Servant Leadership via Good Will Hunting

Introduction

In 1997, Good Will Hunting, arrived to critical acclaim and provided the launching point for the movie stardom success of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Good Will Hunting is the compelling story of a young man, deemed a genius by all whom know him, as he journeys from being a troubled social deviant to actualizing his God-given abilities as he learns to find acceptance of self and to experience emotional intimacy in the context of his relationships. Having watch the film numerous times, I am always drawn in and inspired by the interactions between Will Hunting and Sean Maguire, played by Robin Williams, a state-mandated psychologist assigned to Will upon his being charged with assault. Mr. Maguire’s leading and interactions with Will provide an excellent onscreen model of servant leadership which can aid all aspiring servant leaders in identifying specific practices and strategies essential for servant leadership.

In this paper, I will examine servant leadership practices and strategies of Sean Maguire in his relationship with Will Hunting. I will focus on three particular stages of their relationship (initial interactions, establishing credibility, and pursuing potential growth) while reflecting upon course texts throughout.

INITIAL INTERACTIONS

Upon being bailed out of a potential prison sentence by an elitist and well-renowned math professor at MIT, Will is informed by the professor that the court has mandated that he see a psychologist for a set period of time along with his work with the professor. Frustrated that none of his academic colleagues will take on the case after Will has manipulated and humiliated them, the professor turns to Sean Maguire, his roommate from college with whom his relationship has experienced strife and distancing throughout the years as their professional and personal lives have taken different paths. During the initial meeting between Will and Sean, Will makes his best attempt to derail the session by insulting and negating Sean’s professional field as well as his personal life. Will continues by expounding upon one of Sean’s personal paintings and attempts to psychoanalyze him via his artwork. The scene reaches its climax as Will ascertains that perhaps Sean married the wrong woman and Sean grabs Will by the neck, pinning him against the wall, tensely uttering “if you ever disrespect my wife again, I will end you!”. As the professor enters Sean’s office after Will leaves, Sean agrees to continue seeing Will. This illustrated a powerful principle of servant leadership which Ramsey (2006) articulates by saying “the servant-leader’s deliberate choice is to serve others” (p. 3). A key aspect of servant leadership is choosing to put aside personal offense or hurt in effort to serve others. While Sean had every right to refuse to see Will again, he chose continuing meeting with him because he identified his position to serve Will in spite of his present feelings of hurt or inferiority.

As Will approaches Sean in his office for their second visit ready to sit in his chair, Sean utilized a rather unorthodox counseling method by taking Will to a bench in a nearby park. Sean confronts Will about his derogatory comments during their previous visit, sharing his experience of surviving his wife as she died from cancer. The pinnacle of their encounter occurs when Sean gracefully and compassionately says:

“You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are, because I read Oliver Twist? Does that encapsulate you? Personally… I don’t give a shit about all that, because you know what, I can’t learn anything from you, I can’t read in some fuckin’ book. Unless you want to talk about you, who you are. Then I’m fascinated. I’m in. But you don’t want to do that do you sport? You’re terrified of what you might say. Your move, chief.”

One of the clear practices we can learn from Sean’s actions was his ability to forgive Will for his critical and hurtful remarks. Lennick & Kiel (2008) note that “when I forgive you, I continue to recognize that you have flaws, but I do not define you completely in terms of your flaws” (p. 112). Servant leaders must realize they will be hurt by the words and actions of others throughout the process of leadership. Just as Sean saw what he could potentially learn from Will, servant leaders must not allow their emotions to be the singular driving force of their practices and strategies. Servant leaders must not only be willing to forgive, but willing to move forward in their relationships with constituents seeking future learnings, opportunities, and successes.

Another important servant leadership strategy exemplified in this scene in Sean’s desire to listen to Will and learn about his life, his experiences, and his thoughts. Greenleaf (1977) certainly saw the significance of leaders employing listening skills and the impact it had upon workers “because true listening builds strength in other people” (p. 31). In regards to listening, it is imperative to specify the distinction between seizing opportunities as they come as opposed to proactively seeking and organizing one’s schedule to intentionally encourage and provide space and time for listening.

ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY

As Sean and Will continue to meet throughout the movie, Will begins to ask perusing questions about Sean’s life and marriage after a complete session of silence. One critical interaction occurred when Will asked Sean if he would ever remarry which Sean promptly responded, “my wife is dead.”. After pressing him with the question a second time, Will says “that way you could actually go through the rest of your life without ever really knowing anybody”, rehashing an assertion previously made by Sean towards Will. While this may seem to be an inconsequential exchange, it is interesting to note how Will responds to this exchange with a graceful spirit rather than contention as he had earlier in the film. There are many similar moments throughout their sessions where Sean continues to build credibility and rapport with Will through basic personal connections in their interactions. Kouzes & Posner (2003) acknowledge the merit of this process when they write “the credibility foundation is built brick by brick. And as each new fragment is secured, the basis on which we can erect the hopes of the future is gradually built” (p. 25). Servant leaders are more effective when they appreciate the foundation of credibility steadily established in present interactions in light of a future hope for the individual and the organization.

Another element of establishing credibility happens during Sean’s interactions with the professor. While the professor is consumed with the potential results Will may produce in the future, Sean is more concerned with the constructing the road to those results by allowing Will to find ownership in those pursuits as he continues to strengthen their relationship. Thompson (2000) corroborates the importance of this strategy by saying “relationships that are totally objective and valued for their utility are unlikely to give rise to the level of trust and commitment that empowerment entails” (p. 189). It is essential for servant leaders to avoid focusing on the past of an individual or solely on their potential results. Rather, servant leaders must consider both of these criteria, but more importantly focus on building the bridge between the two through relationships.

PURSUING POTENTIAL GROWTH

In perhaps the most critical scene in the movie, Sean holds Will’s file detailing his records of being physically abused throughout his childhood scattered amongst foster families. After Sean shares with him his own childhood experience of physical abuse, he faces Will repeating “it’s not your fault” until Will breaks down, sobbing, and hugging Sean. The following scene portrays their final session of the court mandate where Will shares with Sean his choice to accept a job at one of the organizations set up through the professor. After Will confirms his desire to pursue this path, Sean shares with him his own choice to “put his money back on the table and see what kind of cards he gets”.A great concept of servant leadership displayed throughout the movie which comes to fruition in this scene is the strengthening of others. Just as Sean allowed Will the space, relationship, and time to move forward with his own decision, servant leaders must strengthen others to the point where they make decisions which are owned. When people are allowed to make decisions based upon their own beliefs they have personal accountability for their decisions and achievements (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, p. 284). When servant leaders strengthen their constituents to the point of ownership, they do not just aid in their achievement, but they also pass on this specific paradigm of leadership.

It is all too common for leaders to become complacent in their positions either out of fear of failure or fear of being uncomfortable. Sean’s decision to move out amongst the world again shows his ability not just be a servant leader to others, but also to apply such concepts to his own life. Greenleaf (2003) writes that servant leaders must “be more creative than most, and creativity is largely discovery, a push into the uncharted and the unknown” (p. 51). Servant leaders must not be held captive by the fear of the unknown. Instead, they must venture into the unknown, seeking to learn more about their self, experiencing new techniques and ways, and wrestling with their encounters to continue to learn to build a bridge from the past to the present to the future.

CONCLUSION

This has been an enjoyable paper to write and it will serve as connection between a film I love and the calling of servant leadership. I love the rawness of the dialogue and interactions found in Good Will Hunting, as it provides a realistic portrayal of life which is messy and complicated where pain and confusion plentifully abound in need of healing and direction. The closing scene of the movie shows Will driving in his car west (presumably on his way to Skylar, his girlfriend) leading viewers to believe that he had found reconciliation not just with his talents and potential career, but also with his relationships and fear of intimacy. I always watch this scene to the end through the credits because it inspires me with the hope of being able to move beyond pain and confusion for all people. This hope is what exudes from the hearts of servant leaders.

