what is servant leadership?Dr. Stephen R. Covey called policing “one of the most noble professions.” It is noble because this ‘calling to serve’ is one which causes law enforcement professionals to serve their communities; communities who must trust in their police and have confidence that their police agencies will protect and serve them with dignity, respect, and compassion.
Law enforcement has a culture all of its own. Law enforcement is full of symbolism and officers exhibit a general ethos which is either immediately present due to a calling to serve, or is cultivated following the initial calling to drive fast and catch the bad guy! In most cases, men and women do come into the law enforcement profession by what they describe as a ‘calling to serve’ – “to make a difference, serve the public, and strengthen communities." Today’s world is turbulent, to say the least. Robert K. Greenleaf asked, “How can we ordinary mortals lead governments…to become more serving in this turbulent world?” The answer may be in his servant-leadership philosophy. Robert Greenleaf, the founder of servant leadership, defined servant-leadership in this way; The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The best test is: do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants. And what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived? According to Larry Spears, past president and CEO of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, serving others, whether as individuals, in organizations, our communities, or in a more global setting, must be the number one priority of a servant-leader.
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