In his 1970 essay The Servant as Leader, Robert Greenleaf (1904-1990) introduces his theory of servant-leadership. Greenleaf presents his belief that everything begins with the initiative of the individual. While Greenleaf’s ideas have been applied mainly to organizational settings, they also have great relevance to individuals involved in artistic pursuits. Greenleaf suggests studying the lives of servant-leaders for inspiration. An exploration of the lives and works of three writers who embody the principles of servant-leadership--Madeleine L’Engle, Václav Havel, and Gabriel García Márquez--provides valuable insights into Greenleaf’s theory. These three highly creative individuals exemplify these key characteristics of a servant-leader as identified by Greenleaf: the ability to integrate intuition and logic, the capacity to communicate a vision to others, and the courage to go out ahead, even when the path is uncertain.

Introduction

American author Madeleine L’Engle is best known for her literature for young readers. Through her writing, lecturing, and teaching, she has challenged her readers to grapple with complex moral, philosophical, and scientific concepts. The manuscript for her best-known book, A Wrinkle in Time, was rejected twenty-six times in two years. Publishers felt that the ideas L’Engle presents were too sophisticated for a young audience. She insisted that they were not and refused to rewrite the book to fit publishers assumptions about children’s interests. When A Wrinkle in Time was finally published in 1962, its young readers were fascinated by L’Engle’s stimulating and imaginative story. The book has won many awards, most notably the Newbery Medal, and is an established classic in juvenile fiction.

Playwright and essayist Václav Havel, a leader of the dissident movement in Czechoslovakia during the 1970s and 80s, is currently the president of the Czech Republic. In 1965, he was completely engrossed in his work at a small, innovative theatre in Prague when he was asked to join the editorial board of Tvar, a monthly literary magazine for young writers. The magazine had been created by the powerful Writers’ Union of Czechoslovakia, but the Union was uncomfortable with its lack of control over the ideas put forth in the magazine, and Tvar was fighting for its life. Its staff was interested in Havel’s help because he shared their belief in literary freedom and, as an established playwright, he would be accepted into the Writers’ Union, where he could represent their interests. Havel had no need to join the Writers’ Union for his own career; in fact, he knew that his involvement would distract him from his work. Yet the aims of the magazine appealed to him, and he agreed to help. His focused and articulate efforts on behalf of Tvar led to a widening role as a spokesman for reform in the Writers’ Union. More important, it was the beginning of Havel’s involvement in cultural and civic politics. He could no longer imagine devoting his life to a career within the small world of theatre. He decided that if he had criticisms of a system, he had an obligation to work toward creating something better, no matter how daunting the task or how great the personal risk. An unwavering commitment to this belief has led Havel to his prominent role as an internationally respected statesman.

Gabriel García Márquez, a journalist and fiction-writer from Colombia, is the most widely read and critically acclaimed Latin American writer of the twentieth century. His most famous work, One Hundred Years of Solitude, published in 1967, was an immediate sensation. The success of the book brought him celebrity status and a Nobel Prize in 1982. At the ceremonies in Stockholm, García Márquez took the opportunity to highlight his country’s colorful culture, bringing Colombian musicians and dancers with him to entertain. He delivered a memorable acceptance speech, using his gift for poetic images to foster understanding of his region’s rich and at times tragic history. He made a thought-provoking call for unity that grows out of transcultural understanding rather than assimilation. He has used his fame to become a world-wide spokesman for Latin American issues.

These highly accomplished individuals live in different parts of the world, are products of varying cultures, and have chosen dissimilar life paths; yet they have important qualities in common. L’Engle, Havel, and García Márquez have all come to positions of leadership through their writings. They are examples of servant-leadership, a model developed by Robert Greenleaf. Each demonstrates the following three key leadership qualities identified by Greenleaf.

First, a leader must have the ability to integrate intuition and logic (Greenleaf, SL 25). This capability is abundantly present in each of these artists. Because intuitive thinking widens the range of available mental processes, it opens new possibilities and understanding. Leaders who utilize this capacity in addition to rational thinking increase the creativity and vision they bring to their roles. The writing process is a means of accessing one’s intuitive side and fostering an interplay between intuition and logic.

Second, a leader must be able to communicate his or her vision to others (15). L’Engle, Havel, and García Márquez are masters of the written word as a means of enriching the lives of their readers and inspiring them to grow.

