As part of the Servant Leadership Brown Bag speaker series, Bob
Hascall, senior associate vice president for Facilities Management,
spoke to more than 40 employees from throughout the University at
the Goizueta Business School, July 12.
He discussed Vision 2003, the plan that has guided the FM management
team since March 1998. Its a blueprint that stresses employee
development and empowermenttwo of the most prominent features
of servant leaderships credo.
Hascalls words were specific to FM, but his procedures could
be applied to any division on campus.
A key element in leadership is staying in touch with employees,
Hascall said to what was the largest turnout of the series to date.
You cant do that sitting in your office. Reports will
give filtered information and most just tell you what you want to
hear.
Vision 2003 was represented by a wall-sized mural taped to the
board behind Hascall; pocket-sized replicas of the drawing were
handed out as well. Bisecting the mural was a highway symbolizing
FMs path to achieving its vision. Surrounding that highway
were a variety of figures and brief slogans and messages. Smoothlyand
in under 10 minutesHascall referenced every picture and talked
about how FM has worked to achieve this vision, first conceived
around the time Hascall joined Emory five years ago.
We want our leaders to be teachers and mentors, Hascall
said. We dont want the old-time, my way or the
highway leaders. There are still a lot of those around, but
they are becoming fewer and fewer.
Bill McBride, cochair of the Employee Councils servant leadership
committee, was laudatory in his introduction of Hascall. [He]
is a genuine servant leader, said McBride, wholike Hascallworks
for FM. He recognizes and acknowledges that an organizations
people are its greatest resources. He leads by example and treats
everyone with the same respect and candor.
Hascalls 45-minute discussion touched on elements of team
building, setting measurable goals and independent thinking.
Being at a university where employees care about relationships
and communication is important to a lot of people, said Julia
Leon, cochair of the Employee Councils servant leadership
committee and cosponsor of the brown bag series.
It was a shared interest in servant leadership that prompted Leon
and McBride, then-president of Employee Council to search for ways
to pass along its theories to a wider audience.
Soon, the Center for Ethics, which has its own servant leadership
arm, joined the council, and the brown bag series was born.
The brown bags, which are open to all employees, began in March
2001, and Hascall, coincidentally, was the first speaker. Previously
they were monthly activities, but now they will be held every other
month. The next event will be Sept. 6 and will feature Ginny Plummer
of University Health Services, who will discuss personal wellness.
Leon said finding speakers hasnt been a problem. Already
such campus notables as Womens Center Director Ali Crown,
University Secretary Gary Hauk and former chair of the Board of
Trustees Brad Currey have led brown bag discussions.
The bimonthly cutback isnt because of a lack of interest,
Leon said; instead the work involved in planning monthly events
just became too cumbersome.
However, the committees servant leadership conversation groups
remain on a monthly schedule. On the third Friday of every month,
the more intimate conversation group (about 1012 people) meets
to discuss the book The Servant as Leader, by Robert Greenleaf.
It is upon this work that the entire servant leadership concept
is based. Like the brown bags, these meetings last an hour and are
open to all interested parties. But instead of a main speaker, all
attendees participate equally.
For more information on the servant leadership brown bag series
or the discussion groups, refer to the Employee Council website
at www.
emory.edu/EmployeeCouncil/SERVLEAD.
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