Servant Leadership: Finding the Right Shoe that Fits

What does it mean to be a server–level leader? Greenleaf writes that a servant-leader is servant first. The process begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then, conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.

While traditional leadership is powered by decision making from the top down, servant leadership is inverted. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first, and helps people they work with to be the best they can be. Are you currently a servant leader? Ask yourself, “Do the people I serve, manage, or supervise grow personally and professionally? Do they become healthier, stronger, and wiser, more focused, and carry the desire of servant leadership to others?”

The introduction of Servant Leadership has profoundly impacted the lives of our patients, families, and staff. Staff are happier, more engaged, and feel more valued. Staff turnover dropped from 87% in 2012 to 30% one year later.  When guests visit, we hear often how positive the staff is and how willing they are to help and to share their story of commitment to the Lakeview mission. Patients and families feel this commitment and feel empowered in their recovery journey.

What we didn’t anticipate was how this style of leadership would resonate in the larger industry of addiction treatment. As a student in the field, Roy travelled the country, learning about the many treatment and recovery programs offered across the continuum. Most had neither heard of nor adopted a Servant Leadership approach. What surprised him was how closely aligned the values of Servant