Learn Lessons from Robert Greenleaf at Upcoming Conference

Sharing lessons she learned from the founder of servant leadership Robert Greenleaf, Ann McGee-Cooper says she hopes to inspire new people to adopt a philosophy that transforms lives and organizations during her keynote presentation at the annual conference for Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.  

The three day event takes place June 16-18, and provides an opportunity for servant leaders and those interested in the practice to meet each other, learn about servant leadership resources, and be inspired by outstanding speakers, states conference literature.

McGee-Cooper, founder of Ann McGee-Cooper and Associates Inc. (AMCA) consulting firm, was mentored by Greenleaf during the final 10 years of his life and says “he was an incredibly wise person,” who understood and championed a different way of growing people.

“He was one of the early leaders who realized that you manage things and lead people — that those are two different functions, both important but you don’t manage people, if you manage people you dehumanize the relationship,” says the consultant of more than 35 years.

Servant leadership is defined as choosing to serve first in one’s life and work, a shift that allows a person to then aspire to lead.

While McGee-Cooper says she learned many insights from Greenleaf, she will discuss three influential topics that have shaped her personal and professional life.

The first is chronemics, which is the study of the way time is used to communicate.

It was Greenleaf that taught McGee-Cooper that time plays an important role in the non-verbal communication process, and needs to be people-centred, or polychronic, which believes relationships are more important than watching the clock.

Also on the agenda is the need for servant leaders to strive to make their life a work of art. This is done by developing a healthy work/life balance, says McGee-Cooper.

“You are not going to be a servant leader if you are a workaholic and are just going crazy trying to get everything done, you are going to be grumpy and controlling,” she says.

Lastly, McGee-Cooper says Greenleaf understood the need to live his genius in a humble and purposeful way.

This is the challenge for each and every one of us, according to McGee-Cooper, who describes the call to action as believing in the best of oneself and living into those gifts instead of denying or hiding behind them.

“Our genius is how we are different and it feels a bit threatening. We feel safest when we are alike and yet we contribute through our genius,” she says. “He really helped me learn a lot about authenticity.”

In addition to McGee-Cooper, the Atlanta, Georgia conference will also feature Howard Behar, the former president of Starbucks North America and Starbucks International, James Autry, an author, as well as others.

To learn more about the conference, click here.

Related story:
Servant Leadership Challenging People, Organizations to Seek Extraordinary

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