A Few Words About Our Campaign

A Servant-Leader is a “person of character” who puts people first. He or she is a “skilled communicator,” a “compassionate collaborator” who has “foresight,” is a “systems thinker,” and “leads with moral authority.” – James Sipe & Don Frick

Throughout 2023, the Wildland Fire Leadership Campaign will focus on the topic of servant leadership. Servant leadership has been a part of society since the dawn of "man." However, Robert Greenleaf is credited with coining the term in 1970 essay, "The Servant Leader." Greenleaf contended that "The servant-leader is a servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead."

Like most of our campaigns, participants will development their art of leadership. The campaign team and participants will come together to share resources around the campaign them "In Service of Others." Together individuals will seek an understanding of the concept and craft their own model and build community through the Wildland Fire Learning Portal. (Be sure to register today if you haven't already. Access to the Portal is limited to local, state and federal government.)

We will start our journey together just as Greenleaf did by reading and discussing Hermann Hesse's short (and I mean short) novel The Journey to the East.  

Each month the campaign will focus on one of the 10 characteristics Larry Spears, former Executive Director of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, suggested a servant-leader possess. 

• Listening
• Empathy
• Healing
• Awareness
• Persuasion
• Conceptualization
• Foresight
• Stewardship
• Commitment to the Growth of People
• Building Community

To help us move beyond the conceptual nature of servant leadership, we will dive into James W. Sipe and Don M. Frick's book, Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership - Practicing the Wisdom of Leading by Serving.

Much like the characters in The Journey to the East, the goal of the campaign is for participants to journey along with other "League" members. This will be a year of delving into the hard topic of compassion. Those who identify as servant-leaders will find a community who seeks to be of service to others.

We hope you join us as we journey forth.