In How to Become a Servant Leader, the following practices were cited by authors Bob Vanourek and Gregg Vanourek:

1. Listening: acknowledging the viewpoint of followers and validating these perspectives.
2. Empathy: standing in the shoes of others and seeing things from their point of view.
3. Healing: in helping followers become whole, servant leaders are themselves healed.
4. Awareness: understanding oneself and the impact one has on others.
5. Persuasion: creating change through gentle, nonjudgmental argument.
6. Conceptualization: being a visionary for an organization.
7. Foresight: predicting what is coming based on the present and the past.
8. Stewardship: carefully managing the people and organization—and holding the organization in trust for the greater good of society.
9. Commitment to the Growth of People: treating followers as unique and worthy, with intrinsic value beyond what they contribute to the organization.
10. 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

“On grace and gratitude” is how a recent meeting opened for me. The theme to this opening prayer compelled me to think in thanksgiving of all those working so diligently and thoughtfully to support my family and me. From the crossing guard, to the garbage collector, to the educational therapist, to the volunteer CYO basketball coach…not to mention my children’s teachers, along with our friends and colleagues. I enter into these upcoming Christmas weeks in deep gratitude for all those serving my community.

I have also enjoyed numerous recent opportunities to reflect upon Mary. In my Catholic Christian faith, we celebrate her as the mother of God. My wife and I attended my kids’ school liturgy on one of Mary’s recent feast days, and I also attended a luncheon at my office on that same day. Mary’s commitment to community and her courage have always inspired me. As I prepare to celebrate my first Christmas without my own mother here on earth, I find myself praying more often to Mary and leaning on her example and life story to grow my own resilience and perseverance.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the strain of the omicron variant of Covid-19 that now faces our global community. My children were unexpectedly home for the last half of the week due to an outbreak at school, healthcare institutions in certain parts of the United States are already overburdened, and together we face this next unknown chapter with cumulative exhaustion. May God protect our healthcare workers and support all those affected by this next wave of our pandemic.

“Becoming a More Humane Leader” emphasizes humility, listening and supporting others to reach their full potential. I pray that we practice these tenets throughout these holiday weeks. I hope that the joy and potential of Christmas bring to you and yours the blessings that God wishes for each and every one of us. Take care and stay healthy.

Recently I read this blog post on the importance of “transformational leadership.” I agree wholeheartedly with author George Couros and his assessment of the distinction between transactional and transformational leadership. I feel blessed to work alongside transformational leaders.

The Danger of a Single Story also reminds us to utilize empathy as a basis for accompaniment, service and leadership. This Ted Talk delivered by Novelist Chimamanda Adichie was shown at a workshop I attended last month. To be safely learning alongside other educators- in person once again- is a true gift.

As we enter into these holiday weeks ahead, may we remain present, grounded and aware of all our blessings that abound.

This week we are setting up our Day of the Dead altar at home. This altar will remain displayed until after Thanksgiving. I greatly appreciate this annual ritual of calling to mind those who have gone before us and their continued presence in our lives today.

My mom, Joan, joins my dad, Al, and other loved ones on display in this year’s altar. It will be an emotional experience for me to print out and place her photo in a new frame. Our neighbor Alan joins the group this year, too. Both of these losses in the last 5 months continue to challenge and inspire me each day to be my best self to my kids, colleagues, friends and family.

“The Passion of Questlove” describes the journey of well-rounded musician, Questlove, of the group, “The Roots.” Reading this NY Times article this morning expanded my appreciation for Questlove’s talents and interests. I first became familiar with his band while in college in Philadelphia, and have since become a big fan of Questlove’s musical diversity through his leadership of Jimmy Fallon’s house band on “The Tonight Show.” If you haven’t yet seen, “Summer of Soul,” I highly recommend it.

I hope to continue to tap into similar inspirations, interests, and ancestors for the resilience to enter into the winter months that lie ahead. May these autumn weeks continue to bring promise and hope.