Highly involved in the Servant Leadership movement are local leaders, from left: Dan Schalinske, team leader at FDL Festival Foods; Sandi Roehrig, FDL Area Foundation director; Sr. Deb Golias, vice president of Academic Affairs, Marian University; Christa Willians, executive director of the Sophia Foundation; and Virginia Gilmore, president of the Sophia Foundation.

   by Scott Wittchow

   Several Fond du Lac and area organizations, businesses and individuals have adopted the principles of Servant Leadership.
   Four have become heavily involved in the movement and will present at a workshop in June in Milwaukee.
   What is Servant Leadership?
   According to the Greenleaf Center, the phrase was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in "The Servant as Leader," an essay first published in 1970. In that essay, he said:
   "The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead."
   That essay launched the modern servant leadership movement. It involves a leadership style of listening, empathy, awareness, conceptualization, foresight and building community. No matter what characteristics are utilized, the main goal is to serve.
   Among area businesses and organizations that have adopted Servant Leadership is Festival Foods.
    “Servant leadership is about building a team of caring, customer-focused associates who model excellent behavior because they are proud of the Festival brand and want to be part of a winning team," said Dave Skogen, chairman of Festival Foods, Inc.
   The Sophia Foundation, Fond du Lac, practices the principles of servant leadership as a board and in making decisions that support and serve others.
   Virginia Gilmore, president of the Sophia Foundation said, “Just as Robert Greenleaf in his writings expressed concern for the least privileged in society, so it is with the Sophia Foundation. We care about people in our community and people we serve, and we want to make a positive difference in their lives.”
   According to Dr. Mary Klein and Dr. Marilyn Bugenhagen, co-executive directors of the Spirituality and Leadership Center at Marian University, Servant Leadership is about "nurturing the spirit and gifts of every person, both professionally and personally. The leader who integrates this understanding creates an environment where people can use their full potential, feel appreciated and grow in the process.”
   Servant Leadership has also been adopted by individuals.
   “For me, servant leadership is about how I act, how I come to decisions and how I implement processes,” said Christa Williams, who has served as director of many nonprofits and foundations, including currently as executive director of the Sophia Foundation and also the UW-Fond du Lac Foundation.
   Williams has also taken her belief in Servant Leadership one step further.
 Along with Sandi Roehrig, director of the FDL Area Foundation, Joyce Atkins, Upward Bound Program coordinator at MPTC, and Paul Osterholm, of Marian