Robert K. Greenleaf: A Life of Servant Leadership

Greenleaf was willing to promote his writings in a conventional way, but he abhorred the idea of becoming a cult-like figure and even forbade the showing of a modest videotape about his life at the first Symposium2 on Servant Leadership held in Atlanta in Greenleaf wanted his work to stand on its own and for readers to apply it in personal ways without the benefit of final "answers" from him. Perhaps because of Bob''s success in avoiding the spotlight and a general lack of knowledge about his historical role in inspiring scores of people and organizations during his lifetime, various experts insisted for years that no one really wanted to read about the life of Robert K.

Greenleaf, a relatively obscure figure in leadership and management circles. They were right, of course, until recently. Today, through the work of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership in Indianapolis, there is growing interest in Greenleaf''s ideas, with Centers in ten countries-- and counting.

As you will read in the Afterword, a number of prominent, successful corporations use servant leadership as a guiding philosophy, and these are joined by numerous religious, not-for-profit, and even government organizations. Interest in servant leadership has reached a critical mass through scores of books and hundreds of magazine articles. There are other reasons, though: Readers familiar with any of Greenleaf''s writings will be curious about the inspiring and complicated person behind the philosophy.

Here they will find dozens of previously-unpublished excerpts from Greenleaf''s letters, journals, essays, autobiographical notes, and a clear presentation of the basics of servant leadership. Readers who devour leadership and management literature, especially titles which emphasize value-based approaches to management and leadership, will be interested in knowing more about a person whose work is an inspiration to many of their favorite thinkers and writers.

Warren Bennis, author of the leadership classic On Becoming a Leader, says, "Servant leadership is a counterbalance to the glorification, deification, and lionization of leaders who have neglected or forgotten what they are there for.

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Greenleaf''s work is like a superego conscience prod to3 remind leaders of why they are there. It is so easy for organizations to get totally consumed with the bottom line, with financial stakeholders, and not with the workers, not with all the clawed cartography of people whose lives are affected by the organization. Religious leaders who seek to understand servant leadership and apply it to their faith traditions; educators who care about transformative, experiential learning; historians interested in filling in a few holes about twentieth-century history; consultants who understand the importance of pragmatism and reflection--all will find readable stories and practical ideas from the life of Robert Greenleaf.

Finally, anyone who wishes to have a life of meaning and service or has asked, "How can I live as a servant-leader at work, at home, and in the community?

In Greenleaf''s life hope, meaning, joy, and fulfillment of one''s greatness arise from the process of being a servant, a seeker and a leader. It starts with oneself but is only real when it results in congruent, strategic action in the world, right through old age. Having said all that, readers will recognize that Bob Greenleaf was not perfect, but that is part of what makes him inspiring, at least to me.

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Books by Don M. The ideas behind servant leadership are ancient, but Robert K. Greenleaf is the person who first articulated them for our time. His father, George, was a wizard mechanic and machinist who also acted as a community steward. In his last published writing, Greenleaf said his father was his original model for a servant-leader.

Greenleaf attended Rose Polytechnic an engineering school in Terre Haute for several years, then transferred to Carleton College in Minnesota. He soon met and married Esther Hargrave, a gifted architect and artist who opened her husband to modern art, intuition, books he might never have read, and overall personal evolution. He realized that the organizations that thrived had able leadership, with leaders who acted more as supportive coaches and served both the needs of both employees and organizations.

As he succinctly put it: