{
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    "slug": "the-servant-as-leader",
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        "rendered": "<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_section et_pb_section_0  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_section_regular et_block_section\" >\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_row et_pb_row_0  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_4_4 et_pb_column et_pb_column_0  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et-last-child et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_0  et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><span class=\"break-words           tvm-parent-container\"><span dir=\"ltr\">The Servant as Leader \u2013 On Re-Reading Hermann Hesse's Morgenlandfahrt<span><br \/><\/span><span><br \/><\/span>Die Morgenlandfahrt is one of the books that have stayed with me since school. Or rather, it has reappeared at several times of my life after lying dormant for years.<span><br \/><\/span><span><br \/><\/span>Originally published in 1932, \u201cThe Journey to the East\u201d (its English title) was released into a time that surely had a desperate need - but neither patience nor use - for this tale of a spiritual journey, its humanity and its abrogation of self.<span><br \/><\/span><span><br \/><\/span>The narrator, one H.H., is trapped in a false life. Years ago, he was a member of the Covenant, a spiritual movement journeying to the East in search of enlightenment and inner elevation. H.H. remembers this journey's adventure and companionship as the most meaningful time of his life. However, the journey floundered and the Covenant disintegrated, failing to meet its spiritual objectives. Deeply disappointed, H. H. returned home. Now, after years of being stranded in his diminished life, H. H. decides to write the chronicle of his part in the journey. He probes his memory and seeks out former companions, but the more he searches, the less can he form a clear picture of what happened and why. The only thing that emerges is that the failure of the journey must be linked to the disappearance of Leo, a servant, at the gorge of Morbio Inferiore. H. H. cannot explain why, but without Leo, the travellers lost their direction and their common goal - and the journey was finally abandoned.<span><br \/><\/span><span><br \/><\/span>If this sounds vaguely familiar, it\u2019s because it was this book that inspired Robert K. Greenleaf to develop his concept of servant leadership in the 1970s. Leo, the unpretentious, smiling, and humble servant, must actually have been the leader of his group, by serving them and their common cause: What better metaphor for a new, better kind of leadership? One that puts the interests of its followers first?<span><br \/><\/span><span><br \/><\/span>During H.H.\u2019s inquiries \u2013 the story goes on \u2013 a former companion suggests that he look for Leo, who is sure to have survived the demise of the Covenant. H.H. does indeed find him, and learns that there is much more to the former servant and their shared history than he ever thought possible.<span><br \/><\/span><span><br \/><\/span>Unlike Greenleaf's work and later books on servant leadership by authors such as Larry C. Spears, The Journey to the East is neither the original version nor the unadulterated core of servant leadership. It has no recipes for success, no tips and tricks, no leadership hacks - it is not a business book at all.<span><br \/><\/span><span><br \/><\/span>It is something much more precious: a free-spirited, bold, playful and wise account of the search for a deeper life. And it ends with the most powerful image I know of what it really means to serve (or lead) something or someone one deeply cares for, be it the Covenant in Hesse's book, one's siblings, a work of art - or a business.<span><br \/><\/span><span><br \/><\/span>Kind regards,<span><br \/><\/span><span><br \/><\/span>Dietmar<span><br \/><\/span><span><br \/><\/span><span><br \/><\/span>LUCILIUS INTERIM<span><br \/><\/span>Dr Dietmar Scheja<span><br \/><\/span>Financial Leadership<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"break-words           tvm-parent-container\"><span dir=\"ltr\"><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"break-words           tvm-parent-container\"><span dir=\"ltr\"><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>",
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    "excerpt": {
        "rendered": "<p>On Re-Reading Hermann Hesse&#8217;s Morgenlandfahrt (The Journey to the East) &#8211; A Lucilius Interim Weekend Special<\/p>",
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