Third, a leader must have the courage to go out ahead, knowing that the path might be uncertain but the goal is not (15). The willingness to act, to take responsibility in spite of risk is what moves leaders beyond criticism of existing conditions to the creation of new realities.

This paper is an examination of how Greenleaf’s theory applies to and is enhanced by these artists who are servant-leaders. A study of their lives and works offers particularly valuable insights about the role of intuition in leadership. Larry Spears, Executive Director of the Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, writing about Greenleaf’s belief that a leader must have exceptional foresight, observes that foresight is “deeply rooted within the intuitive mind. There hasn’t been a great deal written on foresight. It remains a largely unexplored area in leadership studies” (Greenleaf, Power 7). L’Engle, Havel, and García Márquez are all highly intuitive individuals; studying them broadens our knowledge of a leader’s use of intuition to develop foresight.

Greenleaf himself is greatly influenced by the themes of great literature. This is apparent in a passage in which he acknowledges the difficulty of identifying true servant-leaders. He asks how we can distinguish the truly giving, enriching persons from those whose effect is merely neutral, or those who take away from and diminish other people. He concludes that “since there is no certain way to know this, one must turn to the artists for illumination” (SL 43). Madeleine L’Engle, Václav Havel, and Gabriel García Márquez are just such sources of light.

Robert Greenleaf (1904-1990) first introduced servant-leadership in his essay The Servant as Leader, written in 1970. The essay presents his thoughtful analysis of the role of the individual in influencing society. Greenleaf developed servant-leadership in response to what he viewed as a lack of hopefulness among college students in the unsettling late 60s (Greenleaf, SL 3).

Greenleaf spent most of his adult years working for AT&T in the field of management research, development, and education. After retirement, he launched a second career as a consultant and teacher. Greenleaf began his 40-year career at AT&T shortly after he graduated from college. He specifically chose to work in a large corporation. He felt that since large corporations dominated our society, the best way to encourage them to be positive forces was to work on the inside (2). His work at AT&T gave Greenleaf a wealth of experience from which to develop his ideas about the nature of leadership, but he did not conceive of the theory of servant-leadership from conscious logic (12). The concept came out of his insights from reading Hermann Hesse’s Journey to the East and is based on the character of Leo, a servant who is also a spiritual leader. Servant-leadership is not a quick fix; it is a long-term, transformational approach, a way of being (Spears, Insights 3). It emphasizes increased service to others, a holistic approach to work, the importance of community, and the sharing of power in decision making (3).

At the foundation of Greenleaf’s world view of servant-leadership is his belief that everything begins with the initiative of an individual (SL 14). Greenleaf points out that people blame systems for problems, but systems do not make themselves (5). He sees willingness to take responsibility as an ethical issue. This is a centerpiece of Havel’s writing as well, and his life has been shaped by his commitment to taking action according to his convictions. It is a process that L’Engle refers to as our calling to be “co-creators with God.”

Greenleaf also believes that nothing is meaningful until it is related to our own experience (18). He points out that effective leaders must start from the listener’s current reality in order to communicate meaningfully. One could add that effective writers know that they must find an entry point into their readers’ imaginations in order for their work to engage others. We will have the opportunity to take an in-depth look at how meaning is related to personal experience in the section about Havel. Havel posits that “lived experience” rather than acquired abstract theories must be at the core of our beliefs; this is part of a long tradition of Czechoslovakian philosophy.

We have established three general qualities that are present in servant-leadership: ability to integrate intuition and logic, ability to communicate a vision to others, and the courage to go out ahead, even if the path is uncertain. In The Servant as Leader, Greenleaf elaborates on these characteristics. We will see ample evidence of these traits in L’Engle, Havel, and García Márquez when we later explore the lives of each individually.

The first characteristic--the ability to integrate intuition and logic--is the one emphasized in this paper. According to Greenleaf, servant-leaders have a sense for the unknowable and unforeseeable (21-22). They have a feel for patterns and an ability to see the larger picture. The writing process helps cultivate this ability. Greenleaf sees periods of withdrawal as essential to finding optimum strength, as they allow leaders to receive intuitive insights (19). The very nature of the writing process demands that an author withdraw to practice his or her craft, and L’Engle, Havel, and García Márquez all stress the importance of times of solitude.

It is through intuition that a leader is likely to perceive and refine his or her vision. “In fact, by definition, intuition and vision are connected. Intuition has as its root the Latin word meaning ‘to look at.’ Intuition, like vision, is a ‘see word’ relating to our abilities to picture and imagine” (Kouzes and Posner, qtd. in Reflections, 181).

