Celebrating Constitution Day Through the Lens of Servant Leadership
On Constitution Day, it behooves us to mark the anniversary of the Philadelphia Convention that produced the US Constitution and examine the leadership principles embodied in our nation’s foundational document. One of the deepest of these is servant leadership. Servant leadership is not only a philosophical approach to leading that increasingly crosses the boundaries of the board room and the classroom but also aligns closely with a democratic ethos consistent with the Constitution – namely, the needs of the community, stewardship, and the service of others rather than self-interest.
Understanding Servant Leadership
The term servant leadership, coined by Robert K Greenleaf in 1970, describes someone who puts the interests of their constituency before their own. As such, it brings together the notions of care, stewardship, and the common good, which were part of the ideals of democracy that the country’s founders hoped to create in America.
Servant leaders bring empathy, altruism, and a listening sense of responsiveness; they build cultures where respect, equity, and participation are the norm. They create systems of empowerment with initiatives and practices that spread throughout organizations.
Constitutional Connections: The Framers’ Vision
They designed a system of empowerment in the three branches of government – the executive, the legislative, and the judicial – but this power should ultimately be derived from the people in the final analysis. Balancing power among different levels of government is a crucial characteristic of servant leadership, where the leaders create policies for the common good that are in tune with and responsive to the citizens they serve.
Like servant leaders, they are stewards of a vision greater than their own. They sought to erect structures that would, with endurance, safeguard freedom, justice, and material prosperity, not just for their generation but also for as many generations as possible. They intended to serve an entire people freed from colonial subjugation, poised to enter self-governance.
Servant Leadership in Action: Modern Examples and Practices
Servant leadership can now be found in corporations and small community organizations alike. Those who work in management who push for transparency, who facilitate open dialogue, and who put the wellbeing of their teams first exemplify the values of servant leadership as it has been adopted by Greenleaf and, to some extent, the principles of the Constitutional vision of democracy.
For example, in education, administrators and teachers who first consider the needs and potentials of students exhibit servant leadership; in business, a CEO who first considers corporate social responsibility or the needs of employees does the same. This type of leadership encourages community cohesion and ensures not only that the organization itself works well but that it contributes to society at large as well.
Reflecting on Our Responsibilities
The celebration of Constitution Day is also an opportunity to reflect on how we may be leaders in and through our communities; whether through volunteering, engagement with local government, or listening to a friend in need, we can all be servant leaders.
Ending Note
Servant leadership enriches our lives and those around us and is the most patriotic of movements: honoring the ideals of freedom and equality for all Americans and ensuring that our deeds realize the promise and ideals contained within our sacred Constitution. As we celebrate the words of the Constitution, may we resolve to ‘lead so that others may serve’. May we resolve to ‘serve so that others may lead’. And may we resolve to ensure that the Constitution’s words live on in our deeds with every breath we take from now on.
On this Constitution Day, let us remember our forebears who dreamed of a republic characterized by participatory, just, and egalitarian social belonging. And we, too, can commit ourselves to cultivating a future in which servant leadership is not merely an idea but an everyday reality, enhancing our ordinary lives.
