I know your frustration. I feel your pain. Sitting there, hearing some self-absorbed, toxic leader drone on about one bad practice after another. Yet, you know there is a better way. I’m here to tell you, you’re not alone and I have some theme music to inspire you – “The Outsiders” by Need to Breathe.

The Outsiders by Need to Breathe (Acoustic)

(Difficulty viewing video? Watch on Youtube).

Make no mistake, servant leadership proponents and practitioners are outsiders. Sadly, defacto leadership is power-based and often even toxic in nature. As a result, it is common for us to feel like we are on the outside, even if we have a better solution.

Theme Song

Have you ever thought your work would seem more exciting if it was put to theme music? How many cinematic moments – especially those in libraries and offices – would seem drab and boring, were it not for inspirational music in the background?

Well, servant leader, we’re here to inspire you. The servant leader movement is important and you are a critical component of it. So the next time you feel beat down; the next time you are on the verge of giving in; the next time you think, “maybe I should just concede and join the toxic leadership drones”, take heart. Stop, listen to this song and remember, we are the Outsiders.

Leadership Inspiration from The Outsiders

While leadership (at least, alone) was not likely the focus when Need to Breathe wrote this song, it includes great lyrics for your inspiration, including:

“Stand tall but running thin, I’m wearing thin”

“I’ve been wondering if this starts sinking, would we stand our ground? After everything we’ve learned, we’ve finally come to terms: we are the outsiders”

“I’m not leaving without a fight. I’ve got my holsters around my sides. Just cause I’m wrong that don’t make you right. It’s not right.”

“On the outside, you found a home.”

“On the outside, there’s more to see. On the outside, you choose to be…”

Fighting against the tide of bad leadership practices can be draining. I hope this little inspiration is helpful for you, as it has been for me. So the next time you’re struggling, don’t cave. Put on this song and create some inspiration for the soundtrack to your servant leadership.

Question: What other songs belong on a “servant leadership” soundtrack?

We have a crisis of leadership and need your help. This is our servant leadership manifesto.

The Problem: Toxic Leadership

Business: You see it in business, when narcissistic executives build golden parachutes and steal from tomorrow to make today look good.
Academia: You see it  in Academia when professors forget the students in their march toward self-promotion and prominence in their field.
Religion: You see it in churches where the minister’s name appears above the savior’s.
Non-Profits: You see it in charities that put growth and recognition ahead of the needs of the suffering.
Government: You see it in government when politicians promote themselves over the needs of their constituents.

You see it in every sector,  industry, region and country when leaders forget their priority is to serve their stakeholders first. Yet, there is a small but growing number of us who know there is a better way. That way is called servant leadership…

Yet Another Example

Another executive was arrested today. It’s all over the news. ”Executive embezzles millions”, “CFO Defrauds thousands of investors”, “Auditors deny any fault”. And the public cries out, “We need better governance, stronger regulations, tougher penalties!”  Yet, inside we all know that the guilty will always find shortcuts. Toxic leaders will inevitably abuse their power for self-gain. Those of us with the solution know what we really need are more servant leaders.

For those of you who seek only personal fame, fortune and glory, we tell you there is a better way. To those who desire false authority through positional power, we say you will cause more pain, through selfishness and greed than you comprehend. To you toxic leaders we say: observe the true power, real authenticity and sustainability of servant leadership.

The Answer: Servant Leadership

We seek not to lead, but to serve first and find that, in serving, our greatest influence is leading. We seek not to use others for our own gain, but for their benefit and the benefit of their communities.

You say we are too soft and unfit to manage in demanding environments.
But we say some of the greatest servant leaders are military officers who prepare their troops in peace and execute effectively in war. We say the greatest servant leaders are stronger for their effectiveness in applauding and reprimanding appropriately. The servant leader serves all – including their shareholders, customers, employers and staff – not their ego.

You say good guys finish last. We say the servant leader runs a different race. The toxic leader runs a sprint. The servant leader runs a marathon.

You layoff by the thousands to achieve a couple cents better on the stock market for a season. We hold others accountable, but layoff as a last resort – only when required for the greater good and long-term sustainability of all stakeholders.

You wage wars under false pretenses and say dirty politics are necessary to achieve your objectives. We wage wars on dirty politics, back stabbing and false pretenses, saying transparency and candor wins in the end.

You say religion has no place in the office, but we say servant leadership is supported by most world religions and even agnostics and atheists with strong morals and ethics.

Your communications are few, tight lipped and reveal only the most refined, highly commercialized messages yet unsubstantiated marketing claims. We demand active listening, candor and transparency. When we can not be more transparent, we are candid in explaining why.

You seek fame and fortune, magazine covers and lime lights. We are everywhere, behind the scenes of great success – be it a Fortune 500 or a 5th grade classroom, though you’ve likely never heard our name.

You deflect blame and steal praise. We pass along the praise and pull in the blame.

We are servant leaders. Our time has come. We seek a better way and we hope you will join us.

Call to Action

We do have a crisis of leadership today. Won’t you help us end this crisis by joining the movement to spread awareness, adoption and support of Servant Leadership principles? If you are willing, we have some steps you can take below.

Next Steps

• Spread the word on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or other sites below
• Read more about servant leadership
• Sign up for eMail or RSS updates here
• Get Servant Leadership Updates from MSL on Twitter
• Get Servant Leadership Updates from the Greenleaf Center on Twitter
• Join the Servant Leadership Group on LinkedIn
• Join the Servant Leadership Community on Ning
• Visit the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership
• Visit the Spears Center for Servant Leadership

Credit Note: I appreciated the framing from the Hacker Manifesto and used a similar form in the section “Another Example.”

What are your Leadership New Year's Resolutions?

Thinking about your New Year’s resolutions?  Here’s a quick list of ideas for leaders.  The list includes a few of the standards, but aims to inspire some new ideas for each of us:

1. Physical Fitness - Whether it’s weight loss, increased exercise or dropping a bad habit, this standard is important for leaders to maintain stress levels.  You may also find increased productivity.
2. Listen More – Find yourself speaking more than you listen?  Did your latest 360 feedback suggest the team may not feel their input is valued enough?  Commit to listening a greater percentage of the time.
3. Succession Planning - Too many leaders let real succession planning wait too long, if they do it at all.  Why not start the new year right with specific steps to ensure strong succession planning throughout the organization?
4. Development Planning – Does everyone reporting to you have a strong, specific and measurable professional development plan?  If you’re not growing the organization, who is?  Perhaps this is the year to really tackle the matter.
5. Multi-Channel Communication - Often, as leaders, we forget that people benefit from different mediums of communication.  Perhaps this year is a good time to ensure your messages are spoken, written and broadcast.
6. Open Door Policy - Were you “too busy” to maintain that open door policy last year?  Try opening it again.  If not all day every day, perhaps hold open door office hours and stick to them this year.
7. Responsiveness – Is your inbox volume out of control?  Haven’t cleared that voicemail in a long time?  Try setting aside an hour a week or a daily block to review and respond to your messages regularly.
8. Strengthen Relationships - How well do you really know your coworkers?  We want to help those we care for and support.  This year, maybe we need to make more time to understand colleagues and building relationships.
9. Emphasize Credit – (and Minimize blame).  It’s too easy to give blame out as “accountability”.  This year, maybe we need to ensure for each accountability message, we provide at least 10 praise / credit messages.
10. Serve More - Of course, I had to suggest this one.  This year, why not commit to asking yourself regularly, “how will this decision / action / message serve the organization better?”

Question: What are your New Year’s Resolutions?