Of course, a vision is best served when it is shared, which brings us to the second quality of a servant-leader--the ability to communicate a vision to others. Greenleaf emphasizes that a servant-leader accomplishes this through the use of persuasion rather than coercion (SL 41-42). Coercion is ineffective in the long run because it is not organic and so does not allow those being lead to grow (42). The writer who is also a leader is able to use the power of language to influence others through persuasion. García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude is a wonderful example. By couching his politically progressive philosophy in a wildly entertaining story, Garcia Marquez has been able to reach and influence millions.

At the heart of a servant-leader’s act of persuasion is his or her conscious effort to listen and understand (17). Leaders often feel that their role demands that they be the ones to whom others listen, the ones taking action and doing the talking. Greenleaf asserts that it is through listening that the leader learns and through which the strength of everyone is built. L’Engle and García Márquez both expand the concept of listening to include listening to the story as it emerges from within, even if it is going in a direction that is different from what the author had in mind.

The ability to really listen to and understand others is indicative of the respect a servant-leader has for all. This base of respect fosters genuine communication. “Servant-leaders accept and empathize, which requires acceptance of imperfection” (20-21). A memorable observation from Greenleaf is that “anybody could lead perfect people” (21). Greenleaf considers it part of the human enigma that ordinary people are capable of heroism. Through shared vision, leaders help others to be greater than they would otherwise be. Havel comments on this enigma as well in relation to the behavior of the Czechoslovakian people during the tumultuous period of communist rule followed by a transition to democracy.

Belief in a vision is what helps servant-leaders develop the third quality identified by Greenleaf-- the courage to go out ahead, even if the path is uncertain. Servant-leaders point the direction (15). They know that there are risks involved, but they also know the goal and can articulate it. Writers have a special role in perceiving a goal and using the power of language to convey it to others.

Servant-leaders lead with courage based on confidence. They know who they are and accept moving toward their goal one action at a time (31-32). Leaders decide for themselves where their efforts are most effective. They pursue their goals in spite of the frustrations they encounter. The lives of L’Engle, Havel, and García Márquez are all characterized by their refusal to let others define them.

Finally, servant-leaders’ courage to act is a natural outgrowth of their tendency to view a problem as starting within them rather than on the outside (44). This is an important aspect of taking responsibility. Consider these words from Havel’s inaugural speech as Czechoslovakia’s new president: “We cannot blame the previous rulers for everything, not only because it would be untrue but also because it could blunt the duty that each of us faces today, namely, the obligation to act independently, freely, reasonably, and quickly” (Havel, Open Letters 392). Greenleaf points out that this same principle applies to joy--it is generated on the inside.

In his writings about servant-leadership, Greenleaf explores all of these ideas primarily within organizational settings. This emphasis stems from his observation that the act of persons caring for each other is increasingly mediated through institutions. He believes that if a better society is to be built, “the most open course is to raise both the capacity to serve and the very performance as servant of existing major institutions by new regenerative forces operating within them” (Greenleaf, SL 49).

Greenleaf’s theory applies equally well to the work of artists. The creative process lends itself naturally to a quality that Greenleaf considers crucial to servant-leadership: it “begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead” (13). True artists strive ardently to bring forth their creations as faithfully as possible: They first serve their works of art. Experiencing that process--and beholding the finished product--can change them, teach them, clarify their visions. This is precisely why artists in general can, as Greenleaf suggests, offer us illumination in regard to our life choices. For a rare few, sharing these visions, building upon them, and encouraging others to engage in the creative process for themselves are inevitable next steps. (In other words, conscious choice brings them to aspire to lead.) Those who are willing to take the responsibility to do so are both servant and leader.

The purpose of this project is to provide the reader with an overview of Robert Greenleaf’s theory of servant-leadership, an argument for its applicability to the lives of artists, a familiarization with literature that sheds light on the topic, and profiles of Madeleine L’Engle, Václav Havel, and Gabriel García Márquez--three writers who embody the principles of servant-leadership. An examination of the lives and works of these three highly creative individuals is particularly valuable for the insights it reveals about how intuition and logic work together in the servant-leader. Previously, this has been perhaps the least-studied aspect of servant-leadership. Looking at L’Engle, Havel and García Márquez also provides an opportunity to learn about two other qualities that a servant-leader must possess: the ability to communicate his or her vision to others and the courage to go out ahead, knowing that the path might be uncertain but the goal is not.

