The difference between a great organization and one that falters often rests with the leadership.

Books, lectures, seminars and workshops on leadership devote their time and space to the obscure nature of the topic. Much time is spent analyzing the myriad of factors that make up effective leadership, and yet, the true essence of leadership is often misunderstood.

Servant leadership is an idea with a lineage as old as the Scriptures. Yet, the principles that ground servant leadership mirror a universal principle of humility, honesty, trust, empathy, healing, community, and service. Servant and leader, is it possible for two roles to combine into one genuine person, in all levels of status and calling? If so, can that person be fruitful and effectual in the world?
Yes, according to Fr. Keith Clark, superior of the Order of Friars Minor, Capuchin, Province of St. Joseph, who believes that effective leaders fuse two roles into one real person, in all levels of status and calling.

“Servant leadership is about empowering others to serve by helping them contribute what they have to offer to our common enterprise,” he said. “It is contrasted with manipulation such as tricking or bribing others to do what I want, and intimidation, which is forcing others to do what I want, usually by threatening them. I can manipulate and intimidate others if I think they are my subordinates. But I can lead people because I recognize them as colleagues.”

Fr. Clark explained that a great difference exists between one who is a leader and one who demonstrates leadership behavior.

“Anyone in any position can engage in leadership behavior by empowering others to make their contribution,” he said. “It is, of course desirable that those who occupy leadership positions exercise leadership behavior. Some people who hold leadership positions are simply bosses, not leaders. It is a far different thing to boss somebody to lead them.”

A prime example of a servant leader is Jesus, who was truly a suffering servant, according to Deacon Wilson Shierk of St. Mary Parish in Kenosha, and principal of Providence Catholic School in Paris. Deacon Shierk writes a regular column in his parish bulletin and school newsletter on servant leadership. He asserts that the manner in which the average person looks at the world, and how they perceive Jesus’ view of the same world, colors, shapes and directs our view.

“Servant leadership means that you lead the way Jesus led and the way all good leaders lead, doing things themselves and doing it well,” he said. “Anybody who has been in charge of others will lose a lot of credibility if they ask others to do things that are impractical or not well thought out, or things you wouldn’t think of doing.”

A good leader is willing to be first a servant before accepting the label as leader or director.

“I think that being a servant is specifically what spiritual leaders are supposed to be,” said Deacon Shierk, “For example, the pope is the servant of Christ and if he uses that label for himself, then any leader worth their salt would want to lead by being a servant, enlisting hospitality by being an open and honest person.”

By its very nature, the role of deacon is that of servant and the resulting willingness to do things that others may avoid, find distasteful or time consuming. For Deacon Shierk, being school principal allows him to reflect on putting his feet in the shoes of others and to better understand and appreciate why someone may be feeling sensitive, reacting or behaving in a certain manner. Looking at situations from a servant perspective permits Shierk to become a more sensitive and effective leader, learning attractive ways to motivate and lead.

“This is part of my training,” Deacon Shierk said. “I’ve been a school administrator for a long time and worked under a lot of administrators and always respected most the person who was willing to reach out and help under all situations. Educators and teachers are certainly in the role of the servant in the sense that you wouldn’t require kids to do something that you wouldn’t expect to do as well.”
While in any organization or employment situation a form of hierarchy exists, the key is not to forget that in the end all are colleagues working toward the same result, admitted Fr. Clark.

“If any one of us departed, we would need to be replaced,” he said. “I don’t care if I am the CEO or the cook. It may seem more important to find a replacement for the CEO than to find a replacement for the cook, but I think it would seem more important only until lunch time approached.”

A simple measure of gratitude directed from the leader to others may be key to effective leadership.

“I think the most empowering thing I can do for another is to thank them,” Fr. Clark stated. “Nothing empowers me to contribute more of what I have to offer than to be thanked for what I have already contributed.”

While many leaders may wish to appear as the hero or heroine – seeming to know all the answers, a true servant leader will recognize that the answers lie within the framework of the organization or company.

“The servant leader recognizes that he or she has within the organization a great deal of intellectual capital in the thoughts and ideas of the other members of the organization,” Fr. Clark said. “It is a shame when that intellectual capital is not tapped. It can be tapped when one in a leadership position is asked, ‘What should we do?’ or ‘How should we do it?’ and the first response is, ‘What do you think?’ If the one in the leadership position puts forth his or her ideas first, the others will probably not speak their piece of the truth. The smart hero/heroine may indeed be intelligent and capable. But unless the one in a leadership position listens to all the others, the organization will be no smarter than the one in the leadership position.

Deacon Shierk is implementing the foundation of the servant leadership concept within Providence School’s student government.

“It isn’t as effective as I’d like it to be yet,” he said. “It is a longer learning process than I wish it were and seems to me that part of my frustration is that I can’t pass info on and help as quickly, effectively or thoroughly as possible. It is a continuous rethinking and readjusting and looking at what we are thinking or doing.”

Part of the philosophy of servant leadership is to encourage personal and professional growth in others without the leader taking any of the credit. Success for Deacon Shierk is to motivate a colleague or friend in becoming a better teacher, administrator, brother, sister, parent or Christian, or whatever it may be that they aspire to doing.

“And if they were still uncertain as to what I meant, then I’d demonstrate or give an example to give them an idea of what I mean,” he said.