Servant-Leadership Through a Native American Lens: The Seven Grandfather Teachings
Nonpartisanship extends well beyond politics. It means being willing to listen to new ideas from anyone, anywhere, almost anytime (debating the optimal ammunition in the middle of a gunfight is not the right time). So, nonpartisan leadership means you care more about the mission than about your side winning the room.
That’s why Nonpartisanship aligns so well with Respect. In native teaching, respect means honoring all of creation and is represented by the Buffalo. The buffalo gives every part of itself for the human way of life. Nonpartisanship and Respect should push leaders to treat people, roles, and relationships as worthy of care even in disagreement.
A great example is the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, which begins gatherings by giving thanks to the beings and forces that sustain life and by bringing people into what’s often called a good mind.
That’s what nonpartisan leadership should do. First steady the room. Then let people listen, work, and learn something – especially from those who are different from themselves.
If you can only respect people who already agree with you, you’re not leading, you’re just recruiting. That’s often one of the fastest and easiest ways to identify a leader vs. an autocrat.
REFLECTION: Who do you rarely consider advice from? Why not? Who have you not sought out insights from in a long time?
Sources:
- American Indian Health Service of Chicago: The Seven Grandfather Teachings
- Wabanaki REACH: Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address
- Earth to Tables: The Thanksgiving Address
