In How to Become a Servant Leader, the following practices were cited by authors Bob Vanourek and Gregg Vanourek:
- Listening: acknowledging the viewpoint of followers and validating these perspectives.
- Empathy: standing in the shoes of others and seeing things from their point of view.
- Healing: in helping followers become whole, servant leaders are themselves healed.
- Awareness: understanding oneself and the impact one has on others.
- Persuasion: creating change through gentle, nonjudgmental argument.
- Conceptualization: being a visionary for an organization.
- Foresight: predicting what is coming based on the present and the past.
- Stewardship: carefully managing the people and organization—and holding the organization in trust for the greater good of society.
- Commitment to the Growth of People: treating followers as unique and worthy, with intrinsic value beyond what they contribute to the organization.
- Building Community: helping followers identify with something greater than themselves.
I enjoyed the chance to be reminded of these excellent recommendations during my morning reading today. Later in the morning I was pleased to read this below prayer shared by a colleague. Blessings on your week ahead!
Ultimately, both justice and the motivation for seeking it must be grounded in the equality of all human beings before God and in our respect for nature as also being God’s child. – Ronald Rolheiser
Keeping the Faith 