Harry Potter as Servant Leader

This past Monday night, my wife Diane and I had a once a lifetime experience.  We got to attend the red carpet premiere of the last Harry Potter movie at Lincoln Center in New York.  Diane has to be in the top 1% of Harry Potter fans in the world and she won the trip through a local radio station.  It was a blast and a surreal experience to be in the same room with the cast and people behind the biggest movie franchise of all time.  If you want the inside scoop on red carpet night, Diane wrote it all up on her blog and included some really great pictures of the cast speaking before the movie started.

No doubt, many of you will be seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this weekend and in the days to come. Enjoy it. It’s a wonderful film and a fitting end to the series. If you have any mental and emotional bandwidth left over as you’re watching Harry save the world, you might also put your leadership lens on for some examples of servant leadership in action.

Servant leadership is based on the principle that the leader is the servant of the people that he or she leads. Servant leaders have a desire to serve first and lead second. The concept was first articulated by an AT&T executive named Robert Greenleaf in the mid 20th century and he eventually wrote a book on the subject. Today, the Robert K. Greenleaf Center shares and builds on his work. 

The president of the Greenleaf Center, Larry Spears, has identified ten characteristics of servant leaders.  Having been immersed in all things Potter in my house for the last ten years, it seems to me that Harry embodies all or most of them. Here they are:

• Listening
• Empathy
• Healing
• Awareness
• Persuasion
• Conceptualization
• Foresight
• Stewardship
• Commitment to people’s growth
• Building community

As you watch Harry Potter in his last movie, look for those characteristics of a servant leader.  My guess is you’ll see them. Perhaps those qualities are one reason the books and movies have been such a phenomenon. People want to be around and be led by people who embody those traits.   Maybe we see in Harry what we hope or would like to see in ourselves. Maybe the magic was not so much in the wand and the spells as in the way Harry led others. If that’s the case, all of us muggles may actually have a shot at being leaders who make a difference. It just comes down to our motivation and how we act.

What do you think?

Comments

[Amrita]

Interesting read

[Truyen Pham]

Good post!

[Preethy Padmanabhan]

The movie/book also illustrates the importance of a mentor/ sponsor for a leader. Dumbledore was a mentor Harry could run by when he had any issue. Snape was a behind the scenes sponsor.

So many times as a leader we tend to question our foresight (e.g. Harry's questioning his visions), our skills (e.g. Harry questioning his Patronum). Harry Potter always had Dumbledore encouraging him and telling him why he had to believe in himself.

[Jay Groff]

Hum..I'm not so sure. Ever since the trio became friends, they have been told that Harry is the chosen one so are they following their leader or following the person "chosen" to lead them. Just so happens, Harry is likeable so it makes it easier but what if Harry was more like Draco or Neville. The "chosen" one we don't respect but we have been told he is our future. How would that change the dynamics? North Korea, Hitler and others come to mind. Still a great franchise.

[MentorMan]

Well said! Thank you!! Have sent this on to all the amazing, young (and some olders) developing leaders I've the privilege of mentoring. Will be seeing the movie this coming weekend in Denver with some grad students I mentor...them for the second viewing...me for the first. :-)

[DJosephWilson]

Definitely an interesting perspective. I think it's a great way for leaders to look at their responsibilities and mentoring. Really a better way for all of us to lead, to see the "big picture" and to act as caring team members as well.

[Bluehen Believer]

I think you mis-dated the origin of servant leadership by a couple of millenia. Jesus was the first to articulate the concept of servant leadership. He did it better than anyone else ever will.

[Jeff Fisher]

Excellent post! Congratulations on being able to attend such a fun event. My wife is a fellow 1%er. She will love this post, your perspective, and (probably most of all) the link to your wife's blog! You know, Luke Skywalker also fits this mold... but now I just look like a dweeb. Thanks!

[Bill Lawrence]

Excellent post--and the Greenleaf people do an excellent job. Robert Greenleaf was #1 in bringing servant leadership into the consciousness of leaders today. I'm not sure of your statement that servant leaders serve first and lead second. It seems to me that servant leaders lead through serving and one of the chief ways they serve is to keep their followers focused on the agreed upon vision and ways to make it happen. Also, as noted above, Jesus thought of it first over 2,000 years ago. Credit given where credit is due.

[Elita Spletzer]

It is so true, you have to be a "Servant Leader" to success in a business. Well, it is not everything, but it is a good part of. I really enjoyed the article. Congratulations to your wife. I love Harry Potter movies. I have not read any books yet, but I've seen almost all of them. This week I am going to watch the last one!!!

[Chris Glennie]

I agree with Jay. The concept of servant leadership is an outstanding one (more honoured in the breach no doubt, at least in my experience), but you stretch a point here. HP exhibits bravery, but he's really only followed because everyone knows they should (and the alternative isn't that attractive). Personally, while I love the films, HP himself leaves me cold.

[btrl]

It's a special calling. After 30 years in the PR/business development world, I went to work pro bono for my church for my retirement years. This is what I do. Stewardship is my forte. I jokingly say there is no paycheck on Fridays but "the benefits are heavenly!" You lead by example. You get to bring out the best in others. You learn from them and grow as a person. I am a happier person now than I ever was in my career (which was great fun!)...so, do I believe in this? A resounding yes.

[Markaroberts]

When serving becomes an intentional element of your culture ...amazing things happen as discussed in the book Delivering Happiness that I shared in my blog at http://www.nosmokeandmirrors.com/2010/07/09/delivering-happiness-proof-%e2%80%a6the-%e2%80%9cgolden-rule%e2%80%9d-is-profitable/
Make the commitment to service.

Mark Allen Roberts

[Brian Secor]

Long before there was Harry Potter, long before there was Robert Greenleaf, long before there were any management specialists, someone said "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave --- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28) The original servant leader was Jesus Christ and servant leadership originated with him. There is nothing new under the entire sun.