Why America Needs a Servant-Leader - 5 Values

Were you expecting a national discussion of servant leadership in connection with the next U.S. presidential election?That’s what Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz started last week with an op-ed in the New York Times entitled, “America Deserves a Servant Leader.”Schultz advocated servant leadership as the essential element needed for all of today’s leaders, including the next U.S. president. Here’s my favorite line from the piece:

‘The values of servant leadership — putting others first and leading from the heart — need to emerge from every corner of American life, including the business community.”

So, what are the values of servant leadership that are particularly relevant for leaders in every corner of American life?Here are five that make my list:

1. Service above self. Simply put, it’s about putting aside ego and focusing on the needs of those we’re privileged to lead. Servant-leaders sense a calling to serve others first, not to be self-promoters. In politics, it’s about putting the “service” back in “public service.”
2. Power from paradox. Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best when he exhorted us to be both tough-minded and tender-hearted. Servant-leaders inevitably make tough decisions. But at the same time, they unlock immense power by uniting heart, head, and hands in service to others.
3. Unity over divisiveness. Leaders and followers are all part of one single human family. Servant-leaders have a particular appreciation for systems thinking, seeing the big picture and understanding the interconnectedness of the modern world. Naturally, they lead by uniting people, not by dividing them.
4. Listening and learning. Robert Greenleaf, considered the founder of the modern servant leadership movement, advised servant-leaders to respond to any problem by listening first and speaking only when words would improve upon the silence. Modern politicians tend not to heed Greenleaf’s advice. If they want to grow as servant-leaders, they should.
5. Stewarding and sharing power. All leadership involves power and history warns of the corruptive nature of unbridled power – especially in the political arena. Rather than seeking power for personal gain or shunning it out of fear, servant-leaders seek to harness power to build a more just and sustainable world and share it with others willing to do the same.

It would be wonderful if the discussion instigated by Howard Schultz continues throughout this U.S. election cycle. Discussing ideas of how to best serve the needs of all Americans would certainly change the tone and tenor of future debates among the candidates.You can read Howard Schultz’s op-ed piece by clicking here.And if you want to learn more about servant leadership at Starbucks, you might enjoy my recent podcast with Howard Behar, first president of Starbucks International and a powerful voice in the servant leadership movement.