The servant leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve.
Good leaders must first become good servants.
A Leader is one who ventures and takes the risks of going out ahead to show the way and whom others follow, voluntarily, because they are persuaded that the leader’s path is the right one-for them, probably better than they could devise for themselves.
Leadership must first and foremost meet the needs of others.
Nothing much happens without a dream. For something really great to happen, it takes a really great dream.
Don’t assume, because you are intelligent, able, and well-motivated, that you are open to communication, that you know how to listen.
Servant leadership always empathizes, always accepts the person, but sometimes refuses to accept some of the person’s effort or performance as good enough.
A statement of vision is the overarching purpose, the big dream, the visionary concept-something presently out of reach-so stated that it excites the imagination and chlalenges people to work for something they do not yet know how to do.
The quality of a society will be judged by what the least privileged in it achieves.
Where there is no community, trust, respect, and ethical behavior are difficult for the young to learn and for the old to maintain.
For the person with creative potential there is no wholeness except in using it.
Ego can’t sleep. It micro-manages. It disempowers. It reduces our capability. It excels in control.
The only test of leadership is that somebody follows.
Purpose and laughter are the twins that must not separate. Each is empty without the other.
Love without laughter can be grim and oppressive. Laughter without love can be derisive and venomous. Together they make for greatness of spirit.
On an important decision one rarely has 100% of the information needed for a good decision no matter how much one spends or how long one waits. And, if one waits too long, he has a different problem and has to start all over. This is the terrible dilemma of the hesitant decision maker.
The work exists for the person as much as the person exists for the work.
Behind every great achievement is a dreamer of great dreams.
The most serious failure of leadership is the failure to foresee.
Not much happens without a dream. And for something great to happen, there must be a great dream. Behind every great achievement is a dreamer of great dreams. Much more than a dreamer is required to bring it to reality; but the dream must be there first.