Sacred Leadership in the Service Professions

While all organizations can include the concept of service in their missions, there are certain vocations which have, at their core, a mission of serving the common good. Teachers, Police, Firefighters, Childcare Providers and Medical Personnel are good examples of those involved in what we call the ““sacred” professions. For these professions, it is essential that Sacred Leadership maintain a vision which honors their mission of service in the context of enduring values.

Better management, search for profits, or special interest group efforts cannot sustain the “sacred” level of commitment needed in these fields. We have all witnessed the disastrous results of the “MBA approach to leadership” as it has been applied to health care, education and even the governmental response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The sick are not healed, the children are not educated and the poor are not evacuated. Why? Because of the focus on the “bottom line” of dollars, test scores, or political cronyism, rather than a basic mission of service – of healing, educating and protecting the vulnerable.

Sacred Leadership:

• Defined
  - The Goal
  - The Need
  - Guiding Principles
• In Practice
  - In Service Professions
  - In Business
  - In Our Lives