REFERENCES

Greenleaf, R.K. (1977). Servant leadership: a journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press.

Greenleaf, R.K. (2003). The servant leader within: a transformative path. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press.

Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (2003). Credibility: How leaders gain and lose it, why people demand it. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (2002). The leadership challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Lennick, D. & Kiel, F. (2008). Moral intelligence: enhancing business performance & leadership success. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.

Ramsey, M. (2006). Servant leadership and unconditional forgiveness: The lives of six south African perpetrators. The International Journal of Servant Leadership, 2(1), 87-113.

Thompson, C.M. (2000). The congruent life: following the inward path to fulfilling work and inspired leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

The Past 40 Days

I’m tempted to say life is great, because I’m conditioned to a certain extent although I do my best to be a contrarian in my daily interactions with people around church.  However, most times if I’m not “doing great” it just sends people in overdrive of looking for an exit strategy.  Overall life isn’t bad, but hasn’t been the greatest.

• Grad school is in push mode right now as a fight to find motivation in my research class…all masters program have the “research” course, but it is truly arbitrary in most cases…this will be my least favorite class when all is said and done.
• Youth ministry is going okay.  We have been holding steady with our numbers, but am worried about some cliques affecting our modest group of 20 senior high students.  
• I’m really frustrated with my church currently…we are really struggling with keeping focused and developing a vision for ministry to strive towards…we are getting trapped in being too busy with “stuff”.
• Meredith’s 1st grade class is crazy…she has 27 kids and 20 are boys…we are officially in survival mode and February just began.
• Meredith and I have had some really good time together this past month with our free time…we have been a happy couple!

Christmas break was very stressful.  I was reminded of what it is like to live with an alcoholic father with harsh words.  I can’t stand the way he puts down my mom, makes comments to my sisters about their appearance, and discredits any idea other than his own.  I feel horrible that my mom (who is kind and gentle to the core) has to endure this daily…hopefully the Lord has an amazing award for her.  Now that I work with teenage girls, I’m incredibly aware of the impact the words of men have upon them.  Needless to say, he and I didn’t get along very well.  The restoration process of a father/son relationship definitely regressed.  We haven’t spoken since December 30th.

Bi-Annual Check-in

After an entire semester passed with minimal posting, here is the update.

We are still living in Yuma, AZ…still working as a DCE…Meredith is still a teacher.  Graduate school has been going very well.  I’m a week into my research class currently and pretty sure this will be my least appreciated class of the program…glad I’m taking it now and not at the end of the program.

Mad Men Musings…

Just watched the finale of Season 2 last night…here it goes.

• Loved Peggy’s exchange with Pete as he breaks down…the development of her confidence throughout the show is incredible to watch.
• Donald Draper is just the most fascinating character on television…he is constantly running away from his life to feel free…he does all the things most of us only think and dream about doing even though we know it isn’t right.
• Betty’s sadness over other the notion that she has missed out on her chance to be a model is a tremendously subtle expression of wondering what might have been if…?
• I’m interested to see what happens with Joan over the next season…you can’t help but root that she will stand up for herself and not allow herself to governed by the unofficial “rules” of the office…maybe Peggy can stir that up in Season 3?
• The merger seems to be killing the creative aspect of the Sterling-Cooper, but I think this is a good thing, because the relationships of the characters are much more interesting than their work.

Anyone else ready for season 3?

Is Income Redistribution Defendable?

In the past couple weeks with Obama himself exalting the idea of income redistribution it is certain this will be a priority of his once in office. I’m appalled by the idea of giving what Obama claims is a tax cut to people who pay no taxes period, but in reality it is another welfare system in addition to the one already in place. The result of this will be the undoing of everything Clinton did to get people off of welfare.

I’m a youth minister and my wife is a teacher and we could certainly use another an extra couple thousand dollars (like we would get under the Obama plan), but I don’t want any handouts at the expense of people who for the most part have worked their butts off to get where they are today.

