Critical Race Theory? How about Critical Leadership Theory.

If you pay any attention to the news, whether on television, the Internet, or forwarded posts on your social media feed, then you have undoubtedly seen or heard something about "Critical Race Theory" or CRT.

Kimberlé Crenshaw, leader of the African American Policy Forum, defines CRT as the active, evolving, malleable "practice of interrogating the role of race and racism in society that emerged in the legal academy and spread to other fields of scholarship." According to Crenshaw, "It critiques how the social construction of race and institutionalized racism perpetuate a racial caste system that relegates people of color to the bottom tiers." Therefore, CRT is one unfair personalization that groups an entire segment of the American population into a "station" or "value caste."

I write about CRT not to create division, but as a backdrop for a conversation about leadership. If we can take one personal view of life, define it in our own terms, and ride its coattails to the highest office in the nation, why can't we do that with others - like Servant Leadership?

Let's try. So, using simple word replacement...

"Servant Leadership is the active, evolving, malleable practice of interrogating the role of service and serving in society."

(We don't need "legal academy" and "scholarship" to restrict us, do we?)

As an activity of love, we continue that...

"It critiques how the social construction of leadership and in particular Servant Leadership perpetuate a culture of loving others through service that elevates people of all colors out of artificially created caste systems.”

What an amazing impact that comes from simply changing the perspective from one of negativity to one of positivity. Instead of focusing on the perception that one is being kept down (i.e., CRT), we focus on the power of one person to raise others up (i.e., Servant Leadership).

This simple attitude adjustment now raises the specter of a challenge. If you call yourself a Servant Leader, then you have the responsibility to raise up others out of their lower tier (whether self-perceived, self-created, or born into). Our role as a Servant Leader is to raise the next generation of leaders (age independent) to be better than we are. We are to train our replacements to look not at the color of a man’s skin, but at the content of his character. (Wait. Isn’t that what MLK Jr. supposed?) How do we do this?

If you have subordinates, actively seek out their weaknesses and shortcomings (and don’t be too politically correct to use “weakness” and “shortcoming”). Collaborate on activities that help them overcome those areas. And give them the leeway to do so without prejudice or judgment.
If you lead a team, identify your team members’ strengths and use them to underpin the weaknesses across the rest of your team members. This means you must know your team, engage with them, and gain their trust. (You cannot do this if you are virtue signaling or sacrificing your team in your climb to the top of your own ladder.)
If you are a member of a team, be engaged. Participate, add value, strive with the team to improve the team as a whole. (Consequently, this means don’t strive to excel personally and gain personal recognition.)
If you are asked a question, give an honest answer. If the company is planning a change that carries negative impact, voice your concerns and offer a solution. (Don’t just give the answer the boss wants to hear, especially if you disagree.)
If you are given the chance to design a team, start by assessing your own strengths and weaknesses, viewing yourself from your customer’s perspective, and build your team appropriately. Fill your voids with strong leaders and performers even though they might outshine you. Accept the challenge of assigning roles to less qualified subordinates with growth potential, and then help them grow.
Finally, don’t wait. If you are in the position to act, do it. Trust that you were placed into the path for that “growth potential” by intelligent design, not by chance. After all, what else is a Servant Leader to do but serve and lead.

Be His hands and feet, Servant Leader, so that your host of witnesses will testify that you were, as expected, a good and faithful servant.

(Photo: newsforsanantonio.com)