I have the honor of serving on the Advisory Board of the Gustavus Adolphus College, Center for Servant Leadership. We had a Board Meeting last week on campus and I had the opportunity to interact with the staff of the Center for Servant Leadership.
In this very complex and challenging world in which we live, there are some things that continue to provide real hope for the future. The passion that I saw in these leaders who are serving college students (our next generation) and helping them to understand the importance of a purpose driven life gave me hope.
Our country was founded on Christian principles, and the values of service and love, which were clearly modeled by Jesus throughout His life. It is important that we continue to pass those principles on to our future generations in this country. It could be said that you can lose a culture within three generations if you are not intentional about continuing the desired culture.
Sometimes it may feel that we have already lost the culture that our forefathers who founded this country developed and had in mind for the United States. However, when I see the activity that is happening at Gustavus’ Center for Servant Leadership, I am encouraged about our future generations.
The Center for Servant Leadership at Gustavus’ helps students to be intentional “about living a life of meaning, passion, and purpose, a life of courageous integrity and authentic connection, a life that makes a positive difference for those around them and for the communities and the planet they share.”
They are helping students build relationships, understand their vocational calling, build a heart for service in their communities and beyond, and get a great start on their life after their college years.
I have seen the evidence of students impacted by this program. I see a staff of people that totally understand what servant leadership is all about, and they are passing it on to the next generation. As servant leaders, we all have a responsibility to pass it on, to share, and to be intentional about building up future generations with a heart for service for the greater good of our world in which we live.
Congratulations on the great work that the team at the Center for Servant Leadership at Gustavus Adolphus College is doing!
What evidence are you seeing, or are you driving, to insure a culture of Christian principles and servant leadership well into the future?
Mark
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:5
Servant leadership combined with a genuine love of and passion for people is our best hope for what ails business, society and the political process.
The next generation of leaders have the technology and innovation tools at their fingertips. These partnered with a heart for leading through service is the platform for powerful change. Leaders must define, monitor and nurture an inclusive organizational culture that releases the power and passion of all its resources! That is one of the valued outcomes of servant leadership!
Mike Baker
Mike, thanks so much for weighing in on this topic. You hit the nail on the head with your point that servant leadership and a genuine love and passion for people is our hope for a better future! Thanks for your heart and passion for serving!
Mark