From the President: Servant Partnership
By Dr. Chris Seiple on 09 July 2004
Servant partnership is at the heart of the leadership we need today. This is easier said than done, but the nature of our times, as well the nature of leadership itself, reveal why servant partnership is needed.
We live in a world whose problems cannot be solved by any single state or non-state actor — the United States cannot solve AIDS; World Vision cannot solve the suffering in Darfur, Sudan. If we human beings are going to take on complex global issues, from the environment to economics, we will have to work together as representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations, sacred and secular. There's no getting around it. If you take the problems of this world seriously, it is not a question of if, but when, you will partner.
Today's global problems create not only physical insecurity but also psychological and spiritual anxiety. People are looking for meaning amidst a chaotic world that they feel is beyond their power to understand, let alone influence. This spiritual vacuum will be filled, but by what or whom? Who will provide meaning? Who will lead us?
Leadership is the most overused and misunderstood word in contemporary American culture. Seemingly, everybody uses the term to explain the relevance of their outlook, program, organization, initiative etc. So what is it, really?
Leadership is the exercise of power, of influence, toward a particular end. But for leadership to have sustainable impact, it must be formed and informed by values — values that provide transcendent meaning. And the value that provides the most meaning, for all humanity, is service; the call to serve your fellow human beings who, like you, are preciously made in the image of God. I define genuine leadership as the external manifestation of internal values.
If servant leadership provides meaning in a world that demands partnership, what does it look like? How do you lead through servant partnership? These questions first beg a practical understanding of service and partnership.
Service always puts the other first. For example, when I was in the Marine Corps, leaders always ate after their Marines. If there wasn't any food left, well, you didn't eat.
Service is sacrifice. But it is not blind. In order to lead well, service requires honesty. Effective service names the dynamics of the situation for what they are, to include the strengths and weaknesses of the various people involved, dealing with the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be. Don't expect what others can't provide. Comparative advantage brings mutual strength. Unless the nature of the context is named properly, you will probably be wasting your time. And time, if you take excellence seriously, is something to be stewarded.
Partnership takes place between like-minded people, organizations, and governments that need each other pursuant a common end. As Dr. Joel Hunter has described, partnership takes place between two entities that are "enough alike to be intimate" but "different enough to be necessary." This is true of all sorts of partnerships, from marriage, to interagency coordination within the U.S. government, to NATO.
True partnership is sustainable only when it is based on service. If each party seeks to serve the other, then they are positioned for synergistic consensus such that the total is greater than the sum of parts.
Make no mistake, however, servant partnership requires a great deal of hard, sometimes painful, work as personalities, organizational and national cultures, and the task at hand combine to provide obstacles to effective daily leadership. Always dependent on the context, servant partnership will vary in its practical application. Yet there are honest questions you can ask toward practical effect as you decide whether you will partner in a particular setting.
First and foremost, do the proposed partners share common values and vision? How do they articulate their values and vision? How do they practice them?
Are they committed to excellence? Do they consistently seek to be the best at what they do? Do they have the same sense of urgency and professionalism as you do? Does iron sharpen iron? Do they walk their talk?
Are they committed to humility? Excellence attracts, especially if the product is so good it can't be ignored. Pride is sometimes not far behind, bringing with it a fall for the entire partnership if you haven't thought things out. Humility is the only way to combat hubris. Do they seek to give credit away, or is it about them?
Does one plus one really equal three? Or are there free riders in the partnership who seek to piggyback and piggybank, as others carry them operationally and financially?
Is the communication easy and transparent? Do they pass the "beer test" — would you honestly want to get to know them over a beer (or a glass of wine, for those among us who are more sophisticated) as you candidly discuss life and the vision that you share? Or are you talking to them because they have something you think you want?
Working in partnerships is often compared to herding cats. Do you and they have Cat Shepherds? Do you have people with strong inter-personal skills that can effectively lead from behind?
Once the partnership has been established, does coordination move quickly and effortlessly across internal departments and between organizations, even as there is a clear point of accountability? Are you committed to working through the inevitable friction points?
Servant partnership is at the heart of the leadership our times require. It's hard work. It takes time. But if you bring dogged determination, you can make them work. If the solutions we seek are to be sustainable, however, we must work together by serving each other through practical partnerships that honor our best values. Meaning will result as we tackle the world's problems, getting the job done with what we have together. If we can do this, we will not only be strategic change agents, we will effectively steward this world that God so loved.
Last updated 21 April 2009