Ben Lichtenwalner
MBA
MI, US
Ben brings a fresh perspective to the message of leadership for contemporary professionals. His energy and enthusiasm for authentic leaders and their potential to change organizations, is contagious. He brings just the right touch of humor and sincerity to keep audiences engaged and committed.
Ben also brings insightful and meaningful content that includes:
- Messages tailored to your audience
- Specific actions for leaders to take immediately after the session
- Free and discounted content for follow up, after the event
His most frequently sought topics include:
- Servant Leadership
- 21st Century Leadership
- Executive Presence in a Digital World
- Multi-generational Leadership
If you're interested in Ben for your meeting or event, check his availability.
Servant Leadership
Most servant leadership speakers focus on a specific version of servant leadership. Some focus on the religious perspective, many use a single person's definition, others have their own unique model. Most people hire Ben for his comprehensive view and flexibility in tailoring servant leadership perspectives for your unique needs. He's studied servant leadership for over 15 years and focused on compiling the many different views and versions into one, comprehensive yet simple to understand model. If you want your audience to understand the core concepts of servant leadership, and it's applicability to your organization, with lots of great takeaways, then check Ben's availability.
Why You're a Bad Boss (and Everyone's Afraid to Tell You)
We can be really stupid leaders sometimes and that leads to being a bad boss. I can say this because I've done it. I still do it sometimes. I can be a bad boss and I bet you can too. Here's how we become bad bosses:
- Focus on what your boss thinks of you more than what's right for the organization.
- Take the big, "important" projects for yourself rather than provide them as opportunities for the team.
- Spend a lot of time "heads down" on your "work" rather than "heads up" with your team.
- Talk too much
- Listen too little
- Assume
- Ignore your instincts
- Think of yourself too often
- Think of your stakeholders too little
- Forget that leadership is a call to serve, not an achievement to reach
Yep, it's pretty easy to be a bad boss. When we don't invest the time to think about what we're doing as leaders, we slip back into boss mode. And boss mode is one small step away from, "Bad Boss" mode. The next time you think you might be slipping, step back and ask yourself, "am I a bad boss?".
SERVANT Leadership Acronym Definition
It took me too long to discover servant leadership. It's taking too long for others to discover the concept as well. Simply put, servant leadership is authentic leadership. If you're not serving others, you're not leading.
The problem is, most definitions of servant leadership are difficult to understand or share. Therefore, to increase awareness and advocacy I created a more simple definition, using the acronym S.E.R.V.A.N.T.
This acronym is not just another model for servant leadership though. Instead, it is a compilation of many, wonderful models before it. In fact, it's based on my 10+ years studying servant leadership. I simply compiled the thoughts of other great servant leadership advocates into an easier to remember model.
The S.E.R.V.A.N.T. Leadership acronym defines servant leaders as:
Selfless
Selflessness is about putting the needs of others before yourself. Specifically, we speak here of putting the needs of those you serve, first. To lead effectively, you must serve many stakeholder groups and their interests should come before your own. This does not mean personal career goals should be ignored – only that they must come after serving stakeholders.
Empathetic
In order to lead people, you need to know what it feels like to walk a mile in their shoes. Even if you've never been in their position, you must have the empathy to perceive their circumstances. This is why corporate leaders, who distance themselves from those they serve, lose the commitment of their people. Leaders who lose the ability to empathize lose the ability to lead.
Resolute
The resolve of a leader is often overlooked in traditional servant leadership perspectives, yet it is a critical attribute of effective servant leaders. As servant leadership advocates face detractors, it would be easy to say, "we don't really need a unique culture" or "good is okay, we don't need to be great." If they do that, their organizations are unlikely to serve all stakeholders.
Virtuous
People demand virtuous leaders. Nothing undermines a leader's mission faster than a failure of his or her character. Stakeholders don't want leaders who are only good at their job; they expect leaders who represent what is best in all of us. The well-rounded leader is one with strong virtues.
