The Servant as Leader – On Re-Reading Hermann Hesse’s Morgenlandfahrt
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.
Originally published in 1932, “The Journey to the East” (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.
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.
If this sounds vaguely familiar, it’s 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?
During H.H.’s inquiries – the story goes on – 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.
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.
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.
Kind regards,
Dietmar
LUCILIUS INTERIM
Dr Dietmar Scheja
Financial Leadership
