Servant-leadership is not just an interesting idea, but something fundamental and vital for the world, and now the world that truly needs it. The whole concept of servant-leadership must move from an interesting idea in the public imagination toward the realization that this is the only way we can go forward. ~ Margaret Wheatley
Welcome!
My name is Marc Anderson. I am a student of life, shaped by family, community, deep cultural values and beliefs, and by a desire for constant emotional, spiritual and intellectual conversion.
For me, leadership is not a position or a title, it is an interactive process in which people engage one another to achieve mutual goals. The achievement of these goals, and the process through which they are achieved, enhances the group or organization and with proper leadership conscience, all should benefit from the experience and the end result.
All of life is relational. Leadership has therefore always been relational. Servant-leadership is profoundly relational. How are we best able to negotiate our personal and professional lives? It has always been about relationships. Our ability to create and manage a sense of community and resolve conflict is dependent upon our ability to work productively within relationships. We do this by caring about one another. Respect and caring within the context of what we do together is essential. Servant-leadership, with its focus on the highest priority needs of the served, asks the question: “Whom do we serve?” As leadership expert and author Margaret Wheatley (2015) states: “We are serving humans beings. This is radical shift in our culture at this time” (p. 106). We are all children of God. An element of the divine resides in each and every one of us and so we should lead as a servant, serving others, and in the process, transforming lives and creating more servants who lead for the benefit of the whole world.
Leadership involves effectively interacting with others in group and organizational settings. As a consequence, relationships are key to the effectiveness of individuals and organizations. Leadership involves the development of greater relational awareness that allows us to see and see again. Leadership calls for a greater sense of presence in the world that opens our eyes to a need or an issue that calls out to be addressed. Our ability to identify a need or the type of need or issue is often times grounded in our values and our beliefs, the way we and others see the world, which shapes our leadership understanding and style. Leadership is a developmental process involving a journey toward wholeness.
Wheatley, M. (2015). ‘Margaret Wheatley’. In Ferch, S.R., Spears, L.C., McFarland, M. & Carey, M.R. (Eds.), Conversations on servant-leadership. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 99-119.