Serving Together:

Initiating Servant-First Leadership

Mark Siegrist, M. Div., M.A.
Director of Education
Denver Rescue Mission
January 2015
Serving Together:
Initiating Servant-First Leadership

Session One: 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

The Spiritual Imperative

of a Serving Leader
Mark Siegrist, M. Div., M.A.
Director of Education
Denver Rescue Mission
Serving Together:
Initiating Servant-First Leadership

I. The Leadership Challenge:

Finding a Balanced “Position of Power”
 Mark 10:41 – 45 (NIV)
41When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with
James and John.

42Jesuscalled them together and said, "You know that those who are
regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their
high officials exercise authority over them.

43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants

to become great among you must be your
servant, 44and whoever wants to be first
must be slave of all.

45For
even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
 They
Became
Indignant
(v.41)
Position of Power
“Lord It Over Them” (v. 42)
Video:

“Cave Man”
… Not so with you …
(v.43)
 Initiating Servant-First Leadership
means finding a balanced
“Position of Power” in your leadership.

Ask yourself two crucial questions:

1. As a follower of Jesus, how has that

impacted my leadership and
influence with others?
2. If I didn’t have a title and position,
would people follow my lead?
Serving Together:
Initiating Servant-First Leadership

II. The Leadership Change:

Moving from Master First to Servant First

A. A Different Kind of Leadership

B. Master First Model of Leadership

C. Servant First Model of Leadership

Jim Collins – Good to Great and the Social Sector, p.12-13.

“If I put a loaded gun to your head,

I can get you to do things you might not otherwise do,
but I’ve not practiced leadership;
I’ve exercised power.

True leadership only exists if

people follow when they have
the freedom not to.

If people follow you because

they have no choice, then
you are not leading.”
A Different
Kind of
Leadership
“To be a lone chief
atop a pyramid is
abnormal and
corrupting.”

(p. 76)
“None of us is perfect by
ourselves, and all of us need
the help and correcting
influence
of close
colleagues…
…When someone is moved
atop a pyramid, that person
no longer has
colleagues,
only
subordinates.
…Even the frankest and bravest
of subordinates do not talk to
their boss in the same way
that they talk
with
colleagues
who are equal…
…Normal communication
patterns become warped.
The pyramidal structure weakens
information
links, dries up
channels of
honest
feedback…
…This creates limiting chief /
subordinate relationships that,
at the top, can seriously
penalize the
whole
organization.”
– Robert Greenleaf
 When Jesus drew in the sand it’s my personal
opinion that he wasn’t drawing org-charts.

When it came to people,

I really don’t
believe that
Jesus thought
in pyramids,
organizational structures,
and who-answers-to-who…
Serving Together:
Initiating Servant-First Leadership

II. The Leadership Change:

Moving from Master First to Servant First

A. A Different Kind of leadership

B. Master First Model of Leadership

C. Servant First Model of Leadership

 The Pool of Shared Meaning is the Birthplace of Synergy

“Not only does a shared pool help individuals make better choices,
but since the meaning is shared, people willingly act on whatever
decisions they make … with both unity and conviction.”
(P. 25)
 Group
Discussion

Master First Model of Leadership

“The Kevin & Chris Case”
We want to focus on the awkward relationship that may exist
between a master and servant … a boss and subordinate.

Crucial Conversations, p. 20-21.

 Group
Discussion
1. In what ways did the “Power-Pyramid” of master / servant help
or hinder this crucial conversation among collogues?
2. What did Kevin do to ease the tension and move the
conversation forward?
3. What could Chris have done (short-term and long-term) to
create a safer setting of trust to allow more honest dialogue?
Crucial Conversations, p. 20-21.
Hi … My name
is _________.

