Dear Opponent of Servant Leadership,
No, I’m not naive. In fact, it’s quite the opposite…
You Say I’m Naive
You think Servant Leadership doesn’t work “in the real world”.
I guess organizations practicing servant leadership like Southwest Airlines, Vanguard, REI, U.S. Cellular, Starbucks, Zappos, the U.S. Military and many, many more don’t operate in the “real world”.
As I exclaim the benefits of Servant Leadership, I see that look in your eye. I know what you think… “Oh, he’s just naive…”. I’m sorry, you’re wrong.
I’m Well Educated
The reality is most Servant Leadership advocates are extremely well educated on the topic of leadership. Put another way, most people who study leadership extensively ultimately proclaim the best solution is Servant Leadership or some variation of similar principles.
Without service to stakeholders as the primary goal of a leader, organizations fail. This, in essence, is what most leadership books boil down to. The alternative of selfish focus on individual careers is all-too-well documented in failures. Sustainable success demands Servant Leadership.
Cowardice
No, I’m not naive. We’re just cowards – both of us. Servant Leadership opponents and advocates who remain silent. We’re cowards because we know what is right, what is necessary to lead successfully in the long-term, but we fail to do it. We fail to stand up and resist toxic leadership when we see it. We fail to demand Servant Leadership because we don’t want other people to think we’re “naive”.
You’re well-educated friend in cowardice,
– Ben
Question: Do you think we’re naive or cowards?
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