These are the words of Robert K. Greenleaf, the man behind our modern conception of servant leadership.
Today, servant leadership is rare. Modern politicians have proved that the social contract has been breached. These leaders, or rather rulers, have placed their interests above all else.
The Social Contract
The
philosophies of Jean Jacques Rousseau — a proponent of the social contract
theory — have informed the legitimacy of political authority for centuries.
Rousseau argued that government came into being to right wrongs such as the
economic and social inequalities precipitated by civilization. He claimed these
inequalities robbed human beings of their natural state, one characterized by
freedom and dignity.
Rousseau
suggested that to recreate the balance of nature, where freedom existed and
inequalities did not, man made two pacts: pactum unionis and pactum
subjectionis. Under pactum unionis, human beings agreed to coexist
peacefully in return for the guaranteed protection of their lives and property.
Under pactum subjectionis, they ceded their rights to an authority with
the power to enforce the contract. This meant giving power to the authority to
govern them to their benefit, to represent their interests and to protect their
freedoms.
This
theory assumed that those vested with the power would respect the submission of
individual wills to the collective will, and that the agreement was between
free and equal persons.
A Different Approach
Rousseau’s
theory would work perfectly if those given the power to govern would be driven
by the desire to serve, and to serve first.
Humility,
selflessness, empathy, foresight — these are some of the qualities of a servant
leader.
Servant
leaders are deeply committed to identifying and fulfilling the needs of all
those they serve. They recognize the invaluable contributions of every member
of society.
Servant
leaders walk in the shoes of those they lead, for their comfort and even
existence comes secondary to that of their people. This principle is
embodied in one of Nelson Mandela’s statements at the Rivonia Trial:
“During my lifetime I
have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought
against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have
cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live
together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope
to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am
prepared to die.”
Servant
leaders do not stir conflict to their benefit. They do not take action to
entrench authoritarianism. They are persuasive, convincing others to work
together toward a common good. They reaffirm others, nurturing the gifts and
abilities they see in those they lead. They recognize their own limits and harness
the strength that comes from many different people and many different skill
sets.
The
core is to serve, to do good, to enhance lives, to encourage. Anything less is
not servant leadership.
Rumbidzai Dube is a social justice advocate who is passionate about
using the written word to inform, educate and transform societies. A
2014 Mandela Washington Fellow from Zimbabwe, Dube currently works as a
legal researcher for the Research and Advocacy Unit, a local nonprofit
organization that advocates for a Zimbabwean society where citizens are
aware of their power and demand good governance. She holds law degrees
from the University of Zimbabwe and the University of Pretoria. She is a
member of the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association and the Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights.
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