Service Leadership

Oh, not another article on leadership. With hundreds of speeches and books published on leadership, why write about leadership?

Well until recently, I never thought about developing leadership skills. But Toastmasters, a group I belong to, actually run two programs that run side by side, a communication track and a leadership track. I would like to present some information from their High Performance Leadership Manual.

As populations increase and people from diverse cultures are brought together by way of a continually shrinking world, more issues - and more problems – face us than ever before. That is why the world needs strong competent leaders. Progress can happen only when someone assumes a leadership role – when someone decides there is a problem, a need, or an injustice, and takes action to solve the problem, fulfill the need, or correct the injustice.

We have all walked into meetings to discuss a situation or problem and there always
seems to be someone that takes the leadership role. In business, it is most likely the person with the highest command. In professional meetings, sometimes it is the person that has the strongest personality or the one that wants us to come to a decision. 
 
Some of history’s leaders had a formal title or rank that commanded respect and attention. People followed them because they were the “boss”; this is called “formal authority.”  Other leaders have not had this authority. Authority has instead been “informal” or “earned,” derived from personal relationships built with others.
Then you have some that neither have formal or informal authority that go in to a meeting and tend to step in to the leadership role. Is this because of training or just because they like the role as leader?

Today leaders are being asked to provide a special kind of authority: service leadership. Service leadership involves leading with a focus on service both to those benefitting from the end result and to those who do the work in achieving the objectives. Their role is enabling or empowering others to accomplish something worthy.

When thinking about leadership, I always think of the question that can never truly be answered, “Are some people born leaders or do you have to develop leadership?”
This can not be proven either way.