Leadership is a Challenge; "Servant Leadership is Particularly Worthwhile"
In a short video, Sandy Singer, Artist, Civil Engineer and Project Manager, speaking at a Wisconsin Servant Leadership City Wide Conference in the Spring of 2024 shares that she feels that Servant Leadership is “innate and something natural.”
WISL (Wisconsin Servant Leadership) would like to suggest an editorial, published in the American Journal of Critical Care, where they share a similar message.
Below are Five Key Points from the editorial titled: “Servant Leadership: The Primacy of Service”
American Journal of Critical Care by Richard H. Savel, MD; Cindy Munro, RN. PhD, ANP
- Innate Desire to Serve: The concept of servant leadership begins with a natural feeling of wanting to serve others. This intrinsic motivation to serve is what differentiates a servant leader from a traditional leader who may be driven by power or material gains.
- Natural Progression to Leadership: According to Robert K. Greenleaf, the modern proponent of servant leadership, the desire to serve naturally leads to the aspiration to lead. This progression is a conscious choice that stems from the initial impulse to serve.
- Human Nature and Leadership: Servant leadership aligns with the infinite variety of human nature. It emphasizes that the servant-first approach is deeply rooted in human tendencies to care for others and prioritize their needs.
- Focus on Growth and Well-being: A servant leader is committed to ensuring that those they serve grow as individuals. This includes becoming healthier, wiser, freer, and more autonomous, which reflects the leader’s natural inclination to foster the well-being of others.
- Humility and Modesty: Practicing humility is a key characteristic of servant leadership. It involves recognizing one’s own limitations and giving credit to others, which is consistent with a natural, modest approach to leadership that values collaboration and collective success.
These points highlight how servant leadership is not just a learned skill but a natural extension of one’s inherent desire to serve and support others.
Summary created with the assistance of Microsoft Copilot January 2, 2025
Gene A. Wright
MSOE Rader School of Business