About the Book
"I believe that [Bob Greenleaf's] essay, 'The Servant as Leader' is the most singular and useful statement on leadership that I have read in the last 20 years. Despite a virtual tidal wave of books on leadership during the last few years, there is something different about Bob Greenleaf's essay, something both simpler and more profound . . . For many years, I simply told people not to waste their time reading all the other managerial leadership books. 'If you are really serious about the deeper territory of true leadership,' I would say, 'read Greenleaf.' " —from Chapter 20 by Peter M. Senge, Director of the Center for Organizational Learning at MIT's Sloan School of Management and author of The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization "There is a building momentum for enlightened leadership in the for-profit world, the social sector, and many areas of government today . . . Good books that deal with the beliefs and convictions that nurture this movement are not easy to find. This is one. Reflections on Leadership is a worthy and worthwhile gift to all those who attach high value both to their responsibilities and to the people with whom they work." —from the Foreword, by Max DePree, Chairman and CEO of Herman Miller Inc. and author of Leadership Is an Art and Leadership Jazz "I could give you three examples of major businesses who have used this business of servant-leadership training . . . at times of terrible crisis and have worked themselves out of the crisis. Practicing servant-leadership . . . had absolutely enormous incredible benefits for them . . . and then they threw it away. Because, as soon as the crisis passed, they said 'why exert ourselves?' The great problem is not how to . . . teach servant-leadership in the first place, but to get organizations to continue to use it and embed it in part of their culture." —from Chapter 7 by M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled
"Reflections on Leadership is fitting tribute to a man whose own sense of service has given all of us hope that at long last leaders will recognize that power of purpose is far stronger than power of position. After nearly 30 years, Robert K. Greenleaf's work has struck a resonant chord in the minds and hearts of scholars and practitioners alike. His message lives through others, the true legacy of a servant-leader." —Jim Kouzes, Chairman and CEO of TPG/Learning Systems and coauthor of The Leadership Challenge and Credibility
"We are each indebted to Greenleaf for bringing spirit and values into the workplace. His ideas will have enduring value for every generation of leaders." —Peter Block, Founding Partner, Designed Learning Inc. and author of The Empowered Manager, Flawless Consulting, and Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest
In the twenty-five years since Robert K. Greenleaf first articulated his vision of "servant-leadership," the world has seen a steady expansion in the influence of the man and his ideas. Hailed as the "grandfather" of the modern empowerment movement in business leadership, Greenleaf described true leaders as those who lead by serving others —empowering them to reach their full potential. He saw the ideal leader as one who transforms and integrates an organization; a steward with a commitment to the growth of people and the building of a community.
Reflections on Leadership demonstrates the scope of Greenleaf's impact on contemporary management theory and offers key essays by Greenleaf and his leading business and intellectual disciples. They include such influential thinkers as M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled, and Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline.
"Despite all the buzz about modern leadership techniques, no one knows better than Greenleaf what really matters." —Working Woman magazine
Reflections on Leadership opens with two remarkable essays by Greenleaf himself. One of them, "Reflections from Experience," published here for the first time, presents Greenleaf's prophetic observations on the use of executive power in an organization. In "Life's Choices and Markers," Greenleaf recounts five significant influences that led him to develop his revolutionary ideas on the nature of leadership.
"Servant-leadership deals with the reality of power in everyday life—its legitimacy, the ethical restraints upon it and the beneficial results that can be attained through the appropriate use of power." —The New York Times
In Reflections on Leadership, a host of notable management thinkers explore the implications of the servant-leadership concept in such areas as:
Business ethics
Team-building and servant-leadership
Corporate risk-taking
Spirit in the workplace
Becoming a servant-leader
The future of leadership
For those who have already benefited from Greenleaf's ideas and wish to deepen their understanding, this is an essential book. It is also the ideal introduction for those eager to draw on a source of wisdom that has inspired so many others.
Table of Contents:
Partial table of contents:
ROBERT K. GREENLEAF: GRANDFATHER OF NEW PARADIGM THINKING.
Life's Choices and Markers (R. Greenleaf).
