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Servant Leadership

Paul and Christina Semmens

6 February 2010

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Words

† There have been millions of words written in an effort to define leadership

† I would suggest that the fundamentals of good leadership are universal…whatever you label them

† Leaders are different than managers; but managers & positional leaders lead as well…the issue is how they do it & what is important

† Leadership is a function of who we are and where we are

† As Catholics, we are called upon to build the Kingdom; to conduct our lives in truth and justice– The core of all great leaders is within

– They suck people forward with them

† The issue is what are our core values as Catholics & how do we apply them to a leadership model

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Outline

† Definition of Leadership

† Defining leadership by Comparison

† Leader Competencies

† Leadership Styles

† Leadership Case Studies

† Practice Exercise

† How to be a Christian Leader

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Leadership Definition

† (noun) leader: a person who rules or guides or inspires others

† (noun) leadership, leading the activity of leading"his leadership inspired the team”.

† The Army defines leadership as influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation, while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.

† Army Regulation 600-100 , 8 Mar 07

† (noun) Knight •A medieval gentleman-soldier, usually high-born, raised by a sovereign to privileged military status after training as a page and squire•A man holding a nonhereditary title conferred by a sovereign in recognition of personal merit or service to the country•A man belonging to an order or brotherhood, a defender, champion, or zealous upholder of a cause or principle•The devoted champion of a lady

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Leader-Manager Comparison

LeadersSubject Managers

• Have

• Horizon

• Appeal to

• Energy

• Persuasion

• Style

• Risks

• Truth

• Credit

• Followers

• Long term

• Heart

• Passion

• Sell

• Transformational

• Takes

• Seeks

• Gives

• Tell

• Transactional

• Avoids

• Establishes

• Takes

• Head

• Control

• Short Term

• Subordinates

It is all about Leader Core Values!

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Leader Competencies-Expectations

† Every big Organization has leader competencies– Expectations on how the organization’s leaders are to behave *rights

of passage]

– These competencies are based on the organization’s mission and experience

† All leader competencies are organized into the same general categories:– Individual traits of the leader

– Traits associated with task accomplishment

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Leader Competencies

† Individual Traits-those associated with the Leader him/her self– Character Traits: Integrity, Judgment, Initiative, Loyalty,

Unselfishness, Self Knowledge, Trust

– Leader Performance: Tenacity, Knowledge, Courage, Enthusiasm, Decisiveness, Dependability, Flexibility

– People Skills: Tact, communications [to include listening]; team building/coaching skills

† Performance Traits:– Vision

– Getting results

– Improving the organization

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Leadership Styles

Most Leaders operate in the Middle Somewhere!

Positional {Self Serving?} Servant

Leadership Spectrum

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Servant Leader-Positional Leader Comparison

Servant Leaders

• Followers

• Long term

• Heart

• Passion

• Sell

• Transformational

• Takes

• Seeks

• Gives

Subject

• Have

• Horizon

• Appeal to

• Energy

• Persuasion

• Style

• Risks

• Truth

• Credit

Positional Leaders

• Subordinates

• Short Term

• Head

• Control

• Tell

• Transactional

• Avoids

• Establishes

• Takes

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So..the Leadership Template Has many Components

Core Values

Individual Traits

Performance Traits

Environment

Who We Are

Where We Are

What We Do

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MaleInitiation(Teens)

•Idealism•Exp Power•Necessary

Egotism•Work, delayed

gratification•Immaturity

•Righteousness•Sacrifice

•Sense of boundaries•Begins to let go of self

Self Identity

•Inner loss of meaning•Sometimes failure•Attempts to regain control•Confronts limits•Being a warrior or hero doesn’t work•Loss self control

Crisis of Limitation

(Ages 40-65)

•Lets go•Patience, compassion, Dark Night of Faith•Secure enough to be insecure•Redefinition of success•Prayer essential•Improving self knowledge

•God in charge•Return to simplicity•Being human more important than control, power, possessions

HolyFool

Journey of Embitterment

•Confrontation, no enlightenment•Looking to blame

Wild Man to Wise ManFather Richard Rohr

Leadership is a Function of Who We Are & Where we are

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“Regard your soldiers as your children and they will follow you into

the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and

they will stand by you even unto death.

If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your authority

felt…then your soldiers must be likened to spoiled children; they are

useless for any practical purpose.”

Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Leaders Need to Get the Job Done!

Some Final Leader Thoughts

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Leadership Case Studies

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Vince Lombardi –Servant leader or authoritative leader?

† Core Values: – Staunch Catholic; man of integrity

– “…I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour…is that moment when he has to work his heart out in a good cause and he’s exhausted on the field of battle—victorious.”

† Individual Leadership Traits: – Tore players down and then built them up

– Players respected him

† Performance Traits: – “Winning is not a sometime thing, it’s an all the time

thing.”

– “The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules-but to win.”

– Five time NFL Champion

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Martin Luther KingServant leader or authoritative leader?

† Core Values:

• Leaders must be willing to learn

• Incredible integrity, courage & tenacity

† Individual Leadership Traits:

• Leaders must lead

• Stood up for what he thought was right

• Incredible patience in the face of adversity

† Performance Traits:

• Communicated his vision

• Resolved interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts…with dignity and Christian love

• He had a vision based on principles

• “I have a dream…”

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St Ignatius of Loyola 1491-1556

Servant leader or authoritative leader?

† Core Traits:

•Strong belief in service for the greater glory of God “Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam”

•Saw Church as Christ on Earth and the Jesuits swore obedience to the Pope

•Initiative-saw the need for Jesuits to serve God in the world but not be of the world

•Believed self knowledge was of utmost importance-the Daily Examen

† Individual Traits:•Created a climate of flexibility•Magis– Had a ceaseless effort to do better, achieve more

† Performance Traits•Instituted a structured training program and Guide for the Order•Practiced delegation•Preached detachment•The Jesuits have lasted for 450 Years•Great vision; trained and provided staff for the emerging

Universities in the 16th century

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St Teresa Of Avila 1515-1582Servant Leader or Authoritative Leader?