The redistribution of income has many economical concerns, but the IMO the biggest downfall to it is how it kills compassion, empathy, and thankfulness in the hearts of people. I get a lot of joy out of giving money and helping out others when I can and it becomes a personal experience that develops compassion and care for others. The same is true for the receiving when you are in need…every time someone has helped me out personally I have felt a sense of being cared for and gratefulness for the blessing they have provided. These actions and feelings are good for the souls of man regardless of your religious or non-religious beliefs.

This is my biggest problem with income redistribution. It kills the soul. When the government takes my money via taxes, I feel nothing other than a lighter wallet even if those tax monies will help others in need. And when I receive money from the government, I still feel nothing.

This concept is terrible because it will produce a stagnant, numb society.

Leadership Philosophy

Okay, so it was noted a while back in my last post that graduate school is indeed killing my blogging prowess.  It has continued.  I have been pouring every bit of wordsmith in my being into those papers and postings.  But it is going really well.  I’ve never been a more diligent student in my life…seriously.

Anyway, I’m really going to make a concerted effort to keep this updated more often.  And from time to time I will post some of my writing from grad school that contain a shred of interest to the outside world.  Without further ado, here is my leadership philosophy paper (that got an A!).

 

LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY PAPER

Introduction

There are as many leadership philosophies as people and rightly so.  Each person is unique in their own ways with specific personality traits and aptitudes which make them who they are.  While some people are more naturally inclined towards leadership than others, the majority of leaders are developed through the continued honing of their leadership skills.  Along their leadership journeys people acquire various skills and paradigms allowing them to extend and apply themselves beyond their own natural abilities.  While people cannot change their genetic makeup, they can take specific action and make certain decisions to help them be an effective leader.

In this paper I will discuss three leadership concepts (personal integrity, transforming leadership, and encouraging and enabling others) which convey my leadership philosophy.  Finally, I will illustrate how the adaptation of these three concepts would help a person lead their organization more effectively.

PERSONAL INTEGRITY

There are many leaders and managers in our world who are given titles, yet fail to lead, guide, or unite their constituents because they fail to model their expectations.  In The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner (2002) begin a discussion of modeling by saying “Titles are granted, but it’s your behavior that wins you respect” (p.14).  While salaries and titles may have some personal value to a leader, they mean little to their subordinates and may even be a target for criticism for some if a leader lacks integrity. 

As a leader, it is critical to model the way and move forth with servant leadership.  Servant leadership is different from the traditional power-based leadership in many ways.  Robert Greenleaf (2005) defines and identifies the goals of servant leadership by saying this:

“The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?” (p. 25)

The focus of servant leaders is on the raising up and growth of constituents through modeling.  Rather than assigning a task and expected a result, servant leaders will come alongside constituents teaching them the way to accomplish the task and at the same time instilling the values of servanthood and modeling in them.

Integrity also leads to the establishment of many desirable traits that initiate more effective leadership and greater rapport amongst constituents.  Yukl (2006, p. 210) writes that “Integrity is a primary determinant of interpersonal trust.  Unless one is perceived to be trustworthy, it is difficult to retain the loyalty of the followers or to obtain cooperation and support from peers and superiors.”  Without the support and teamwork of constituents, a leader will fail to meet the set goals.  The Center for Creative Leadership found that the absence of integrity directly correlated with the failure of leaders and vice versa (p. 211).  For a leader to develop integrity amongst their constituents, they must be deemed honest, trustworthy, loyal, and uphold confidentiality. 

The development of a leader’s integrity requires time, energy, and patience invested in their workers through modeling and servant leadership.  John J. Gardiner summarizes this competently in saying “integrity comes from sublimating our egos and giving ourselves entirely to life” (Spears, 1998, p.119).