Authentic
Authenticity ties intentions to actions without pretense. To serve others effectively, you must be transparent about actions and intentions. If you want loyalty and commitment from others, stakeholders must know that you are candid, sincere about your intentions, and opposed to practicing dirty politics. If a follower is uncertain about your intent, they will not deliver their best.
Nonpartisan
For your organization to thrive, you must always be on the lookout for new ideas. This is why servant leaders must be open-minded and willing to be vulnerable to their people. Great leaders understand that great ideas may come from anywhere. The people closest to the problem are often the ones best prepared to find a solution—not the senior executive, who hasn't been on the front lines in a decade.
Thorough
Servant Leaders maximize the sustainability of results. They do this by being thorough. A common failure of executives today is an emphasis on short-term results without regard for the long-term costs. This trade-off, to make themselves and their results look great while pushing the costs and impact downstream, weakens institutions. In contrast, servant leaders are extremely thorough.
If you're interested in learning more about servant leadership in general, I urge you to sign up for my free course: Servant Leadership 101. In that course, I touch briefly on this acronym but also cover the history, current examples and more. Until next time, remember, keep serving!
Ben brings a fresh perspective to the message of leadership for contemporary professionals. His energy and enthusiasm for authentic leaders and their potential to change organizations, is contagious. He brings just the right touch of humor and sincerity to keep audiences engaged and committed.
Ben also brings insightful and meaningful content that includes:
- Messages tailored to your audience
- Specific actions for leaders to take immediately after the session
- Free and discounted content for follow up, after the event
His most frequently sought topics include:
- Servant Leadership
- 21st Century Leadership
- Executive Presence in a Digital World
- Multi-generational Leadership
If you're interested in Ben for your meeting or event, check his availability.
Servant Leadership
Most servant leadership speakers focus on a specific version of servant leadership. Some focus on the religious perspective, many use a single person's definition, others have their own unique model. Most people hire Ben for his comprehensive view and flexibility in tailoring servant leadership perspectives for your unique needs. He's studied servant leadership for over 15 years and focused on compiling the many different views and versions into one, comprehensive yet simple to understand model. If you want your audience to understand the core concepts of servant leadership, and it's applicability to your organization, with lots of great takeaways, then check Ben's availability.
Why You're a Bad Boss (and Everyone's Afraid to Tell You)
We can be really stupid leaders sometimes and that leads to being a bad boss. I can say this because I've done it. I still do it sometimes. I can be a bad boss and I bet you can too. Here's how we become bad bosses:
- Focus on what your boss thinks of you more than what's right for the organization.
- Take the big, "important" projects for yourself rather than provide them as opportunities for the team.
- Spend a lot of time "heads down" on your "work" rather than "heads up" with your team.
- Talk too much
- Listen too little
- Assume
- Ignore your instincts
- Think of yourself too often
- Think of your stakeholders too little
- Forget that leadership is a call to serve, not an achievement to reach
Yep, it's pretty easy to be a bad boss. When we don't invest the time to think about what we're doing as leaders, we slip back into boss mode. And boss mode is one small step away from, "Bad Boss" mode. The next time you think you might be slipping, step back and ask yourself, "am I a bad boss?".
SERVANT Leadership Acronym Definition
It took me too long to discover servant leadership. It's taking too long for others to discover the concept as well. Simply put, servant leadership is authentic leadership. If you're not serving others, you're not leading.
The problem is, most definitions of servant leadership are difficult to understand or share. Therefore, to increase awareness and advocacy I created a more simple definition, using the acronym S.E.R.V.A.N.T.
This acronym is not just another model for servant leadership though. Instead, it is a compilation of many, wonderful models before it. In fact, it's based on my 10+ years studying servant leadership. I simply compiled the thoughts of other great servant leadership advocates into an easier to remember model.
The S.E.R.V.A.N.T. Leadership acronym defines servant leaders as:
Selfless
Selflessness is about putting the needs of others before yourself. Specifically, we speak here of putting the needs of those you serve, first. To lead effectively, you must serve many stakeholder groups and their interests should come before your own. This does not mean personal career goals should be ignored – only that they must come after serving stakeholders.