† Core Values:

She set the example in her prayer life, her persistence against her personal struggles and her battles to reform

Believed she existed to do God’s will

Beautiful, adaptable, courageous; totally human

† Individual Traits:

– Very decisive—when God called, she went

– A shrewd businesswoman in a man’s world

– Very affectionate, outgoing and enthusiastic

† Performance Traits:

– Wrote and travelled extensively to teach her “sisters” in the 17 convents she formed

– Returned the Carmelites to their core values despite extensive criticism and persecution

– Became the first female Doctor of the Church

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John R. GalvinServant Leader or Authoritative Leader?

† Core Values– Gentleman in every regard-never lost his

temper

† Individual Traits– Wrote 50 General Officer notes a day

thanking people

– Had the amazing ability to establish a personal relationship with a large number of people

– Wrote three very good military history books

† Performance Traits– Retired as SACEUR

– Focused his Division on the mission

– Active in the community

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Concluding thoughts on Leadership

† Truly great leaders guide their actions by their core values. As Catholics:

– We need frequent guidance from the “Boss”; our Lord through the Holy Spirit

• Which we obtain from the establishment of a relationship with God called Prayer

– We need to understand that God put us where we are for a reason

• And exercise humility and patience in conducting our affairs based on TRUST

• We need to know ourselves, remain calm, not worry, based on the realization that we are not in charge, HE is

† Easy to verbalize, hard to execute…takes practice

— Which will be challenged based on personal circumstances-where they are

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The *Servant+ Leader’s Path

† Will be often marked by times of trial– Many managers establish the truth rather than seek it

† Servant leaders are often misunderstood; this leadership style requires constant communication and coaching– Your definition of what’s important can flow against the organizational

standard

– It’s hard work; it’s easier to assign tasks and then blame

† It requires patience and humility:– You might see the solution and want to make a change but the time may not

be right-can cause frustration if your values aren’t right

– It requires courage sometimes to debate rather than argue; to follow rather than having it your way

† Eating your ego [Service] is a lot less glamorous than being perceived as the stud leader but God know who His warriors are…

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Some Final Leader Thoughts

† Leadership in the military is vertical

• Leaders lead& follow at the same time

& horizontal

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Practical Exercise

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Outline

† Definition of Leadership

† Leader-Manager Comparison

† Leader Competencies

† Leadership Styles

† Leadership Case Studies

† Principles of Servant Leadership

† Cultivating the Habits and Attitudes of a Servant Leader

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Principles of Servant Leadership

† Relationships First

– Jesus is the epitome of the servant leader

• Modeled AND instructed

• Last Supper

– Pope John Paul II

– Modern scholarship

– The fundamental core of leadership is being a servant.

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Principles of Servant Leadership

† Relationships First

† Fixed on Mission

– Unswerving focus on fulfilling the mission

– Mission will be accomplished despite the personal cost

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Principles of Servant Leadership

† Relationships First

† Fixed on Mission

† Edging God Out vs Exalting God Only• Self-centered

• Pride (promoting self) and Fear (protecting self)

• Separates, compares and distorts

• Who do I worship?

• What is my source of security and self-worth?

• Who is my audience and my judge?

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Principles of Servant Leadership

† Edging God Out vs Exalting God Only• God-centered

• Humility and Confidence

• Community and Fellowship

• Contentment and Generosity

• Trust and Truth

• Inspiration and Commitment

• Who do I worship?

• Who is my source of security and self-worth?

• Who is my audience and my judge?

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Principles of Servant Leadership

† Relationships First

† Fixed on Mission

† Edging God Out vs Exalting God Only

† Vision and Application

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Four Skills of Servant Leadership

† Intimacy– Understanding that everyone is an unique blend of gifts, and despite

common developmental stages, everyone develops differently

† Diagnosis– Due to individual uniqueness, everyone has unique needs

† Flexibility– Different stages of development (novice, apprentice, journeyman,

master) require different types of leadership

† Partnering– Frequent communication between leader and follower

– Understanding that the success of individual brings about the success of all

† All these skills are used in order to fulfill the mission.

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Cultivating the Habits and Attitudesof a Servant Leader or…

Cultivating a “Theology of the Head, Heart, Hands and Feet”

– The faith journey is a transformative, life-long process

– Model to help you continuously grow and mature in your faith

– Different aspects of the journey may be emphasized at different times during your life

– Must be open to continuous change

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Cultivating the Habits and Attitudesof a Servant Leader

Theology of the Head, Heart, Hands and Feet

– Feet

• Practice solitude

– Heart

• Pray daily

• Worship and receive the sacraments regularly

• Consider sacramentals and devotions that flourish in the Church

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Cultivating the Habits and Attitudes of a Servant Leader

Theology of the Head, Heart, Hands and Feet

– Head

• Read Scripture

• Explore the lives and reflections of saints and Christian scholars

– Hands

• Accept and model unconditional love, humility and patience

• Serve others

• Build community

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Cultivating the Habits and Attitudesof a Servant Leader

Theology of the Head, Heart, Hands and Feet– Feet

• Practice solitude– Heart

• Pray daily• Worship and receive the sacraments regularly• Consider sacramentals and devotions that flourish in the Church

– Head• Read Scripture• Explore the lives and reflections of saints and Christian scholars

– Hands• Accept and model unconditional love, humility and patience• Serve others• Build community

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Practical Exercise

† Cultivating a Servant’s HABITS (Activity 64)

† Habit Formation (Activity 65)

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