Following the Inner Voice: Servant Leadership as a Force for Reform

Writing from the turbulent decade of the seventies, Robert Greenleaf (1977) gave us a prophetic analysis of where American society was headed that has come to fruition. Greenleaf makes some assumptions about leadership that not only address what is effective, but also assert what is morally right. I have the good fortune of experiencing one servant leader on many levels: as a boss in the company I work for, as the chairman of the board in the organization I direct, and as a parent- L. Terry Chappell, M.D. My dad, who began his career in the same years that Greenleaf was writing, exemplifies every aspect of servant leadership Greenleaf describes.
Some of the first premises Greenleaf makes clear are that institutions can act as leaders in society, and that we are experiencing a failure of leadership on an institutional level. He quotes his mentor Oscar Helming in saying, “we are becoming a nation that is dominated by large institutions-churches, business, governments, labor unions, universities- and these big institutions are not serving us well” (p. 15). He pleads for even one institution, which could, like an individual, lead all others toward a better way.
According to Greenleaf, leadership dos not have to come from the top, but can be exercised from all levels of an organization, giving Thomas Jefferson as an example of someone who led by withdrawing to a lower level of management where he could be more effective. He also merges the idea of leadership with the concept of reform, believing that people with the ability to lead have the responsibility and ability to serve as “prime movers” in reforming the massive problems in society. Greenleaf assumes that leaders need to be affirmative and prophetic and take initiative rather than maintaining the status quo. Finally, Greenleaf introduces his main thesis of servant leadership, the assumption that “the great leader is seen as a servant first, and that simple fact is the key to his greatness” (p. 21).
Over my lifetime, my parents initiated many projects that have since become independent institutions run by others, institutions that are key players in creating the vibrant small town culture that we enjoy in Bluffton, Ohio. Repetitively, it seemed that they could see into the future and anticipate the joy, healing and wholeness that these organizations could bring to our lives. I remember the whole foods co-op that met in our living room, ordering bulk food, until two young couples were able to make the co-op into a main street store and offer good quality health food to a tri-county region for almost twenty years now. When I was a child, my parents started a group to explore how we could encourage exercise and sport among all ages. They formed a club, the Bluffton Family Recreation, which has now blossomed into a major player in Bluffton, with paid staff, a well equipped facility and programs that touch the lives of thousands.
My parents initiated other local projects, some of which came from their philosophical dedication to the betterment of public schools rather than home schooling for their four children. They started the mini-art program, where community volunteers come into classrooms and give detailed teaching on classic artists. They insisted on a strings program, a meager group of five with a part time consulting teacher which has blossomed into a full time staff position and an orchestra. They held a private training camp for the entire cross country team. What my parents wanted for their children, they were committed to providing for all children, reaching the underprivileged, and enhancing excellence for all people.
My dad has the gift of listening and understanding others. His empathy and compassion toward his patients make him a great doctor, but these listening skills also have made him a great board chairman. There are countless examples of conflict transformation that happened in tense situations of organizational politics where a private conversation with my dad softened anger and brought reconciliation to a divergent board. One on one communication is his forte. I have seen so many patients, irritated, frustrated by their situation, even hopeless, come out of a room after a consultation with Dr. Chappell soothed, encouraged and empowered with new optimism. Once, a young man from my high school class was caught shoplifting and sent to jail. Years later he told me that during that time my dad had written him a letter encouraging him and stating Dad’s belief that he could do so much more. The man told me that letter had changed his life, and he went on to go to school and have a career as a lawyer. My dad has had many conversations with all ages that have changed the course of a life for the better.
There is an aspect to my dad’s life of leadership that is puzzling to me, and in my reading of Greenleaf, he refers to it only briefly: so often servant leadership is not recognized or valued by society. For most of my dad’s career he was never asked to join a service group or a church committee, though he would have dearly loved to be part of such things. He was prevented by the city from a major expansion of his business, simply because of prejudice against his style of medicine. Some of his endeavors have failed; some dreams did not come true. Part of this is that by taking great risks, he also put himself at risk of failure.
Yet, L. Terry Chappell will be remembered as the ultimate servant leader, someone who helped all people whose lives he touched grow as persons, become, as Greenleaf said, “healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more able themselves to become servants”(p. 27).
Reference

Greenleaf, R.K. (1977). Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press.