University of Arizona Greek life is reflected in the concept of "servant leadership." Fraternities have a lot to offer and servant leadership is just one of many great opportunities provided by Greek life.

Servant Leadership is both a leadership philosophy and a set of leadership practices. Traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid.” By comparison, the servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.

Our generation has been granted an opportunity.Here, at the University of Arizona, Greek life students are faced with decisions of servant leadership, daily. With the help of an ancient philosophy and Robert K. Greenleaf, University Greek life serves as your diving board into the pool of the modern movement known as servant leadership.

Although you might not know it, you have been a servant leader your whole life. Whether it was serving the needs of others or simply pushing around the people you care about, these all make you a servant leader. This fall, at the University of Arizona, over 1200 new students have already taken their first step towards being a servant leader by registering for recruitment.               

You might not be able to pinpoint exactly why you want to rush but, the fact of the matter is, you want, and stand for, something larger than yourself. As a new member of your organization, you will be exposed, not only to leadership, but to what makes you a leader. Here are some of the basic characteristics of servant leadership.  

Listen, listen, and listen. You will find that people are more compliant to offer support when they feel listened to. Not only will listening allow you to learn significantly more about others, but you will also gain more information without even trying. 

Put yourself in other people’s shoes. Empathy is vital for your success, when it comes to understanding others. The phrase, “manage people not employees,” is a direct result of empathizing.     

Be on the mend. Make an effort to assist others solve their issues or conflicts. Make this effort not for your personal benefit, but for the development of each individual. 

Mind the gap. The most successful leaders thrive by being self-aware. Self-awareness keeps you humble by making you aware as to what you might be susceptible to. Once self-awareness is gained, you must become aware of others around you in order to grow.              

Inspired by you. You have the power to sell anything. The more passion you have for a cause, and the better you are able to relay your passion to others, the more likely it is the people will buy into your cause. Naturally, some servant leaders achieve more success through inspiring others because they are better able to express their passion. You must respect your power and avoid taking advantage of others. Passion sells.          

Mental picture. You rarely think day-to-day, instead you build a vision that trumps your reality. The vision of your life that you imagine for yourself is reflected in your reality. Greek life puts you in a position to think like a servant leader. Whether you have experienced one of those characteristics, or all of them, the journey of servant leadership begins with your rush registration, and continues on from there.