Servant Leadership And The Myth Of Altruism

The term 'servant leadership' carries within it an inherent paradox; that is, how can one be a leader and a servant simultaneously? Don't leaders call the shots and influence people? Doesn't a servant respond to the needs of others and care for them? Clearly, the answer to both questions is 'yes' and on first appearances these attributes seem to be in opposition to each other, hence we are presented with a paradox. To understand this paradox we need to introduce another; that is, to serve is a selfish act. How can this be? Isn't service about sacrifice, altruism and selflessness? A long career working with the volunteer sector tells me the answer is 'no'. No doubt this is controversial. Volunteers are not a homogeneous group and the not-for-profit manager who thinks they are, is in trouble. Every volunteer I worked with had a reason for being there; it might have been because they cared about the environment, it might have been because they wanted to rid the world of some disease, it might have been because it distressed them to see injustice in the world. Whatever the reason, at its core it was about their inner self. Altruism is a myth. We like to think of our volunteers and the people that serve others as noble, self-sacrificing altruists. This is only true if we remove from the equation the individual's own feelings. The reality is rather less reassuring because even if we ostensibly self sacrifice we are really doing it for ourselves; for how it makes us feel. The happiest people I know are those that are doing things for other people and often they are leading in the process. You cannot be a miserable servant leader because that is not a paradox that is an out and out contradiction. I am a servant leader to my children, and while sometimes this has been difficult, emotionally challenging work, my greatest moments of pride and greatest moments of feeling alive are when they have prospered. This is true of coaches and their teams, it is true of nuns like Mother Theresa and the poor she nurtures, and it is true of great leaders like Mandela and his people, Martin Luther King and the equal rights movement. If you read the autobiographies of any of these people none would consider their actions as 'self sacrifice' because they benefited intrinsically, and extrinsically the world rejoiced.



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