I am a Leader
… and …
I have an
E.G.O.
problem!
If we are to dig deeper into the core of the
issue, we must face two things:
Our
sinful nature
is at the core
and
Impatience
is an
emotional
driver
 E.G.O.
Edging God Out

Our
sinful nature
is at the core
and
Pride Impatience Fear
is an
emotional
driver

Self-Serving
 E.G.O.
Edging God Out

Our
sinful nature
is at the core
and
Pride Impatience Fear
is an
emotional
Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 (NIV) driver
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.”
 E.G.O.
Edging God Out

Our
sinful nature
is at the core
and
Pride Impatience Fear
is an
emotional
Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 (NIV) driver
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.”
 E.G.O.
Edging God Out

Our
sinful nature
is at the core
and
Pride Impatience Fear
is an
emotional
Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 (NIV) driver
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.”
 E.G.O.
Edging God Out

“Do not think of

yourself more highly
than you ought, but
Pride rather think of
yourself with sober
judgment…”
Romans 12:3

Promoting Self
– Leading with Confidence but Arrogant
– Leading by Telling … Demanding Respect
– Leading with Little Consideration for Others
 E.G.O.
Edging God Out

“Fear of man
will prove to be
a snare,
but whoever trusts
in the Lord
Fear
is kept safe.”
Proverbs 29:25

Protecting Self
– Using Title as a Position of Power
– Leading by Insecurity, Control, and Intimidation
– Discouraging Honest Feedback and Difference of Opinion
 E.G.O.
Edging God Out

Pride Fear

Always Separates Us from God and Others

Always Compares Us and We’re Never Happy
Always Distorts the Truth and Creates Low Trust
Serving Together:
Initiating Servant-First Leadership

II. The Leadership Change:

Moving from Master First to Servant First

A. A Different Kind of leadership

B. Master First Model of Leadership

C. Servant First Model of Leadership

T
“ he great leader is seen as servant first,
and that simple fact
is the key to
his greatness.” (p. 21)
In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins substitutes
“personal humility” for “servant first” when he says,

“Level 5 leaders channel their ego

needs away from themselves and
into the larger goal of building a
great company … their ambition
is first and foremost
for the institution,
not for themselves.”
(P. 21.)
 Leading with Humility Doesn’t Mean Wimpy

The true test of a servant-leader is to lead with

both HUMILITY and CONFIDENCE.
 Servant First
Leadership

Humility Confidence

“May God give you the desires of your heart

and make all your plans succeed.”
(Ps. 20:4)
 Servant First
Leadership
“I urge
you to live
a life worthy
of your calling.
Humility Be completely
(Ephesians 4:1-2) humble and gentle;
be patient, bearing
with one another
in love.”
Leading with a Gentleness that is “Evident to All” (Phil. 4:5)
– Leading by Asking … Not by Telling
– Leading with Genuine Consideration Toward Others
– Be a Source of Help, Not a barrier … Helping Other’s Succeed
 Servant First
Leadership
“Have no
fear of sudden
disaster or of ruin
that overtakes the
wicked, for the
Lord will be your Confidence
(Proverbs 3:25-26)
confidence and will
keep your foot from
being snared.”

Leading with Gentleness and a Plan of Action

– Lead with the Vision of a Improved End in Mind
– Lead with Confident Trust in God and Model Trust toward Others
– Be Confident in the Collaboration of Others as a Key to Success
 Servant First
Leadership

Humility Confidence

“May God give you the desire of your heart

and make all your plans succeed..” (Ps. 20:4)
Provides Genuine Satisfaction of Being In God’s Will
Creates a High Trust Culture, which Accelerates Accomplishment
 Initiating Servant-First Leadership
means making a leadership change by moving from
a Master First Model to Servant First Model.

Ask yourself two crucial questions:

1. As a follower of Jesus, am I willing to give up
my position of “Mastering-Over-Others”
so I can better serve those that God
has called me to lead?
2. To me, what does it mean to be
a Servant First Leader?
Serving Together:
Initiating Servant-First Leadership

III. The Leadership Chance:

Assisting Your Team to Forge
the Future by Serving Together
Group Discussion: “What-Do-You-Think?”

Create group discussions around the theme

of building consensus and practical applications
for the best ways to “Initiate Servant-First
Leadership” within their organizations.
Video:

Emma
Brandon
 Video – Emma Brandon
1. What did Emma do to develop
leadership trust in her new position?

