Today I attended a presentation at eBay by Jean Tabaka about Servant Leadership, popularized by Robert Greenleaf.
There are 10 characteristics of a servant leader:
- Goal Setting – aim for a larger and greater purpose
- Principle of Systematic Neglect – highly focused prioritization
- Listening – hone your skill to invite insights through questions.
- Language as a Leadership strategy – words count when listening and evangelizing.
- Values – be responsible for building, not destroying team sense of values.
- Personal Growth – educate yourself on work and on your personal path of growth.
- Withdrawal – knowing when to let go, trust the instincts of the team.
- Tolerance of Imperfection – rely on team’s guidance for what is best.
- Being Your Own Person – be true to yourself
- Acceptance and Empathy – receiving what is offered with approbation, never rejecting. (Instill a sense of love in your organization)
I am stilll processing these to see if they are relevant to me, and how I would apply these to my work / life.
What I did observe was that the presentation had many Spiritual undertones. It reminded me of the ultimate example of servant leadership in Jesus Christ. The passage that comes to mind is John 13:4-14 where Jesus showed servant leadership by washing his disciples’ feet.
