The Year I Discovered Copernicus… (A lesson in “Servant Leadership”)
If memory serves me, I was approximately 24. A young HR professional (we called it “Personnel” back then…), I was working for a well-known consumer products company at their largest manufacturing facility, which was located on the high plains desert of Western Wyoming (picture the set from the “Road Runner & Coyote Show” and you’ll get the idea…).
Brimming with confidence that clearly overshadowed my competence, I was oblivious to how I was being experienced by others… and if truth be told, too clueless (read: “arrogant”) to really care. It’s not that I was malicious or deliberately off-putting… I was simply deeply focused – and unfortunately – thoughtless when it came to anything other than my own work goals and objectives.
Enter “Gladys”. Gladys was a member of the HR Team at our facility. Easily old enough to be my mother… and clearly unimpressed with my self-assessed brilliance, Gladys kindly “tolerated” me the way people do when they’ve seen others like me come and go. She would simply wait me out (“This too shall pass…”), confident that sooner or later I’d be invited to leave… or depart of my own volition. Looking back… I can’t say as though I blame her.
Anyway, at that point in time, I wasn’t particularly close to Gladys. We simply “coexisted” as work colleagues. Sadly, one day Gladys didn’t make it in to work. I learned that her father had passed away the previous evening.
Her father’s funeral was scheduled for early the following week. I had experienced very little personal loss in my relatively brief lifetime; but recognizing that the loss of a parent was significant, I sent flowers and a sympathy card to her home. I didn’t, however, plan to attend the funeral.
The morning of the funeral, I bumped into my manager outside his office. “Dave” was about ten years my senior, and wise beyond his years. He was also a wonderful human being…. and a great mentor. That morning, Dave was dressed in a dark wool suit… and I was wearing my standard “plant floor” garb including blue jeans, a t-shirt, steel toed boots and a hard hat. Looking me over, he asked “Aren’t you going to the funeral?”. Caught off guard, I hemmed and hawed and replied “Nah, I really don’t do well at funerals…”.
Dave pulled his hand over his chin the way one does when they are thinking through something deeply, stepped back, looked me squarely in the eye and said “Hmmm, I’m sorry to hear that, but it’s really not about you… now is it?”. What he asked reads like a question… but it was clearly a statement.
I rationalized my decision not to attend the funeral (I’d have had to go home and change, then I’d have never made it there on time, I had things I committed to doing that day at work, it’s not like we were “close”, blah, blah, blah…). I told myself, “I really don’t do well at funerals…”
Dave didn’t bring it up again… and Gladys never said a word; other than to thank me for the flowers and the card. No one else mentioned my conspicuous absence.
I thought about Dave’s “question” all the way home that evening… and many times thereafter, always with more than a hint of shame at my thoughtless lack of compassion and my self-centered perspective. At 24, I discovered Copernicus – it was finally occurring to me that I was not the center of the Universe.
A year later, I became Gladys’ manager. I started to learn more about her and to see her as a whole person, and not simply as a co-worker. I met Gerry; her husband, and I learned all about her adult Children. While I can’t say that we ever really became close friends, I can say that I learned to care about her as a member of my small Team, and more importantly, as a fellow human being. I was slowly beginning my journey to understanding the importance of something called “Servant Leadership”.
Robert Greenleaf; who is generally credited with having coined the term, would make the following observations about Servant Leadership:
- Servant Leaders genuinely care for others and their well-being… they believe that people have an intrinsic value beyond their tangible contributions as workers.
- Servant Leaders care deeply for their Team Members… and put the needs of others before their own.
- Servant Leaders are deeply committed to the growth of every individual within their organization.
- Servant Leaders strive to create productive work environments – while ensuring their team members reach their highest potential
- Servant Leaders prioritize the needs of their employees, customers, and other stakeholders, rather than just focusing on profits or other short-term goals.
- Servant Leaders are “Human Centric”.
Few of us learn to become Servant Leaders over night. I’m still learning…
My “journey” began with countless missteps like the one described above. Fortunately, each provided an opportunity for reflection.
The good news is, If we’re deliberate about reflection – we can gain insight – but that’s not the end of the journey. Ultimately, we need to convert insight to action.
That said, we never truly “arrive”…
Nearly 40 year later, I’m still working on becoming a Servant Leader. I try to ask myself if my actions are putting the needs of others before my own… and I still hear a voice inside my head say “It’s really not about you (… now is it?)”.