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Finding Leo
Servant Leadership as Paradigm, Power, and Possibility
Foreword by Larry C. Spears
Afterword by Shann Ray Ferch
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
Transform yourself and your organization through the power of servant leadership. In this informative and inspiring book, Mathew traces the true life stories, struggles, and enduring wisdom of ten men and women who changed the world by serving others. Based on Larry C. Spears's ten characteristics of a servant leader, Finding Leo engages the reader in a clear and compelling portrait of this powerful leadership philosophy through a vivid analysis of contemporary and historical servant leaders including Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher, Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman, missionary to the poorest of the poor Mother Teresa, educational activist Malala Yousafzai, Quaker abolitionist John Woolman, freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Greenbelt Movement founder Wangari Maathai, Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. From the classroom to the boardroom, the leadership lessons found in Finding Leo form an essential and practical guide for individuals, organizations, and communities looking to live for a higher purpose and seeking a path forward through others-centered leadership.
Philip Mathew is program director and professor of organizational leadership at Weatherford College. He holds a PhD in leadership studies from Gonzaga University. He is coeditor of Global Servant-Leadership: Wisdom, Love, and Legitimate Power in the Age of Chaos and a member of the editorial review board for the International Journal of Servant-Leadership.
“Philip Mathew has assembled a wonderful collection of insights from some of the greatest leaders out there. Their stories and perspectives truly illustrate what servant leadership is all about. A solid read for those who aspire to lofty levels of servant leadership.”
—Mike Figliuolo, author of Lead Inside the Box
“I have always tried to live my life as a servant leader. After reading about the extraordinary servant leadership highlighted in Finding Leo, I am even more committed to continuing the work of encouraging more people to become servant leaders. If you are a new or experienced servant leader, I highly recommend Finding Leo because you will be reminded that Buddha said to the bandit, ‘Servant leaders help make a hurting world whole.’”
—Damon A. Bell, Community College Executive Leader
“A remarkably poignant and spiritual book, yet full of personal and practical applications. While the case studies are about well-known and regarded individuals, the fact of the matter is that leadership is everyone’s business. The stories emphasize that leadership begins with finding the Leo within each of us in order to care enough about something or someone other than ourselves, to act, and in so doing, to make a difference. A book to be savored rather than devoured.”
—Barry Z. Posner, Chair, Department of Management & Entrepreneurship, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University
“Keep a highlighter handy when you read Finding Leo! You will learn something new in every gracefully written chapter. Mathew delivers a compelling blend of history, scholarship, Greenleaf’s foundational principles, and moving stories of servant leaders, ranging from Harriet Tubman and Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher to Mahatma Gandhi and Eleanor Roosevelt. . . . Every practicing and aspiring servant-leader should have Finding Leo in their personal libraries.”
—Don M. Frick, author of Robert K. Greenleaf: A Life of Servant Leadership
“The need for servant leadership has never been greater, but the supply is not meeting the demand. In this book, Philip Mathew lays out an actionable framework for leaders to become givers rather than takers.”
—Adam Grant, author of Think Again
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