2. List several ways in which Emma

demonstrated servant leadership
characteristics?

3. What are some practical take-a-ways

from this video that could be applied to
your leadership situation right now?
Questions
and
Comments
4
Serving Together:
Initiating Servant-First Leadership
Mark Siegrist, M. Div., M.A.
Director of Education
Denver Rescue Mission
January 2015
Serving Together:
Initiating Servant-First Leadership

Session Two: 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

The Characteristics
of a Serving Leader
Serving Together:
Initiating Servant-First Leadership

Session One: The Spiritual

Imperative of a
Serving Leader

I. REVIEW: SESSION 1
Finding a Balanced “Position of Power”
Position of Power
 Mark 10:41 – 45 (NIV)
41When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with
James and John.

42Jesuscalled them together and said, "You know that those who are
regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their
high officials exercise authority over them.

43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants

to become great among you must be your
servant, 44and whoever wants to be first
must be slave of all.

45For
even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Serving Together:
Initiating Servant-First Leadership

II. The Problem of Winning

 The Problem
of Winning
is that
Someone Loses
 Win / Lose Thinking
Group Discussion:
“The Greta Case”

We want to focus on the difference between leading

from “Win / Lose Thinking” and “Win / Win Thinking.”

Win / Lose Thinking is driven by the awkward

relationships that are created in a master and servant
… boss and subordinate employee relationship.
 Win / Lose Thinking
Group Discussion:
“The Greta Case”

1. Is this conversation grounded in Win / Win …or… Win / Lose thinking?

…And in what ways did this thinking hinder or help in this crucial
conversation among collogues?
2. Describe the tension that Win / Lose Thinking creates in our personal and
profession relationships.
3. What could Greta and the unnamed manager have done (Short and Long
Term) to create a safer setting of trust to allow more honest dialogue?
 II. The Problem of Winning

A. Win / Lose Thinking is at the Center

of Master First Leadership

B. Win / Win Thinking is at the

Center of Servant First Leadership
Video:

Win / Win
Thinking
4 Views of Human Interaction
Win-Win
Win-Lose
Lose-Win
Lose-Lose
Ineffective:
There is only so much, and the
more you get, the less there is
for me. (Scarcity Thinking)
Effective:
There is plenty out there for everyone,
and more to spare. (Abundance Thinking)
 The Maturity Continuum
Having People
Trust
in You

Developing
the Character
of
Trustworthiness

Private Victory to Public Victory 80

 Private Victory to Public Victory

Skill Result

Attitude

Habit 84
 Habit 4
Think Win-Win®

“Of all the commandments,

which is
the most important?”
…Love the Lord your God
with all your heart …
The second is this: Love
your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 12:28-31 - NIV
 Balance Courage and Consideration

Courage: Willingness and ability to speak your

thoughts and feelings.

Consideration: Willingness and ability to seek

and listen to others’ thoughts and feelings with respect.

Habit 4 Think Win-Win 94

 The Courage-and-Consideration Grid

Win-Lose Win-Win

Lose-Lose Lose-Win

Habit 4 Think Win-Win 94

 Seek Mutual Benefit

Liz & Kate

Liz wants responsibility; Kate wants infection rate reduced.

Liz: Kate:
New title and promotion Infection down 50 percent
10 percent pay increase Within 6 months
Important project Within guidelines

Habit 4 Think Win-Win 95

A. The Process of Power:

Building a Collaborative
Teaming Effort
A. The Process of Power:

Building a Collaborative Teaming Effort

Boss-Centered Industrial Worker Age

Leadership Hurried
Announced
Forgotten
Collaborative Leadership Knowledge Worker Age

Thought-Lead … Hurried
Engaging … Announced
Energized … Forgotten
Collaborative Leadership Knowledge Worker Age

Thought-Lead … Hurried
Engaging … Announced
Energized … Forgotten
S
“ ure, being the Chief of Answers is fun.
But being a conductor of
co-creators is even more fun.

Somewhat like jazz, collaborative

strategy is a structured yet
improvisational performance.”
(p. 99)
Video:

Path to Team
Synergy
Video – Path to Team Synergy
1. Who was in charge …in the position of
being in charge… of this team?

