities of faith. It studies both Paul s statements and actions with regard to leadership issues with specific church communities, using Thessalonians, the Corinthians, the Galatians, and the Philippians correspondence as case studies in the practice of leadership. It concludes with a discussion of leadership challenges in the modern church and how a Pauline or Deutero-Pauline model can work for us today. The author shows how understanding one s followers, as well as the goals and purposes of the group one leads, is a fundamental function of leadership today, even in the corporate world. Similarly, although we expect Christian leadership to be confrontational and assertive at times, it must also be open to creating opportunities for others to exercise their gifts and, therefore, their leadership. Good leaders move others to respond to their own personal calls and commitments.
A Practical Guide to Using the Principles of Servant Leadership Leadership is a calling. And servant leadership—the idea that managing with respect, honesty, love, and spirituality empowers employees—helps individuals answer that calling. Bestselling author and former Fortune 500 executive James A. Autry reveals the servant leader’s tools, a set of skills and ideals that will transform the way business is done. It helps leaders nurture the needs and goals of those who look to them for leadership. The result is a more productive, successful, and happier organization, and a more meaningful life for the leader. Autry reveals how to remain true to the servant leadership model when handling day-to-day and long-term management situations, including how to: •Provide guidance during conflict and crisis •Assure your continued growth and progress as a leader •Train managers in the principles of servant leadership •Transform a company with morale problems into a great place to work Practiced by one-third of the companies on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list, servant leadership is a thriving philosophy. Ultimately, Autry explores how it can be a valuable, refreshing, and rewarding approach to leading others in business life.
The world is obsessed with leaders: identifying them, training them, becoming them. Even in the church, this preoccupation is all-too apparent. Jesus, however, is not interested in developing leaders. Rather, he is interested in the formation of servants. In this powerful reflection on leadership and servanthood, Dr. Hwa Yung addresses the overemphasis on leadership development within the church. Challenging a culture of hubris, ambition, and self-seeking, he reminds us that ministry is not a call to position and power but to service and obedience. He draws us back to the example of Christ, who came as a servant of God and of his kingdom, who lived in submission to the Father, and who rooted himself in his identity as the incarnate Son of God. Linking spiritual authority to these three characteristics, Hwa Yung offers examples from both Scripture and church history to demonstrate that it is in fact the faithful practice of servanthood that leads to leadership impact.
In a church culture that is rapidly losing its unique, intergenerational make-up in favor of small groups and even entire churches designed to target specific age groups, it can be difficult for ministers to relate to those who are not in their own demographic. But Warren and David Wiersbe, representing two generations, believe that generational differences should not keep ministers from relating to their congregations. In this thoughtful and practical book, they offer ten principles for Christian service that always work, at all times and in all places, inviting ministers to get back to the basics of serving others. New and seasoned pastors alike will find this a welcome source of inspiration and instruction on how they can relate and minister to people of all ages.
This book explores the concepts from Scripture for Servant leadership and compare these findings with contemporary models of servant leadership. It is an examination of Christian leadership for the contemporary world in its global and increasing secular context. Leadership studies typically view leadership externally from the results. This is a good beginning but leadership needs to also view the inside of leadership in the person of the leader. Scripture is uniquely qualified in this area since its first concern is the person who leads not just in leadership behaviors. The author uses examples from both the Old and New Testament to establish a new shepherd model of leadership that moves beyond the servant mode to the mode of caring direction. This model will provide scholars and researchers as well as leaders themselves with a way of leading that overcomes negative forms of leadership which lead to failure.
In a world where leaders and organizations face conflicts and complexity at an alarming rate, where human cruelty sometimes dominates kindness in individuals and families, and where nations hover in the shadow of moral and financial collapse, how do we find courage to forge a strong and enduring path into the future? In a fresh and profound approach to the personal, organizational, and global dynamic, discerning leaders consider the role of leadership and forgiveness in the midst of political and social upheaval. The epicenter of Servant-Leadership and Forgiveness speaks to leadership, the heart of the leader, and the power of forgiveness. It is a compilation of insightful, life-transformative, and significant essays on the nexus of servant-leadership and forgiveness in everyday life, the organizational world, and international contexts. The hope of the book is that people of all ages and creeds will engage in a deeper conversation around forgiveness and leadership, specifically servant-leadership, and reach greater personal and collective responsibility for leadership that helps heal the heart of the world through forgiveness.
"A collection of eight of Greenleaf's most compelling essays on servant-leadership, ... [an] approach to leadership ... which puts serving others, including employees, customers, and community, first."--Back cover.