Greenleaf’s essay The Servant as Leader presents his belief that everything begins with the initiative of an individual (SL 14). He argues that elements of intuition and logic are both needed and that, in western culture, logic tends to dominate. He writes that “Criticism has its place, but as a total preoccupation it is sterile. . . The danger, perhaps, is to hear the analyst too much and the artist too little” (Greenleaf, SL 11). Perhaps Greenleaf is referring to the analyst and the artist as separate individuals within a group, but his statement can also be seen as a call for each person to listen for and consider the viewpoint of the artist within.

Existing research about several distinct topics--servant-leadership, intuition, the writing process, and Jungian concepts about the interplay of the conscious and unconscious realms--contributes to an understanding of the work of writers who are servant-leaders.

A review of the body of writings about servant-leadership reveals the theory’s versatility. While most of the these writings emphasize organizational and management applications, authors who explore its implications for personal growth open the way for wider interpretations. A common theme among these authors is that servant-leadership involves a life-long effort to refine one’s purpose and cultivate one’s awareness.

Greenleaf strongly emphasizes the role that a well-developed intuitive sense plays in leadership. Studies about the nature of intuition provide an overview of the mental processes involved in intuition as well as evidence that leaders value it as a source of insight. Common topics include the identification of various forms intuition takes and its role in creativity and problem-solving. The integration of intuition and logic is a life-enhancing pursuit.

Research about the writing process establishes it as a tool of cognition which fuses intuitive and analytical thinking. Greenleaf himself recommends using writing in this way. (It must be noted that writing is not the only means of achieving this, as is evident from the wide range of fields represented in psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s study.) William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream affords a rich opportunity to see how one of the true masters of the written word treats the theme of imagination and reason.

Many of Greenleaf’s ideas about the importance of incorporating intuitive understanding into our perceptions stem from Carl Jung’s theories. Among these theories is the importance of being aware of and incorporating the shadow side into one’s personality. This enables the individual to access the hidden resources and to be aware of the ways in which the unconscious can limit and distort perceptions. Once learned, the many lessons and mandates of each cultural environment come to rest below the level of conscious thought. In order to examine these powerful biases and assumptions, one must bring them into his or her field of awareness. The process of bridging the conscious and unconscious elements to achieve a state of wholeness is the goal that Jung identifies as individuation. This is fundamentally the goal one seeks when moving toward servant-leadership.

Madeleine L’Engle’s service begins with her writing. It provides L’Engle with a means of listening, or being receptive to revelation--a contact with the intuitive aspect of her being. Her writings articulate the principles of servant-leadership, both in terms of helping others to grow and in terms of her calling as an artist. She writes about the artist’s role in serving the work of art, of being willing to bring it forth as faithfully as possible.

One of L’Engle’s most important gifts is her belief that children are capable of absorbing and responding to sophisticated scientific and moral topics. The popularity of her novels for young readers is proof that her confidence in their abilities is well-founded.

L’Engle’s Christian faith is an essential part of her life and is integral to her writings. Her avid interest in post-Newtonian science has had the effect of affirming her faith; she sees science and theology as addressing many of the same questions about the nature of existence. Her applications of post-Newtonian scientific concepts in her novels have captured the imaginations of many readers, stretching them to think in new ways, and her ability to see connections between art, science, and religion encourages looking past superficial categories to the underlying wholeness.

Václav Havel is an extraordinary example of a servant-leader for whom the process of writing has been both the well-spring for his visionary ideas and the bridge he has built to the rest of the world. Through his writing he discerns for himself what he sees and measures it against what his imagination tells him is possible. He then sends his conclusions into the world and takes responsibility for their implications. This is a risk for any writer at any time, for it puts one in a vulnerable position. However, in the midst of a oppressive totalitarian regime, the risk of making public Havel’s written criticism of the government was particularly great. Havel, then, closely fits the description of a servant-leader put forth by Greenleaf: Leaders go out ahead to show the way. They know what their goal is and can articulate it for others. They are willing to go forward, knowing that the path is dangerous.

The compelling voice of Václav Havel has been an important addition to the many Czech leaders who have been committed to translating their moral and philosophical ideals into reality. He joins them in calling upon us to form a world view based on personally attested experience and to make that assessment the starting point of our actions. He tells us that it is willingness to take responsibility that saves us from despair at the injustices we see. He tells us that responsibility is a form of hope and a link to a life that transcends personal concerns. And we listen with respect, knowing that he speaks from experience.