Empathetic
In order to lead people, you need to know what it feels like to walk a mile in their shoes. Even if you've never been in their position, you must have the empathy to perceive their circumstances. This is why corporate leaders, who distance themselves from those they serve, lose the commitment of their people. Leaders who lose the ability to empathize lose the ability to lead.
Resolute
The resolve of a leader is often overlooked in traditional servant leadership perspectives, yet it is a critical attribute of effective servant leaders. As servant leadership advocates face detractors, it would be easy to say, "we don't really need a unique culture" or "good is okay, we don't need to be great." If they do that, their organizations are unlikely to serve all stakeholders.
Virtuous
People demand virtuous leaders. Nothing undermines a leader's mission faster than a failure of his or her character. Stakeholders don't want leaders who are only good at their job; they expect leaders who represent what is best in all of us. The well-rounded leader is one with strong virtues.
Authentic
Authenticity ties intentions to actions without pretense. To serve others effectively, you must be transparent about actions and intentions. If you want loyalty and commitment from others, stakeholders must know that you are candid, sincere about your intentions, and opposed to practicing dirty politics. If a follower is uncertain about your intent, they will not deliver their best.
Nonpartisan
For your organization to thrive, you must always be on the lookout for new ideas. This is why servant leaders must be open-minded and willing to be vulnerable to their people. Great leaders understand that great ideas may come from anywhere. The people closest to the problem are often the ones best prepared to find a solution—not the senior executive, who hasn't been on the front lines in a decade.
Thorough
Servant Leaders maximize the sustainability of results. They do this by being thorough. A common failure of executives today is an emphasis on short-term results without regard for the long-term costs. This trade-off, to make themselves and their results look great while pushing the costs and impact downstream, weakens institutions. In contrast, servant leaders are extremely thorough.
If you're interested in learning more about servant leadership in general, I urge you to sign up for my free course: Servant Leadership 101. In that course, I touch briefly on this acronym but also cover the history, current examples and more. Until next time, remember, keep serving!
Servant Leadership - It's Not for Wimps
Most people never heard of servant leadership. Those who have, often misunderstand it. The reality is, servant leadership is the way to lead for greatest success, in any organization. In this presentation Ben uses history and facts in a clear and concise message with a sense of humor that:
- Aligns with your organization and industry
- Explains servant leadership
- Provides great, contemporary success stories
- Inspires and motivates audiences to...
The CORE of Great Leadership
You want a great leadership message for your team, but where do you start? There are hundreds of authors, thousands of books, and exponentially more definitions and methods of describing great leadership. So which message is right for your people? How about the one that still distills them all down to the 7 core leadership principles, consistent across almost all models?
This program is perfect for:
- Companies working to create or improve...
How to Not Suck as a Boss
We tend to take ourselves too serious and that prevents us from seeing our own faults and flaws. In this talk, Ben helps us break out of our shells through humor and storytelling. He helps us to accept that we all have opportunities for improvement. Then, he provides examples and techniques to improving our skills at leading people. He does this through:
- Messages that align to your brand and industry
- Humorous examples
- Relatable...
SERVANT Leadership Assessment
In this break-out or training session, Ben leads the group through the SERVANT Leadership model. The model is based on his years of studying dozens of authors, hundreds of research papers as well as hundreds of principles defining servant leadership. These are all consolidated into the comprehensive yet concise model:
Then, after explaining the core concepts, we walk through a self-assessment of each leader's practice of these principles. Ben uses real-world and relevant examples to...
Faith at Work
This one is for Christian audiences only. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Ben welcomes the opportunity to encourage brothers and sisters in our faith to be Christ's hands and feet at work.
Too often, followers dismiss Christ's teachings as not relevant to the workplace. Nothing could be further from the truth. Chirst took His teachings to the workplaces of His time: fishing boats, farms, and market places.
There is also a tendency for Christians today...
Managing Our Unconcious Bias
We all have biases. Yet, we often don't understand these biases or how to manage them. In this program, Ben helps the audience recognize, understand and manage biases. This is done with a sense of "we're all human" and a touch of humor. Topics covered include:
1. What is bias
2. Identifying our own biases
3. Responding to bias
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