Maya Angelou: Servant Leader

Maya Angelou proclaimed, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" (Servant Leadership quote from Maya Angelou, n.d.)

(Cole, 2014)

Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in Saint Louis, Missouri (Cole, 2014). Angelou died at the age of 86. She had a difficult childhood that was filled with sexual abuse (Cole, 2014). In the late 1950s, she became involved in the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X (Cole, 2014). Angelou is famously known as an activist, poet, and author (Cole, 2014). She has seven autobiographies published, which places her among the first black women to reach this kind of literary success (Cole, 2014). Samantha Cole writes in her article, "Her writings continue to inspire the same confidence, seasoned with humility and true experience, in readers today" (Cole, 2014).

Maya Angelou is an excellent example of a servant leader. Angelou faced a lot of hardships throughout her life, starting in the very beginning, and she did not give up. She is inspiration to all those who face hardships every day. Maya Angelou used her writings to touch others. Angelou recognized the importance and power of grace, love, and never giving up (EntreLeadership Team, 2014). Angelou was a civil rights activist. She used the skill of communication and listening, which is essential to servant leadership. Angelou used communication in her many writings and poems to stand for what she believed in and to help others understand what was going on in the world around them.

Angelou preached, "One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous or honest" (EntreLeadership Team, 2014). This quote is a good summary of Maya Angelou's role as a servant leader.

(EntreLeadership Team, 2014)

For further information on Maya Angelou and her role as a servant leader, here are some extra websites to check out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59xGmHzxtZ4
http://www.biography.com/people/maya-angelou-9185388

References

Cole, S. (2014, July 09). A Legacy of Leadership: Maya Angelou, 1928-2014. Retrieved April 24,

2017, from https://www.fastcompany.com/3031158/a-legacy-of-leadership-maya-angelou-1928-2014

EntreLeadership Team. (2014, May 28). 13 Life and Leadership Lessons From Maya Angelou. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from https://www.entreleadership.com/articles/13-life-and-leadership-lessons-from-maya
Servant Leadership quote from Maya Angelou. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://www.leadersfacenorth.com/news/2014/6/2/servant-leadership-quote-from-maya-angdou

Mahatma Gandhi: Servant Leader

Mahatma Gandhi once proclaimed, "The best way to find yourself is lose yourself in the service of others" (Mahatma Gandhi Quotes, n.d.).

(Mahatma Gandhi, 2017).

Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 and died on January 30, 1948 in India (Mahatma Gandhi, 2015). Gandhi studied law and advocated for the civil rights of his fellow Indians (Mahatma Gandhi, 2015). He became a leader of India's independence movement; this consisted of organizing boycotts against British institutions in peaceful forms of civil disobedience (Mahatma Gandhi, 2015). As a child, Gandhi was an extremely shy and timid boy (Mahatma Gandhi, 2015). Gandhi formed the Natal Indian Congress in 1894 which was to fight against discrimination (Mahatma Gandhi, 2015). The legacy of Gandhi has lived on even after his death. His commitment to non-violence and his belief in living simply have given hope to those who are oppressed and marginalized throughout the entire world (Mahatma Gandhi, 2015). Gandhi is an inspiration to all future human rights movements around the world.

According to Robert Tubbs, Gandhi displayed all of the ten characteristics of Servant Leadership throughout his entire life (Tubbs & Says, 2015). Mahatma Gandhi always showed a great awareness of what was going around him and considered different courses of actions on how to deal with what was happening around him in South Africa (Tubbs & Says, 2015). Gandhi was also a huge empathizer. He showed empathy for his followers by remaining to reside in his modest home and continuing to wear the simple clothing of his Hindu followers (Tubbs & Says, 2015). Gandhi was also huge in community and never wavered from building it up (Tubbs & Says, 2015). Gandhi was an inspirational man and an excellent example of how a Servant Leader should be.

(Mahtma Gandhi Wallpaper #7, n.d.).

For further information on Mahatma Gandhi and his extremely important role as a Servant Leader, check out these extra websites:

http://fatherofthenation.weebly.com/leadership-style.html 

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Annette_Barnabas/publication/234090908_MAHATMA_GANDHI__AN_INDIAN_MODEL_OF_SERVANT_LEADERSHIP/links/02e7e51ca648ed42dd000000.pdf 

References

Mahatma Gandhi. (2015, October 01). Retrieved April 03, 2017, from http://www.biography.com/people/mahatma-gandhi-9305898

Mahatma Gandhi. (2017, March 31). Retrieved April 03, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi#/media/File:Portrait_Gandhi.jpg

Mahatma Gandhi Wallpaper #7. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from http://www.santabanta.com/photos/mahatma-gandhi/16700006.htm

Mahatma Gandhi Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mahatma_gandhi.html

Tubbs, R. C., & Says, S. F. (2015, April 19). Home. Retrieved April 04, 2017, from https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2015/04/19/gandhi-the-servant-leader/

Harriet Tubman: Servant Leader

Harriet Tubman proclaimed, "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world" (Licthenwalner, 2011).

According to Lichtenwalner (2011), Harriet Tubman began her life by being born into slavery 

(Lichtenwalner, 2011). All Harriet Tubman knew was the life of slavery. Growing up, Tubman was horribly beaten by her different masters (Lichtenwalner, 2011). According to Licthenwalner (2011), "In one instance, she received a tramatic blow to her head, when she refused [to] help a slave master detain a runaway slave" (Lichtenwalner, 2011). This injury caused her to experience headaches, seizures and even powerful dreams and visions, which continued throughout her life (Licthenwalner, 2011). Tubman defined her visions and dreams as messages from God (Licthenwalner, 2011). She later became an abolitionist for slavery after making an escape to the free states (Licthenwalner, 2011). Harriet Tubman also fought for the rights of elderly African-Americans and also became a Union spy during the American Civil War (Lichtenwalner, 2011).