As a young man, García Márquez developed a strong calling to write, and his subject has been, in one form or another, understanding and preserving the culture of the Atlantic coastal region of Colombia in which he grew up. The region has a Caribbean influence and is a crossroads of African, Indian, and Andalusion (or Gallego) influences. For García Márquez, it is endowed with an extraordinary magic. As a budding journalist, he wrote many columns describing the area and his sense of regional identity expanded to encompass all of Latin America. He learned to observe his surroundings with insight and to present what he sees with original imagery. Later his journalism career brought international travel. Through his exposure to other parts of the world, he was able to see his homeland with greater clarity and to capture its essence in his writing.

García Márquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude is generally heralded as the work in which he does this best. It is a fine example of magical realism, a genre which explores the nature of reality. In One Hundred Years of Solitude, the boundaries of reality blur as the citizens of Macondo accept magical occurrences as ordinary but are incredulous at the mind-boggling mysteries of scientific discoveries. Common assumptions about what constitutes progress come into question as García Márquez describes the effects of technological advancement and capitalism on the environment and inhabitants of the town. García Márquez has an affinity with indigenous cultures, and he powerfully conveys his profound sense of loss as dominant cultures crowd out traditional ways of thinking. Because he is able to embed these concepts into a colorful, mesmerizing story, they have been carried to a world-wide audience. It is a classic example of a servant-leader influencing others through persuasion rather than coercion.

The success of One Hundred Years of Solitude has made García Márquez famous, and he uses his influence to be an advocate and mediator for Latin America. As Greenleaf says, conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. Greenleaf writes that one test of servant-leadership is whether the least privileged in society benefit from it. Indeed, García Márquez’s work has given his fellow Latin Americans a sense of pride, a feeling that their existence has been validated. His work is grounded in his dream of unity and healing within Latin America; his extraordinary gift for telling a story makes the world eager to hear his message.

Servant-leadership is a demanding path. It requires that we seek personal fulfillment by making the hard choices and undertaking the rigorous preparation needed to help in building a better society (Greenleaf, SL 10). Discriminating and determined servants who are followers are as important as servant-leaders. Everyone, at various times, plays each role (4). Greenleaf stresses that failing to lead when there is the opportunity is to deny wholeness and creative fulfillment (6).

While qualities of servant-leadership are present in all, some among us have “more than the usual openness to inspiration” (15). These individuals are capable of thinking beyond everyday realities and conceiving of an “overarching purpose” (15). In addition, they are able to convey their vision to others. The goal, the visionary concept as presented by the servant-leader “excites the imagination and challenges people to work for something they do not yet know how to do, something they can be proud of as they move toward it” (16). Suddenly, new possibilities exist.

We can only open ourselves up to these new ways of thinking, to creativity and growth, when we are willing to leave our comfort zones. This can be as simple as purposely stepping outside of one’s preferred ruts for a fresh view or developing the discipline to work toward a goal every day, even when doing so is hard or unappealing. It always involves the willingness to experience and manage the feeling of anxiety that accompanies taking risks. Mainly, leaving the comfort zone means being willing to take the responsibility to lead. L’Engle believes that we are called to be co-creators in spite of our feelings of being unqualified. Similarly, Carl Jung observes:

As any change must begin somewhere, it is the single individual who will experience it and carry it through. The change must indeed begin with an individual; it might be any one of us. Nobody can afford to look round and to wait for somebody else to do what he is loath to do himself. But since nobody seems to know what to do, it might be worthwhile for each of us to ask himself whether by any chance his or her unconscious may know something that will help us (91-2).

Greenleaf opens The Servant as Leader by asking if the two roles of servant and leader can be fused in a real person who can live and be productive in the present world. He asserts that he would answer “Yes” and suggests that we study the lives of servant-leaders for inspiration. Greatly influenced by the themes of great literature, he further suggests that to identify true servant-leadership, we “turn to the artists for illumination” (SL 43). L’Engle, Havel, and García Márquez are proof that qualities of service and leadership can indeed be fused in real individuals. For all three, the source of their energy is creative endeavor. Their lives validate the thought with which Greenleaf closes his essay: “Except as we venture to create, we cannot project ourselves beyond ourselves to serve and lead” (SL 48).