Claiming Servant-Leadership as Your Heritage (C. Rieser).
The Strategic Toughness of Servant-Leadership (D. Tarr).
THE EMERGING MODEL OF SERVANT-LEADERSHIP.
Servant-Leadership Training and Discipline in Authentic Community(M. Peck).
The Search for Spirit in the Workplace (C. Lee & R.Zemke).
The Leader as Servant (W. Kiechel).
First Among Equals: A Corporate Executive's Vision and theReemerging Philosophy of Trustees as Servant-Leaders (D.Brody).
GROWING AS SERVANT-LEADERS/MANAGERS.
Managing Toward the Millennium (J. Hennessy, et al.).
Power and Passion: Finding Personal Purpose (J. Bordas).
The New Leadership (M. Kelley).
GREENLEAF'S LEGACY.
Robert Greenleaf's Legacy: A New Foundation for Twenty-FirstCentury Institutions (P. Senge).
Chaos, Complexity and Servant-Leadership (J. McCollum).
Servant-Leadership and the Future (R. Vanourek).
Notes.
Permissions and Copyrights.
Recommended Reading.
Contributors.
Index.
Index.
About the Author :
About the editor
LARRY C. SPEARS is Executive Director of The Greenleaf Center forServant-Leadership, which is dedicated to spreading the message ofservant-leadership originated by Mr. Greenleaf. Robert K. Greenleaf(1904-1990) was Director of Management Research at AT&T and avisiting lecturer at MIT's Sloan School of Management and at theHarvard Business School.
Review :
Reflections on Leadership: How Robert K. Greenleaf's Theory ofServant Leadership Influenced Today's Top ManagementThinkers--Spears, Larry C.
"I believe that (Bob Greenleaf's) essay, 'The Servant as Leader' isthe most singular and useful statement on leadership that I haveread in the last 20 years. Despite a virtual tidal wave of books onleadership during the last few years, there is something differentabout Bob Greenleaf's essay, something both simpler and moreprofound.... For many years, I simply told people not to wastertheir time reading other managerial leadership books. 'If you arereally serious about the territory of true leadership," I wouldsay, 'read Greenleaf.'" --From Chapter 20 by Peter M. Senge,Director of the Center for Organizational Learning at MIT's SloanSchoolof Management and author of The Fifth Discipline: The Art andPractice of the Learning Organization
"There is a building momentum for enlightened leadership in the forprofit world, the social sector, and many areas of governmenttoday...Good books that deal with the beliefs and convictions thatnurture this movement are not easy to find. This is one.Reflections on Leadership is a worthy and worth while gift to allthose who attach high value both to their responsibilities and tothe people with whom they work." --from the Foreword, by MaxDePree, Chairman and CEO of Herman Miller Inc. and author ofLeadership Is an Art and Leadership Jazz
"I can give you three examples of major businesses who have usedthis business of servantleadership training...at times of terriblecrisis andhave worked themselves out of the crisis. Practicingservant leadership...had absolutely enormous incredible benefitsfor them...and then they threw it away. Because, as soon as thecrisis passed, the said 'why exert ourselves?' The great problem isnot how to reach servant leadership in the first place, but to getorganizations to continue to use it and embed it in part of theirculture." --from Chapter 7 by M. Scott Peck, author of The RoadLess Traveled
"Reflection on Leadership is fitting tribute to a man whose ownsense of service has given all of us hope that at long last leaderswill recognize that power of purpose is far stronger than power ofposition. After nearly 30 years, Robert K. Greenleaf's work hasstruck a resonant chord in the minds and hears of scholars andpractitioners alike. His message lives through others, the truelegacy of a servant leader." --Jim Kouzes, Chairman and CEO ofTPG/Learning Systems and coauthor of The Leadership Challenge andCredibility.
"We are each indebted to Greenleaf for bringing spirit and valuesinto the workplace. His ideas will have enduring value for everygeneration of leaders." --Peter Block, Founding Partner, DesignedLearning Inc. and author of The Empowered Manager, FlawlessConsulting and Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self Interest
