Go to the people
Learn from them
Live with them
Start with what they know
Build with what they have.
But of the best leaders,
When the job is done,
When the task is accomplished,
The people will all say,
“We have done it ourselves.”

Lao Tse’s leader shows a deep sense of respect for his followers. He works with them, draws out the best of their abilities, and gives them ownership of their work. To achieve this, the leader would have drawn on their skills, resolved conflict when it arose, worked consensus when needed, and enabled the group to overcome difficulties. This gives the group a sense of achievement and confidence to face the future.

Socrates (399 BC), in speaking of the attainment of knowledge and leadership had this to say: True wisdom comes to each of us when we realise how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.

Socrates shares with Lao Tze, the sense of self-restraint that a leader needs when leading and relating to the world. There is an innate call to be more than an authoritarian figure holding all knowledge and power - with the recognition that the leader may learn and grow from the knowledge and wisdom of the people around him, and a sense of openness to whatever is revealed from interacting with the world.

King Se Jong (14thC), of Korea, the creator of Hangul, the Korean script, had this to say about himself as a leader: "All that I am, or will be, I have learned from my family, my friends, my teachers, and training with the sword.“

We see shining forth, the gratitude that comes from a realistic self-assessment and acknowledgement of the formative forces that enable leadership. Court records of the period show that King SeJong was indeed, a leader who fully acknowledged the contributions and talents of his followers.

Time marched on and nations went through the Industrial Age and two World Wars, giving rise to new nations with a diversity of leadership forms and structures. It became clear that traditional, authoritarian approaches had their limitations.

Gandhi (1869-1948), had this to say: I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people. Gandhi’s life and work is a prime example of how a facilitative leader empowers his followers. As one man, Gandhi could not convince the British to cede independence to India. When he used his influence to get the people committed to his vision, he succeeded in changing history and winning independence.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955), had great respect for the individual’s ability to impact society. He said: All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual. He also had a deep sense of the need for an individual to feel connected, and part of a whole. "A human being is a part of a whole, called by us -universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. "

These leaders and thinkers touched on the spirit of facilitation – drawing on the wisdom and inner resources of an individual or group to achieve desired outcomes. In the larger sense – they also pointed towards a vision of leadership that acknowledged and respected the contributions of followers, noting the inter-connectedness of all beings and creation.

As societies further evolved and the old structures gave way to a new world order, a whole new breed of thinker-philosophers emerged. The study of leadership and management became critical in the development of human capability and organisational development. The works of Tom Peters, Peter Senge, Stephen Covey, Daniel Goleman and others all outline various approaches that range from traditional to contemporary, democratic and open styles.

Robert Greenleaf (1904-1990), encapsulated the contemporary modes that employ participative styles in his work on servant leadership. In essence, his message for us is: Good leaders must first become good servants.

These are some questions that the servant leader will have to consider:
1. How can a leader best serve her team of followers?
2. In what way can the leader enable each member of the team to excel and bring out their best effort?
3. How does the leader engage and energise the team to achieve their goals?
4. How can the leader connect the various diverse elements within a group and hold them together in a common effort?
5. How does a leader give life to a team and inspire it to action?

A close reading of management theories - from traits, to situational and transformational models shows the positive elements of the facilitative style coming through. Facilitation is an art – not a science. Like most art forms, it requires practice.

Like art forms, it is all-pervasive in the psyche of the individual. Having practised and attained a level of facilitative skill, the leader will have the ability to apply facilitation to all areas of life, work, home and community.

Then, it will become clear what Einstein meant – that by opening our consciousness to the needs of others, and enabling their development we also free ourselves - by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Facilitative Leadership enables individuals and organisations to achieve their full potential.

References:
The writings of Lao Tze, Socrates, King SeJong, Ghandi, Einstein, Stephen Covey, Robert Greenleaf – online and texts.