PHILOSOPHY & FACTS
SERVANT-LEADERSHIP IS A GUIDE FOR LIFE AND WORK
DID YOU KNOW?
SERVANT-LEADERSHIP ...
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Of the 10 top companies of Fortune magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For in America (2008), six are based on servant-leadership principles (Trompenaars and Voerman, 2010, p. 26).
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gives perspective to anyone at any level who may be struggling with cultural differences (Trompenaars and Voerman, 2010 p. xii).
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is an abbreviation of "the servant as leader;" Greenleaf intends "an inherent spiritual nature" rather than oppression (Ferch et al., pp.17-18; Greenleaf, 1998, p. xi).
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does not see "us" or "them," but "we," which allows a bridge between different views or opinions (Trompenaars and Voerman, 2010 p. xiii).
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is not a "quick-fix," but a long-term transformational approach (Ferch et al., 2015, p. 9).
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drives leaders internally, and therefore the leader does not get stuck in the problems of the traditional power model (Trompenaars and Voerman, 2010, p. 11).
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focuses on daring to be who we are, not perfection in everything (Ferch et al., p. 135).
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sees cultural differences as opportunities to create something stronger --together (Trompenaars and Voerman, 2010, p. 17).
The best test is: Do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?"
Robert K. Greenleaf
in "The Servant Leader (1970)"
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When most companies use the term "leadership," they are referring to the power model, in which leadership is "attainment, exercise, and retention of power;" Power becomes a goal and this fosters competition between groups (Trompenaars and Voerman, 2010, p. 13).