Leadership and Change

Effective leadership is not “I lead, you follow.” In contrast, it is fundamentally about example and service. A service that seeks to empower others through listening and empathetic dialogue. A servant leader makes sacrifices and puts the interest of the group ahead of their own. A servant leader is a steward of the community who does not get bogged down in the day-to-day operations; but rather conceives of a bigger picture and encourages others to dream great dreams.

The servant leader demonstrates a desire to move beyond the limitations of institutional rigidity by imagining new, accessible, and inclusive ways and processes to reach out to largely marginalised groups (particularly women and youth.) Servant leadership is founded on the prinicple of co-leadership one that seeks out, encourages, and nutures individuals to actuate their leadership potential by taking them to a place where they may find their power with-in and hence make meaningful contributions to group discussion and decision-making.

A servant leader searches for a consensus and where consensus is not possible moves laterally to breach discord through a well developed non-violent conflict resolution process brings people closer together rather than farther apart.

When groups and individuals are requested to make significant changes within the framework of a top-down approach they often balk or passively act to undermine the desired changes. The servant leader knows intuitively that people change all the time when they themselves choose to do so. Therefore, it is not a matter of changing, it is the way in which the change is formulated and enacted. Through the process of empowerment, (e.g. active participation, education, roundtables, forums, etc.) people will make a choice to change of their own accord because they come, through first hand involvement, to realize the beneficial aspects that would result by enacting the change(s).

As one who ascribes to the practice of servant leadership I believe Grand Forks is a community of people in search of empowerment, and a new vision. Together we can make a positive change and increase everyones' quality of life.