During the first week of June, Servite High School welcomed James C. Hunter, author of The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership, to speak to students during their Servite Leadership Summit.
Hunter spoke about the importance of servant leadership as a philosophy and set of practices that enrich the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a better world. The servant-leader is able to identify and meet people’s legitimate needs to seek their greatest good enabling them to grow.
During the summit, student leaders gathered to learn about their roles as leaders, undergo management training, as well as plan leadership curriculum and initiatives for the coming school year.
Servite has embraced the principles put forth by Hunter as the basic foundation of its leadership viewpoint. When reaching a teenage audience, Hunter feels that being mindful of these principles constantly creates a strong foundation to be a leader in all aspects of life. “Be aware of your choices because the choices we make become who we are. Patience, kindness, humility, respect – these are all important principles in our daily lives and help us become who we are,” said Hunter.
Hunter is an internationally bestselling author whose books have sold over five million copies worldwide and has worked with hundreds of businesses over the past thirty years to develop and revitalize their organizations.
“These principles of servant leadership can resonate, regardless of age,” said Hunter about speaking to high school students. “Doing the right thing, that is what character and leadership is, and that begins right away in life.”
Hunter is a prominent speaker to audiences around the world on leadership and developing high-performing teams. He also assists organizations in creating a culture of excellence by growing leaders and building community.
“Hearing from James Hunter was very influential,” said Connor Buchanan, Class of 2019. “I learned that all of the qualities of a leader are given to us at birth. We become leaders through our character, which is important for leadership because we can’t have a strong leader without someone who has strong character.”
“Mr. Hunter helped me identify the gaps that I have in my leadership styles and I am looking forward to implementing the solutions to those gaps next year,” said Matthew Martinez, Class of 2020. “Your value is the key to the success of Servite and we can all make a difference here.”
