Writings on Servant Leadership

(as first published in the Vote4TG website, April, 2007)

By Tom Ganse, Candidate for Governor-Elect

In the previous months I shared my family with you and described how I came to be so passionate about serving children and about our Service Leadership Programs. This month, I want to share with you the single most significant factor in my approach to life. It is the “why?” behind everything I attempt. It is the concept of the Servant Leader.

Setting aside any religious controversy surrounding Jesus of Nazareth, the historical and archeological records indisputably document his mortal life, his wisdom as a teacher, and his commitment to serve the least of mankind. This man literally “walked the talk” when it came to service. As a practicing Christian (and I need all the practice I can get!), I am compelled to emulate that example, but the effect is even more deeply ingrained by real-life experiences.

I was blessed to be born into a loving family and to grow up in an idyllic, close community, where everyone knew it was a duty and a privilege to give something back. This ethic undoubtedly had its roots in the very Founder of the town, Milton S. Hershey.

Mr. Hershey was raised in the Mennonite faith, which emphasizes frugality and innovative solutions. When he was ready to build his chocolate factory, he chose to build it out of limestone, since it was abundant and readily available just beneath the cornfields covering what was then known as Derry. It also happened that there was an ample supply of skilled labor available, as Italian immigrants familiar with quarrying and stone masonry poured onto Ellis Island in search of a better life.

Milton Hershey hired the immigrants to quarry the rock and build the factory, but he didn’t stop there. Once the factory was built, he offered them jobs working there. But he didn’t stop there, either. Unlike the Robber Barons of the day, Mr. Hershey poured his profits back into the town, not only surrounding the residents with the most modern amenities and conveniences of the day, but keeping them employed outside of the factory as well. In fact, some of the most spectacular building projects in the Hershey area were built during the Great Depression because Mr. Hershey wanted to keep his employees paid and working, often dipping into his own financial reserves while chocolate production and sales were down. 

As benevolent as that may sound, Mr. Hershey’s greatest legacy is arguably the Milton Hershey School, which began as a school for orphaned boys and is fueled by an endowment that has surely grown beyond anything Mr. Hershey dreamt possible. He had no desire to turn Hershey into the multi-national giant it is today. He was a humble man that knew and served the citizenry, leading many a young boy from the 1920s and 1930s to savor a favorite story of their personal encounter with the Chocolate Mogul.

Those same boys grew up and learned an even more valuable lesson in service when they were sent oversees to defeat the Axis Gang during the first half of the 1940s. Many of them never came back, but those who did eagerly picked up the service torch upon Mr. Hershey’s passing in 1945, and dedicated themselves to preserving the service ethic and use of positional authority for the betterment of the served. Those men were the school teachers, church leaders, neighbors – and Kiwanians – that inspired me in my youth.

I carried that ethic with me into my Navy career, vowing to use my authority as an Officer to provide those under my authority with the resources they needed to succeed. If I could not do that on my own, I would fight whatever battles were needed on their behalf.

None of this should come as a surprise to anyone familiar with my Kiwanis service, as I strive to apply the Servant Leader ethic not only to projects, but to our clubs and individual members. Everything above the club level should exist to support and serve the clubs and members, not the other way around.

As I close this month’s address, I ask each of you to reflect on your motivation for joining Kiwanis and your actions since joining. Are you a Servant Leader within your community and within your club, or are you seeking personal recognition? Are you serving your club, or are you complaining that your club has nothing to offer you?

Consider the following paraphrase from a book co-authored by management guru Ken Blanchard, whose works include “The One Minute Manager”, and Phil Hodges, author of “The Servant Leader” and others. Their book is titled “Lead Like Jesus”:

“Know your people intimately. Respect them profoundly. Equip them to be competent and confident leaders. Remember that Servant Leadership involves:

- Setting the purpose or vision

- Communicating a compelling picture of the future

- Defining and modeling the values, structure, and behavior you want from people

- Creating an environment of empowerment

- Moving to the bottom of the pyramid to support those who are responsible to serve (emphasis mine)

- Showing respect for everyone

- Placing the growth and development of people on par with accomplishing vision”

These are the benchmarks I strive to achieve. As a fallible human, I rely on people to hold me accountable when I measure up short, and I rely on the grace and counsel of others as I continue this journey. I look forward to working closely with this District’s Leaders – past, present and future – and trust you will all help me help you in the months and years to come. See you next month!

With a Kiwanis servant’s heart,

Tom Ganse