Servant Leadership in Action

Chapter 19Finding Your Voice

JAMES M. KOUZES AND BARRY Z. POSNER

I got to know Barry Posner when he was working on his doctorate at the University of Massachusetts where I was a professor. We reconnected when he teamed up with Jim Kouzes and they became one of the most dynamic duos in the field of leadership today. In this essay, Jim and Barry reflect on the nature of leadership and address the question of whether leadership is something that can be learned. The three of us agree that effective servant leadership is an inside-out job. All of the servant leaders I’ve had the pleasure to work with are comfortable in their own skin—in Jim and Barry’s terms, they have “found their voice.” Thanks to you both for validating that truth. —KB

ONE OF THE ...