TRANSFORMING LEADERSHIP

Many different paradigms of leadership exist and are useful tools for leading groups of people to success, but transforming leadership offers an excellent overarching view and structure for leaders to use when working with people of different values and persuasions.  James MacGregor Burns says the transforming leader “’looks for potential motives in the followers, seeks to satisfy higher needs, and engages the full person of the follower,’ which results in ‘a relationship of mutual stimulation and elevation’ for both leader and follower” (Carey, 2008, p. 7).  By having insights into the constituents’ attitude towards the organization, the transforming leader can develop personalized strategies to help workers move closer accomplishing both the goals of the organizations and their personal aspirations.

In the second module, the five frames of reference were described illustrating the disruption causes by self-embeddedeness.  Being stuck in a single frame of reference can become a problem for a worker when required to work with those stuck in other frames of reference.  “When the partial truths contained in one of the individual the frames are confused with the whole Truth, then whatever value there is in the frame’s outlook becomes distorted” Carey, 2008, p. 2).  When a leader operates solely within a single frame of reference, their distortions impact the goals and workers of the organization.

Transforming leaders move from their original frame of reference towards a “fundamental option for self-transcendence” which “pulls the individual toward the logos and, therefore, in the direction of either transactional or transforming leadership” (Carey, 2008, p. 6).  While transactional leadership is sometimes necessary to accomplish intermediate goals and simple tasks, the conversion of workers to leaders through transforming leadership will be more likely to accomplish long-term success for both the organization and its constituents.

ENCOURAGING AND ENABLING OTHERS

I have never encountered a person who has claimed they have received too much encouragement.  I have also never met anyone that has single-handedly made their organization successful.  In other words, leaders need to be surrounded with people united in purpose for their organization to be successful.  One of the best ways to align constituents with your vision and goals is through forming relationships through encouragement.  “Giving encouragement requires us to get close to people and show that we care…it’s more likely to accomplish something other forms (of feedback) cannot: strengthening trust between leaders and constituents” (Kouzes and Posner, 2002, p. 321). Futhermore, Freire (2000) describes the benefits of an encouraged and enabled group of workers when he writes:

 “This adherence coincides with the trust the people begin to place in themselves and in the revolutionary leaders, as the former perceive the dedication and authenticity of the later.  The trust of the people in the leaders reflects the confidence of the leaders in the people.” ( p. 150)

Encouraging and enabling constituents is ongoing task that requires a continual commitment of transforming leaders.  However, the satisfaction and success that comes with leading an encouraged team of workers enabled to do their job well is unparallel and critical to the overall success of organizations.

CONCLUSION

“Leadership is not an affair of the head.  Leadership is an affair of the heart” (Kouzes and Posner, 2002, p. 399)  It is with those words that The Leadership Challenge concludes and we are reminded that transforming leadership all begins with the heart and integrity of the leader.  However, character and integrity are not enough as transforming leaders are required to not only understand various frames of reference, but also pull constituents towards the logos enabling them to operate outside their natural frame of references and in the process become transforming leaders themselves.  When leading with integrity, a transforming leader who encourages and enables positions themselves, their constituents, and their organization for success.

REFERENCES

Carey, M. L. (2008). One logos.  Retrieved October 18, 2008, from           http://jesuitnet.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?
tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_1388_1%26url%3d

Freire, P. (2000).  Pedagogy of the oppressed.  New York: Continuum.

Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2002). The leadership challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Spears, L. (Ed.). (1998). Insights on leadership: Service, stewardship, spirit, and servant-leadership. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Graduate School is Killing This Blogging Prodigy

My blogging time has been significantly reduced by a combination of starting graduate school (which has sucked my time at home on the comp) and the increased workload of the school year (which has sucked my time at work on the comp..not that I would blog at work).

But mostly grad school is taking over my life, but it will not overcome my marriage…Meredith will pull the proverbial “stop payment” plug before it ever begins to interfere with “date night”.

Initiating Blogosphere Re-Entry

I ended my prior installment by acknowledging my excursion from e-land into a reality that existed entirely of human beings in bodily form and those embedded in my cell phone’s contact list.  Honestly, I have really enjoyed this period as my relationships with folks in my community have flourished.  At the same time, I’ve lost touch with friends from college that I keep in touch with via blogging and Facebook.

