I love the “aha” moment that happens in class when leaders are introduced to the Servant Leader. In Robert Greenspan’s seminal book, Servant Leadership, he defines a leader as someone who “leads from behind,” who puts others in front and is the caring and nurturing presence from behind that always has the organization as her first priority. Somehow it touches the truth of what it means to lead, and you can see participants soaking it in and integrating the concept into their experiences. It is powerful. But it also comes with a danger warning.
Leading from behind can cause you to fall too far back -- to lollygag, rather than to lead.
In today’s New York Times, Paul Wolfowitz takes Hillary Clinton and the administration to task for ‘leading from behind’ in the Middle East. Mr. Wolfowitz, former deputy secretary of defense, maintains that the state department has let others set the agenda and provide the means, taking a role of supporter, rather than provider.
Biblical leaders are almost all shepherds. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David – they were all shepherds while, or in David’s case – before, they were leaders of a nation. Even Moses, who should have had every qualification with his training as a Prince of Egypt, had to spend time as a shepherd before taking on the mantle of leadership. What is so vital about a shepherd’s training? Shepherds must lead their sheep from behind. Sheep never follow the one in front. So we learn that leaders are gatherers and caretakers, looking out for the stray, and keeping the group moving with gentle prods.
What we need to remember is that even when you are “leading from behind” – you have to be leading!
You are still a servant leader. Sometimes the temptation is great to rest from leading. We are tired from the risks that come with it. Or we just want to focus on what’s in front of us, not have to project consequences down the line.
That’s when we can start to lollygag.
As Wolfowitz puts it “Policy makers should never underestimate the risks of action in the face of any conflict, but neither should they underestimate the risks of inaction.” Absence of leadership can be dangerous.
We not only want to, but must respond to people’s needs.
And we need to respond from a place if leadership – hear the needs, feel the needs and meet them – take action to provide for the needs. That’s the shepherd. He doesn’t wait for the sheep to find water. She doesn’t assume someone else will send the stray sheep back. The shepherd might be in the back, but there is no question who is the one with the staff.