Harriet Tubman was an excellent example of a Servant Leader. Tubman spent her entire life as a servant, whether it was for her slave masters or her fellow slaves. She continuously risked her life to fight for the freedom of slaves. Harriet Tubman was fully committed to serving other slaves who were seeking freedom. Tubman did whatever she could to free others. Through Tubman's actions to free other slaves, she became known as "Moses" (Lichtenwalner, 2011). Lichtenwalner (2011) wrote, "She is accredited with at least thirteen missions that freed more than 70 slaves, though the Underground Railroad" (Lichtenwalner, 2011). Tubman also freed an estimated 700 slaves during the Civil War (Lichtenwalner, 2011). Throughout Harriet Tubman's life she displayed many attributes of a Servant Leader, such as empathy, foresight, persuasion, stewardship, and conceptualization.

Harriet Tubman proudly proclaimed, "I was a conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say - I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger" (Harriet Tubman Quotes and Facts, n.d.)

(Harriet Tubman And The Qualities That Made Her A Great Heroine, 2013).

For further information on Harriet Tubman and her important role as a Servant Leader, check out these extra websites:

https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2013/11/08/from-slavery-to-freedom-harriet-tubman-and-transformational-leadership/

http://www.themarkofaleader.com/harriet-tubman-and-the-road-to-freedom/

References

Harriet Tubman And The Qualities That Made Her A Great Heroine. (2013, July 19). Retrieved March 07, 2017, from http://lifetickler.com/harriet-tubman-and-her-qualities/

Harriet Tubman Facts and Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/harriet-tubman/#.WL8Y-bGZPLY

Lichtenwalner, B. (2011, February 08). Servant Leadership. Retrieved March 07, 2017, from http://modernservantleader.com/servant-leadership/servant-leadership-profile-harriet-tubman-black-history-month/

Nelson Mandela: Servant Leader

Nelson Mandela proclaimed, “If you have an objective in life, then you want to concentrate on that and not engage in fighting with your enemies. You want to create an atmosphere where you can move everybody toward the goal you have set for yourself” (Kreuger & Says, 2014). 

( http://calebstorkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Nelson-Mandela-Speech-Education-Prison-Youth-Timeline-Biography-Apartheid-Face-Quotes.png)

According to the Nelson Mandela Biography (2016), Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 and died on December 5, 2013. Mandela lived a long and inspiring life. Throughout his life, Nelson Mandela was a Civil Rights Activist, the first black president of South Africa in the year 1994, and he was also a writer (Nelson Mandela, 2016). In 1942, Mandela joined the African National Congress (Nelson Mandela, 2016). While a part of the African National Congress, he directed a campaign of peaceful, nonviolent defiance against the racist policies of the South African government (Nelson Mandela, 2016). He was imprisoned for 27 years and during this time, his reputation continued to grow (Nelson Mandela, 2016). Upon release, Mandela submerged himself into bringing peace to South Africa's black majority (Nelson Mandela, 2016). Nelson Mandela was an excellent example of global peacemaking. Together in 1993, Mandela and President de Klerk were awarded the Novel Peace Prize for their work toward disassembling apartheid (Nelson Mandela, 2016). 

Nelson Mandela is an excellent example of a servant leader. According to Kreuger and Says (2014), Mandela is best known for his efforts to end apartheid, a racial system that separated groups of individuals by race and also deprived people of color from a full citizenship. By joining the African National Congress, he became a servant leader to his community. As mentioned before, Mandela led a campaign of peaceful, nonviolent defiance against the racist policies made by South African government (Nelson Mandela, 2016). Mandela fought for what mattered most to him. A couple of traits that Mandela held which allowed him to live into the vocation of a servant leader were that he was a consensus builder and was also very open. By being a consensus builder, Mandela's agreeableness was clear to everyone through his ability to be accepting and nurturing to every single person around him (Kreuger & Says, 2014). An example of this is that during his imprisonment, Mandela was known to care for those around him who were sick or wounded (Kreuger & Says, 2014). During a time that most would have feelings of despair, hostility, and bitterness, Mandela stayed strong to his character. He did not let his imprisonment change him. Nelson Mandela was also very open. His openness allowed him to see through the differences and discrimination that were apparent of his time (Kreuger & Says, 2014). For example, his insightful creativity and commitment to his cause brought with it a dedicated following. He used his openness to campaign against the racist policies being made.

Nelson Mandela stated, “As a leader, I have always followed the principles I first saw demonstrated by the regent at the Great Palace.  I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my own opinion.  Oftentimes, my own opinion will simply represent a consensus of what I heard in the discussion.  I always remember the regent’s axiom: a leader, he said, is like a shepherd.  He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind" (Kreuger & Says, 2014). This quote is the perfect summary of his role as a servant leader. 

(http://www.blackpast.org/files/blackpast_images/mandela_nelson.jpg)   

 For further information on Nelson Mandela and his role as a servant leadership, here are some extra websites to check out:

https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2014/01/24/leadership-traits-in-nelson-mandela/

http://futureconsiderations.com/2013/12/leadership-lessons-from-nelson-mandela/

References

Krueger, B. C., & Says, E. C. (2014, January 24). Home. Retrieved January 31, 2017, from https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2014/01/24/leadership-traits-in-nelson-mandela/

Nelson Mandela. (2016, May 25). Retrieved January 31, 2017, from http://www.biography.com/people/nelson-mandela-9397017#prison-release-and-presidency

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://calebstorkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Nelson-Mandela-Speech-Education-Prison-Youth-Timeline-Biography-Apartheid-Face-Quotes.png

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.blackpast.org/files/blackpast_images/mandela_nelson.jpg