After traveling for 4 weeks consisting of the end of June and the majority of July, it took some time to adjust back to living with a wife in an apartment.  Now that we have been back for 3 weeks, Meredith and I have readjusted to our existence as husband and wife.  We have had some great time together and a couple great day excursions.  She goes back to teaching on Wednesday and I will miss the joy of being able to eat lunch together most days.

Now my focus has been directed to 3 things: getting prepared for the fast-approaching year of youth ministry, getting prepared to start graduate school on September 2nd (and figuring our how to pay for it), and being sucked into the Olympics every evening.

Speaking of the Olympics, I’m going to have my thoughts from the evening broadcast included every day.  I flabbergasted that I am so engrossed and intrigued by the Olympics.  Never in my life have I been such a fan of the games…yet another sign of getting older…I still can’t believe I’m 27!!!

Olympic Musings

- Swimming is all about records…almost every final features a new Olympic or world record.  Perhaps they measured that pool in yards instead of meters.

- Michael Phelps eats alot!!!

- Phelps contingency of gold medals is impressive, but I’m not sure there is a more dominant US team than Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh (and her black-taped shoulder) in beach volleyball.  They just annihilate everyone they face.  And it doesn’t hurt that they are easy on the eyes.

- Mary Carillo just revealed that there is a 7′9″ China-man and China is also home to the world’s largest bathroom.

- Move over football.  Men gymnists are the new athletic freaks!

Olympic Fever

I started out interested in the Beijing Olympics primarily for cultural/political angle just to see what happened…leading up to the games, it felt more like an experiment than a competition.  But over the past 2 days, I can’t pull myself away from the TV.  I’m hooked…I’m even watching synchronized diving.  So anyway, the Olympics are tremendous, the opening ceremonies made Vegas appear dim in comparison, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Favorite random moment so far:  Bob Costas using the phrase “talking trash” on the air to describe the boasting of the French 4X100 relay team.

Runner Up:  The commentators cynical discussion of the actual age of the Chinese team during the women’s gymnastics competition.

I will have a write up in not so long about the Canada Mission Trip!  It was great!!!

I need to get back in the habit of writing.

Vacation Update, Day 2

No cool ambient header today as we are on the road currently in San Francisco.  Yesterday we started out at 6:20am and ended up in Santa Cruz by around 5:00ish just in time for dinner.  I always have fond memories of that town as I spent the summer of 2002 working at camp there.  However, I was quickly reminded of the traffic.  With the many hills and land an highly coveted commodity, traffic is terrible along the Monterrey Bay coastline with roughly a few hundred thousand people spread across it.

After a stop by the O’Neill Surf Shop and a quick dinner at Pizza My Heart, we grabbed a coffee from Peet’s before heading to Mt. Cross.  Our friend Ellie works at the camp year-round and it was great to see her.  She was gracious enough to let us stay with her and it was truly a blessing to be there.  It was a tremendous trip down memory lane to walk around the camp that I still remember all the floor plans and layouts.  It was exciting to see the progress that had been made in the last 6 years and I was blessed with the opportunity to share God’s Word during first word this morning before leaving camp.

After breakfast, we went down to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and Natural Bridges beach.  With more incredible memories invigorated, we started on our way to SFO to pick up my parents for our week together in San Francisco and wine country.  After wading through more traffic (the staple of the Bay Area), we finally made it to the airport and headed to The Chancellor Hotel in Union Square.  After a great lunch with some some cheeses, bread, and wine at Ferry Station, we visited all the neighborhoods we usually do when in San Francisco (Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, Chinatown, North Beach, etc.) and headed back to the hotel for rest.

This evening we are going to eat at Kuleto’s for some good Italian this evening.  This is truly a great time with family and has already been an extremely relaxing vacation.  It’s good to know that we don’t go back till Monday!