By Lawrence Sharrett
December 6, 2023
Might our individual and collective well-being be improved by positive examples of servant leadership in our personal and professional communities? Think about it. What are some of the characteristics of the leaders and systems that have helped you most thrive in your life? When the qualities you can list are missing, the individual and/or the system is stressed to function and inhibited from its thriving potential.
When the people and communities you work with or for have certain qualities, it is evident that greater well-being is cultivated. Your list will inform your needs for fostering your own well-being. Most likely, this will also inform some well-being needs for others around you.
Qualities that make a well-being difference include, but are not limited to, such qualities as:
1) care and value for the whole person uniquely
2) seeking the ideas and contributions of others in an empowering environment
3) creating a positive and safe culture for learning and growing
4) simply being an expression of authenticity and authentic relationships
Servant leadership creates an ethos for a community system to thrive. Servant leaders better serve those around them by 1) understanding their own needs 2) understanding the needs of the people they serve and 3) helping those people understand the needs of the people they serve. Understanding the “needs of helpers” (Corey and Corey) has a domino-like effect for creating greater well-being for everyone in the community.
Enjoy identifying the servant leaders in your own personal and professional community contexts. Enjoy being a servant leader to those around you. Believe in what you are becoming. Believe in what your personal and professional communities can become!
