Notes #9 Love Works

The concept of servant leadership is one we have and will continue to revisit in this series. I have also found works that are servant leadership works, but which provide a different expression or interpretation of it. An example of such a work is Love Works by Joel Manby. I had heard of this work recently, and was thrilled when I was able to see him give the keynote address at the 2012 Toastmasters International Convention. After getting him to sign a copy, I asked him if he was aware of the concept of servant leadership, and he said he was. He clearly accepted that this work is servant leadership, but using a different way of expressing it.

Notes #8 Effective Meetings

(part of the parliamentary procedure subseries)

How can you have effective meetings?  By having and following an agenda and an Order of Business.  The “Order of Business” is the standard blueprint for your meetings. Most groups follow these standard sections (tho some may add a few additional ones). This is then put down on their meeting agenda, which everyone is given a copy of when the meeting begins. This allows everyone to understand what they will be dealing with at each stage of the meeting.  

Standard Order of Business has the following sections, in this order:

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes
• Reports of Officers, Boards, and Standing Committees
• Reports of Special Committees
• Special Orders
• Unfinished Business & General Orders
• New Business
• Adjournment

What happens during each of these sections?

 

Notes #7 Situational Leadership

What may be a well known leadership concept is Situational Leadership (SL).  Despite what some on other forums claim, it’s a widely used leadership idea, NOT a "corporate management tool" or the like.  Many organizations include this in their leadership program.  I was fortunate to attend an "executive briefing" on Situational Leadership a few years back, given by the co-developer of SL, Dr. Paul Hersey.  Hersey provides training in SL thru his Center for LeadershipStudies. (Ken Blanchard, the other co-developer, does the same with his version of SL, called SLII, thru the Ken Blanchard Companies.  

While I am familiar with SL, I felt that going to such a presentation, given by a co-creator, would give some good insights into it.  I wasn't wrong.  Below are my notes of his presentation, with some additional comments by myself in brackets.

Notes #6 Servant Leadership Books from the Greenleaf Center

For those studying and learning servant leadership, checking out the Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership is a good idea. One of the resources they have is the various works on servant leadership they offer for sale in their shop, some of which they have published.

The Center has been publishing several small books on servant leadership in the last several of years. These are all short, about 80-100 pages, and all are very good. This posting will look at the first five ones.  They are "Stand Tall", "Servant-Institutions in Business", "The Case for Servant Leadership", “The Hine Bibliography”, and “Start with Humility.”

Notes #5 Basics of Parliamentary Procedure

(First of the parliamentary procedure sub-series)

 

For leaders, there are many skills that can serve them well.  In addition to developing a better understanding of leadership, for instance, being able to communicate their vision thru spoken and written word is important.  Being about to plan things is good.  And a working knowledge of parliamentary procedure can also be useful.  But what is “parliamentary procedure”?  Too often many, especially young people, have a poor understanding of what it is.  And this is not helped by others who have misinformed them.
 

It’s important to realize that when people come together to make decisions, they need a method of doing so.  Our ancestors understood this, in their gatherings in villages and small communities.  How do you put forth your idea or proposal?  How do you handle the discussion or debate about it?  How do you handle any changes to the proposal?  How do you handle making a decision?   Over time an agreed upon set of rules were developed, which came to be referred to as “parliamentary procedure”.  And over time, parliamentary procedure has come to mean more regarding the running of meetings and organizations (such as agendas, meeting minutes, and even basic officer duties).  Not surprising that term is used.  A parliament is a legislative body, one which makes laws.  It comes from the word ‘parley’, to speak or discuss.

Notes #4 The Servant Leadership writings of Robert Greenleaf

As the modern creator of the servant leadership concept, the works of Robert Greenleaf are important to anyone wanting a better understanding of this concept.  Greenleaf first enunciated the concept in a series of essays, which focused on different uses of the concept.  Some of these essays are still available as stand along works, as well as part of several collections.  All of these can be obtained from the Greenleaf Center.

The initial essays are “Servant as Leader” (1977), “The Institution as Servant”, “Trustees as Servants”, “Teacher as Servant” (1979), along with “Seminary as Servant”, “Spirituality as Leadership”, “The Leadership Crisis” and others.

There are 2 collections of essential essays readers should consider.  The first is the classic Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness, published in a 25^th anniversary edition in 2002.  This collection includes: “Servant as Leader”, “The Institution as Servant”, “Trustees as Servants”, essays on servant leadership in business, education, foundations and churches, “Servant-Leaders” and more.
 

The second collection is The Servant-Leader Within: A Transformative Path, a more recent and shorter work, and includes: “The Servant as Leader” (original 1970 edition), “Teacher as Servant”, and “Life’s Choices and Makers”, along with introductory and supplemental materials.  This work is useful for those wanted just a basic introduction to Greenleaf’s concept, otherwise I would recommend the first collection instead.
 

In 1996, two collections of his private (and previously unpublished) writings were published: On Becoming a Servant Leader and Seeker and Servant: Reflections on Religious Leadership.   Of these two, I think the first collection would be of more interest to most readers.  In 1998, The Power of Servant-Leadership came out.  This is considered the final collection of his writings, and includes works such as “Old Age: The Ultimate Test of Spirit”, “Have You a Dream Deferred?”, “My Debt to E. B. White”, “Servant: Retrospect and Prospect”, “Seminary as Servant”, “The Leadership Crisis”, “Education and Maturity” and more.

If you are considering just one work, Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness would be the one I’d recommend.  If you want to go further, getting The Power of Servant-Leadership should be next, then On Becoming a Servant Leader.

Most recently, a biography of Greenleaf, Robert K. Greenleaf: A Life of Servant Leadership has been written.  I have not read it, but hope its good.

Notes #3 An Introduction to Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership.  What is it?  Do you know?  A lot of people may have heard the term in recent years, but do they really understand what it means?  Or is it just the latest leadership buzz word? 

While the basic concept of servant leadership has been around for a long time, the modern usage of it started in 1970 with the publication of an essay entitled “The Servant as Leader” by Robert Greenleaf, who is considered the modern originator of the concept.  From that concept he further developed it and others have also come along, including Larry Spears, Stephen Covey, Ken Blanchard, Max De Pree and others who have added and expanded on it.