How to serve your community: Servant leadership for journalists

By Rob Golub

The path to successful journalism runs through servant leadership.

Servant leadership is a leadership style focused on serving others. A servant leader achieves their goals by prioritizing the needs of others—employees, stakeholders, and the community. It’s an empathetic approach: For me to achieve my goals, what do you need from me?

I often tell the interns I’m privileged to work with that I strive to be a servant leader. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to follow them around with a silver platter. I’ll tell you what to do. I’ll redirect you. But I’ll also—God willing—stop talking and listen. I’ll consider how I can be helpful. Then, I’ll get out of your way as much as I can.

Servant leadership isn’t an abdication of responsibility. It’s simply a shift in emphasis—that’s all. At least, that’s how I see it. I didn’t invent it. 

The term “servant leadership” was coined by Robert Greenleaf in the 1970s.

Later, it was taught to me by a great, ink-in-the-blood newspaperman. He was a fedora-wearing columnist who trudged through the human mud and lore of Atlantic City, New Jersey. If a hard-scrabble journalist, from a city of timeworn houses in the shadow of glitzy boardwalk casinos and indicted mayors, could embrace the sweet nature of servant leadership, we all can.

Later in his life, he was my editor and boss. His name was Randy Brandt, and I’m forever grateful.

Randy achieved his goals through me—by serving me. He’s still doing so today, even in death, when I teach an intern who will become an editor at their college paper what a nut graph is—or what servant leadership means. I know Randy would be pleased.

Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks, wrote a book on servant leadership called “It’s Not About the Coffee.” (Spoiler: It’s about the people.) One lesson from his book always stuck with me: The person who sweeps the floor should be the one who chooses the broom.

We all need guidance. Yet we’re also more invested in what we do when we get to choose the broom.

Brooms and coffee—what does this have to do with journalism? Absolutely everything.

As a former chief editor at a daily paper, I can confirm that allowing employees to choose the broom—to have a say, to be heard—changes everything.

You’ll learn about that procedure that makes no sense. That outstanding worker who’s frustrated. That guy who makes people uncomfortable. That problem. That amazing idea.

In an environment strained by layoffs and other pressures, this becomes even more important. Fearful people don’t communicate. Without trust, you’ll hear nothing. You might as well be flying a jetliner without radar or windows.

Serving a community is a form of servant leadership, too.

When your story choices and your journalism serve your community, everything gets better. The community benefits—and they know it.

This binds your community to your news product. It makes it easier to tell great stories because sources will trust you. It also makes it easier for ad reps to sell space and empowers revenue models.

Serve your community. Serve your employees. Serve your interns.

Magic will ensue.