2. Describe the trust level on this team?

3. What practical take-a-ways from this

video that could be applied to your
current leadership situation?
O
“ nly a true natural servant automatically
responds to any problem
by listening first.

It is because true
listening builds strength
in other people.” (p. 31)
A Different
Kind of
Leadership
 …So Lead In A Different Way !
“Many enthusiastic,
eager, outrageously
smart Gen Xers are
interested in leading.
The catch is they
have no desire
whatsoever to lead
as they have
been lead.”
Working Across Generations,
Page 114
The solution is simple
 Invite core-loyal, committed
employees … Boomers,
Gen Xers and older
Millennials to the table of ongoing,
shared organizational power.

Empower each of them

with an equal voice of influence
… an equal vote of decision
… an equal responsibility
for the job to be done.
Younger leaders are expecting
shared collaborative power.

It is the most significant shift

for 21st century thought-leaders.

It is the key factor for

recruiting and retaining
the next generation
of leaders.
Leadership is About
Releasing People
Video:

Control vs.
Release
A Different
Kind of
Leadership
“ It’s a completely different way of thinking …
it’s not only being kind and respectful …
It’s learning to engage
people’s talent …
…their passion …
…their capacity to be fully
in alignment with the
purposes of the
organization.”
When Jesus drew in the sand it’s my personal
opinion that he wasn’t drawing org-charts.

When it came to people,

I really don’t
believe that
Jesus thought
in pyramids,
organizational structures,
and who-answers-to-who…
I think Jesus thought in…
Relational Circles

Senior
Leadership
 “
“Jesus called them together and said,
"You know that those who are regarded
as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and their high officials exercise
authority over them.
Not so with you. ..”
(Mark 10:42-43, NIV)

Senior
Leadership
 “
“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way,
he came to a village where
a woman named Martha opened her home
to him. She had a sister called Mary,
who sat at the Lord’s feet
listening to what he said.”
(Luke 10:38-39)

Senior
Leadership
 The Chain of
Command
As leaders, we know the
value of following the
“Chain of Command,”
…But who in their right
mind truly has
a life-aspiration to
“Command a Chain!”
- Anonymous
3
“Servant Leadership
Is Not Driven by
Command
and
Control”
– Mark Siegrist
4
Chapter 12: Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties
O
“ rganizations that live by the loose-tight
principle are on the one hand rigidly
controlled, yet at the same time
allow (indeed, insist on)
autonomy, entrepreneurship, and
innovation from the rank and file.

They do this literally through

“faith” … through value systems…”
(p. 318)
(1982)
• Leading by Asking … Not Telling!
• “Run-Along-Side”
…but not do their job.
• Be a source of help, not a barrier.

Clear the Path

• Create possibilities for people to succeed.
• This is the essence of Servant Leadership.
 Clear the Path
serving leaders say,
“You are in-charge…
You know what to do …
and I’m here to help you.”
This is the opposite of traditional [master]
leadership, which says, “I’m in-charge … and
I’m telling you what you need to do for me.”
 Initiating Servant-First Leadership
means finding a balanced “Release of People”
through “Clear the Path” leadership.
Ask yourself three crucial questions:

1. Is my leadership “clearing the path” and engaging people’s

talent … their passion and capacity to the purposes of the
organization?

2. Is my leadership building on a strong command

and control model or on a collaborative relational
model by being a source of help, not a barrier?

3. To me, what are the characteristics of

a serving leader?
4
Group Discussion: “What-Do-You-Think?”

Create group discussions around the theme

of building consensus and practical
applications for the best characteristics
of a Servant-First Leader.”
Questions
and
Comments
4
 Thank You
Mark Siegrist, M. Div., M.A.
Director of Education
Denver Rescue Mission
MSiegrist@denrescue.org

Tweet your takeaway from this session #RussReidLive

 Thank You
Mark Siegrist, M. Div., M.A.
Director of Education
Denver Rescue Mission
MSiegrist@denrescue.org