International Journal of Servant-Leadership
Abstract
The term servant-leadership was first coined in a 1970 essay by Robert K. Greenleaf, entitled The Servant Leader. Greenleaf defined servantleadership this way: "The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The best test is: do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit, or at least not be further deprived?" While Greenleaf is best known for his writing on servant-leadership, he also wrote briefly but powerfully on other concepts. One of these ideas that has been near and dear to our own curiosity is his call to create a "Seekers Anonymous," and the central focus of this essay. In 1975, Friends Journal published an article by Greenleaf titled, "On Being a Seeker in the Late Twentieth Century." In 1996, Larry Spears included that essay in a posthumous collection of writings by Greenleaf titled, Seeker and Servant. It was in this article that Greenleaf postulated the idea of creating a Seekers Anonymous. As was the case with other powerful concepts postured by Greenleaf, he wrote a total of three paragraphs on this idea, which are included in this essay. He didn't say all that much about it; rather, he shared what inspiration and insight he had; and, we believe he did so with some hope that his ideas might be picked by others and made real in some fashion.
Recommended Citation
Leider, Richard J. and Spears, Larry C.
(2010)
"Seekers Anonymous: On Being a Seeker in the Twenty-First Century,"
International Journal of Servant-Leadership: Vol. 6, Article 5.
DOI: 10.33972/ijsl.188
Available at:
https://repository.gonzaga.edu/ijsl/vol6/iss1/5
Copyright Information
Copyright 2010 The Author(s). All rights reserved