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/