Almost all of us have asked ourselves at some point, “What is the meaning of life?” Servant Leadership requires the leader to have an answer to this question, as it must be carried out with intention and purpose. A servant leader makes sacrifices is willing to suffer, sometimes greatly, for what is morally right and ethical. This type of leadership requires a faith in something bigger than the individual. Kolp and Rea (2009) state that “a person’s faith is uncovered by looking at how he or she finds purpose in life,” and further expands on this with the question, “to what do we devote our life” (p. 127). In servant leadership one’s core beliefs center on putting others before one’s own comfort. Many individuals have found this purpose in their religious beliefs.
Servant Leadership has its roots in Christianity, and so it is fitting to compare the discussion of Kolp and Rea (2009) on faith, with the amazingly popular, “The Purpose Driven Life,” Warren (2002). Comparing a scholarly work and a mainstream bestseller may seem a bit crude however; Warren (2008) also asserts the importance of servant hood and finding one’s purpose, in this case founded on Christian principles proposing that there is a God who clearly defines the meaning of life for those that desire to follow His teaching.
Leaders may very well have strong values and morals that they do not attribute to religious beliefs; however the virtue of faith requires a belief in a higher purpose which may be cultivated through various forms of soul searching for the meaning of life. I am curious as to how other belief systems are created, absent from a belief in some sort of higher power. Must one believe there is more to life than what we are able to see with our own eyes in order to become a most highly evolved leader? If one walks by faith it would seem to be so.
~ TR
I have often thought about this dynamic that has been instilled in modern culture, that says that there is a chasm between an individual and God. While I might possibly hold spiritual values that are different from mainstream culture, I have always been troubled by the vision that God as an entity exists seperate and apart from the men who revere Him. What if God as we know him, exists in all of us? What if we are looking outside of ourselves for solutions, when the faith and reverence rightfully exists inside of our own person?
In writing my thesis this year, i have come across a concept of dominant and subordinate power structures. These are created when the dynamic that exists is seen in such a light, that the higher entity is seen as having all of the answers, or as holding all of the power. The lesser entity is then subsequently at the mercy of the higher entity. What this creates in my mind, is a disempowerment of the lesser entity. A ‘blind faith’, if you will.
For this reason, I like the idea better of a faith, and a God, that mutually coexist inside of myself. Thus, my own destiny relies only in my own self-analysis, my character and ultimately my own decisions.
Hmm, I’m finding that I want to respond to this post… and yet I am at the same time not sure that the discussion of servant leadership and (religious) faith must be tied together. There is religious faith and there is faith, as a way of living and approaching the world. Maybe in both cases faith is “things hoped for and yet unseen” – to reference the Bible, but I’m not sure that faith is the move toward religion or Christianity. It is true that great leaders in the world “saw” something that didn’t exist yet, and that vision gave them the strength and couer-age to risk or suffer. And I believe that as human beings we need purpose, to live “on-purpose”, with intentionality, reflection, and meaning – but I wonder if it isn’t more of the universal questions at the end of the chapter that living faith is seeking to answer (also, I think seeking is key): “to what do we devote our live?” and “how has our life been spent?”
Quite a post! It opens up many related avenues of discussion to explore.
I do agree with the essential point: “this type of leadership (servant) requires a faith in something bigger than the individual”. That servant leadership has its roots in religion (broadly defined…), I would also agree. But I would also affirm your insight that servant leadership doesn’t require any particular religious affiliation; rather, it seems that servant leadership emanates from a core belief that seeing to others’ well-being is an essential, foundational tenet of human religious experience, and a central concern for a leadership.
Does purpose result from finding meaning in life? This does seem to make sense given our understanding of servant leadership thus far.
Irene Cavanaugh
Very neat blog article. Want more.