On a more positive note ... A Look at Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership, introduced by Robert Greenleaf over 20 years ago, remains a focus for a certain genre of leaders. Recently, Berrett-Kohler, which hosts the Servant Leader educational program, published a list of five leadership quotes. We thought we'd share them with you. Here's the first:

“The duty of a leader is to create an organization where it is easy to practice kindness.” – Kim Cameron

Educator and author Kim Cameron has been credited as one of the founders of positive organizational scholarship (POS). In books such as Positive Leadership, he analyzes the social constructs, values, and processes that contribute to an organization’s success.

POS, which was named one of Harvard Business Review’s “Breakthrough Ideas for 2004,” measures the results of being good and practicing kindness. Cameron posits that an organization that practices kindness is more successful over time because it increases positive emotions and well-being, which, in turn, improve relationships and amplify employees’ abilities and creativity.

Kindness also fights against negative experiences such as stress and improves employees’ abilities to respond to challenges. Finally, it attracts employees and makes them more loyal to leadership. By practicing kindness, leaders can drive real results in a natural, positive way.