At lunch this week with a computer programmer turned computer trainer, I asked which career she enjoyed most. She lit up and exclaimed, “Oh training. The POWER!I”. When I asked for an example, she related a story of students mimicking her exact movements and how powerful that made her feel – that she could make them act exactly like her.
As a former management trainer, I spent the rest of the afternoon reflecting on that exchange, wondering if I started out that way- loving the power. All I could remember was the heavy sense of responsibility!
Some become leaders for love of power, which most often becomes toxic leadership. Some become leaders to serve, which most often involves conscious leadership. Some start out serving and get seduced by power,
which often leads to abuse of power and worldwide scandals.
Robert Greenleaf coined the term Servant Leader in 1970, stating a servantleader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and their
communities.
Servant Leadership is about making a conscious choice to serve, asking the question, “How can I serve?” Most often associated with spiritual / religious principles, it can be present in secular endeavors like climate change, poverty, human trafficking, etc.
In organizations, the Servant Leader shares power and helps employees feelrespected, valued and appreciated. Greenleaf says the questions that identify this style are:
Do those served
* grow as persons?
* become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous?
* become likely to become servants themselves?
* will the least privileged in society benefit (or at least not be further deprived)? Note: this question echoes the
definition of prosperity in another blog: increasing your prosperity without diminishing the prosperity of another
REFLECT:
Identify non-servant leaders and organizations.
How have their actions diminished their employees wellbeing? (ie Enron destroying pension funds).
How have their actions diminished the prosperity of others? (ie polluted water supplies)
Years ago, I was asked to keynote a national women’s conferences. As a Type A overachiever, I created a multi-media leader diversity introduction named New Models.
I recruited 14 diverse local leaders, and (1) asked them to identify their favorite motivating saying, (2) had them record it, and (3) hired a graphic designer to add three relevant images to each quote. I added a futuristic
global opening and closing. It was short, fast paced, and a huge hit. I can recite many of the quotes to this day, and I’m often reminded of one when I learn of a youth making a difference:
What does it mean when the person you want to be like
when you grow up is younger than you are?
The fastest growing segment of servant leadership is youth activists, with an estimated 70% of Gen Zers being involved in a social or political cause (those born between 1995 and 2010). Operating in the digital space, they are proving to be effective. They share:
* being CONNECTED around the world
* seeing colleagues on the internet as community and family
* using the internet to communicate, network, mobilize and rally support in new ways
* generating and consuming content almost constantly
* embracing diversity as the norm
* feeling more empowered than previous generations
(43% of teens say social media makes them feel their voices are
important and heard)
Malala is probably the most renowned youth activist – a Pashtun Pakistani girl who spoke out about education for girls. She was shot by the Taliban for writing a BBC blog on the conditions in her country, and for insisting on going to school. After recovering from the life-threatening shooting, she spoke at the UN, and 500 youth education activists attended. Youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize at 17, she earned her college degree from Oxford in 2020. She is a global figure, speaks with heads of state, and campaigns for human
rights.
Many others fight for girls’ education. Anjali Katti founded GirlsCo to bring attention to the issues girls face all over the globe. GirlCo conference attendees are encouraged to become activists.
Climate change is another big issue for your activists. Greta Thunberg is probably the best known. She began by skipping school every Monday to sit in protest outside the Parliament building in Sweden. She has organized massive student protests around the world, and in March 2019 an estimated 1.4 million students in 110 countries followed her lead and marched out of school to protest.
Others protest in their own ways. Bye Bye Plastic Bags was formed in 2013 by Balinese activist Wijsen sisters, Melati (when she was 12) and Isabel (when she was 10). Their efforts paid off, and the government phased out single-use plastic bags in 2019. A counterpart, Licypriya Kangujam campaigned to have all plastic cleared from around the Taj Majal (when she was 10). The project was completed when she was 12. In addition, Marinel Ubaldon was impelled to speak out after Typhoon Haiyan destroyed her home in the Philippines. And Lirtia Baleivevuka started speaking out after Cyclone Winston hit her community in Fiji.
Youth activists are addressing numerous other issues.
In the US, survivors of the Parkland high school shooting lead a campaign for gun control.
After reading a library book about it, William Kamkwamba from Malawi built a windmill to provide power for his family’s home. He founded the Moving Windmill Project.
Autumn Peltier, a member of the Wiikwemkoong First Nation, fights for clean water in Canada.
Izidor Ruckel, a Romanian orphan who was adopted, advocates for children without parents worldwide.
Farlis Calle Guerrero organized a children’s peace movement in Columbia after her friend was killed in the civil war.
And the list goes on.
APPLY:
Locate and observe a youth activist / group (perhaps get involved).
What can you learn from them about leadership?
What can they learn from you about leadership?
