Today, I had an opportunity to spend some time with our new NYLT leaders – youth that have taken the course, and now wish to lead the next one. It was a grand time of rekindling their friendships, to get to know each other, play games, and learn what the course requires.
I know that my ears pricked up when I heard the Senior Patrol Leader announce that they would be moving into the Servant Leader module, and I moved from being in the kitchen, to being with the youth.
The SPL spent some time describing the difference between top-down leadership, and bottom up leadership – all using a pyramid, with the leader at the apex – the lesson being that inverted pyramids are at the heart of the Scouting program, as supportive and helpful leaders are what we are developing.
However, the SPL was tripped up by the final quote, meant to be a discussion point:
[Servant leadership] begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead — Robert Greenleaf
He was confused by the economical and paradoxical way of Greenleaf; in fact, I asked him to read the quote a few times as words were missed and jumbled.
He then asked “What this quote means to you?” He received a few responses, some heading toward others-first leadership, some talking about wanting to serve — standard fare for the first time entering into the deep world of Servant Leadership.
As the group started to wind down, I couldn’t help but to put up my hand.
Acknowledged, I then moved into my understanding of this quote — the basic desire of us to serve one another (like listening and empathy and healing). Then, the choice, the recognition that leading others is the effective way of serving.
This didn’t compute, didn’t land with the youth. So, I doubled back and asked the question: why does everyone else want to lead? They were quick to respond — money, power, status — they’ve seen what the wider world has to offer. I then asked the question what if you wanted to serve others, to offer things to them that will improve their lives; they were on board, wanting to improve others. The ultimate question remained – what happens when you recognize that, by leading others, you multiply this service; and I saw the recognition start to dawn.
Pulling out the best test was next – Greenleaf’s formation of how to evaluate servant leaders: is the group getting better, growing stronger, becoming servant leaders themselves?
Now the quiet reigned as they saw not only the leader challenge, but the impact, the significance, the humble walk.
I finished with a closing remark – “I’m spent a lifetime chasing this, and I still don’t have it all figured out either.”
3 minutes to discuss, a lifetime to chase, a calling of Jesus to follow.