ANSWERING THE CALL OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP

When Alpha Phi Alpha strengthens the Brotherhood and improves operational excellence, we will be better positioned to provide relevant advocacy and leadership in our communities. Brother General President Dr. Willis L. Lonzer, III believes in center-out leadership as opposed to top-down leadership. As a proven business executive with demonstrated results-driven leadership in Alpha, we are Elevating the Alpha Spirit through service and advocacy that builds on the expertise of our Brothers to meet the demands of our time.

Since the beginning of the Lonzer administration, the Fraternity has embarked on an aggressive effort to identify untapped and underutilized potential by focusing the organization on strengthening the Brotherhood; improving operational excellence; and finally answering the call of servant leadership in our communities. This article explores that final component of the Elevating the Alpha Spirit platform of answering the call of servant leadership by enhancing volunteerism and delivering impactful advocacy.

“We are going to expand to international days of service, and in doing that, also encompasses us taking on being a better partner in the community and realizing that we are a community stakeholder,” says General President Lonzer in a prior interview. “Making sure that these programs align with our mission statement in our fraternity-wide programming, (as well as) the collaborations that we do with Big Brothers Big Sisters and other organizations.”

He also adds that we also ensure that if there aren’t these programs at the chapter or local level that we either alone or in collaborations with other National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations ensure that we are mentoring boys and girls as well as those who are college worthy or college eligible.

The Fraternity’s General Committees and its Standing Committees are also being employed to promote our ability to execute on the Fraternity’s strategic and tactical plans, including our Voteless People Is A Hopeless People Committee and others. In addition, the Fraternity has been tasked with developing a non-partisan political agenda that can be leveraged during our Days at the U.S. Capital or at any state capital.

“How would I ever have believed that ‘A Voteless People Is A Hopeless People’ and our voter education, and registration and empowerment components, (should be a focus today, but) it needs to be all of that,” General President Lonzer explains. “Because quite frankly, in the 21st Century they’re taking away our right to vote. So, all the programs that we thought might have been passe are becoming relevant again.”

We are also seeking to identify celebrity level Alpha Brothers to “lean into the fraternity, get on board, and help us promote our initiatives” to become a physical, visible force.

Says General President Lonzer: “I think (Brother) Roland Martin has been good in utilizing his platform to help advocate and to push the Fraternity as well as (to help) us to stay relevant and engaged.”

Brother Eric Christopher Webb, DDiv., CPLC., a 1989 Nu Chapter initiate, Rho Tau Lambda Chapter and Life member of the Fraternity, is the Fraternity’s director of communications and editor of The Sphinx as well as a National Black Authors Tour bestselling author and an empowerment strategist. He is the author of five books, including the 2013 Phyllis Wheatley Book Award Finalist for Best First Fiction, The Garvey Protocol: Inspired by True Events. Brother Webb, who speaks and conducts workshops on mindset, media and marketing at universities, colleges, institutions, and corporations nationwide, has been featured in or on The Washington Post, Thomson Newspapers, National Newspaper Publishers Association News Wire, ESSENCE, HBO, BET, The learning Channel, SiriusXM and Voice of America. www.wordsbywebb.com

Recently, The Sphinx magazine asked Alpha Brothers across the Fraternity to offer their definition of and motivation as a servant leader and how they and their chapters demonstrate it through volunteerism and activism. These are their responses.

Brother Eric S. Smith, Delta Epsilon ’80 Sigma Mu Lambda –Montgomery County, PA Life Member

Since the time that I crossed into Alpha 42.5 years ago as a 2nd semester Freshman at Buffalo State College, I have attempted to honor our motto of “First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All,” throughout my adult life. As a Leader, I believe that it is critically important to put the needs of others first. In fact, in any of the roles that I’ve played in my life as a church elder, soccer coach, individual contributor, 1st line manager, vice president of sales at a Fortune 500 company, etc. – putting the needs of others first is part of my DNA, because to whom much is given, much is expected. This same mindset is embedded into the DNA of my graduate chapter, Sigma Mu Lambda (SML). Since its establishment, the chapter has endeavored to serve the Northern and Western suburbs of Philadelphia, PA., more specifically the cities of Coatesville, Norristown & Pottstown, PA. While we are a fairly “new” chapter (3.5 years old), we are more than 80 Brothers strong and growing, and we’d rather serve as leaders vs. talking about it.

Life Member

My definition of and motivation as ‘a servant leader’ encompasses humility, vision, trust, empowerment, and service to one’s community. As a community member in San Diego, California I strive to leave a person, place, or thing better once I leave than it was before I made the encounter. My Chapter and I demonstrates being a servant leader by volunteering in the city of San Diego, CA. Recently we painted the men and women restrooms at Grace Unity Baptist Church (GUBC), in which I attend. I serve as a trustee at GUBC. I also serve as the project manager for the church, where I ensure that the grounds and the church is safe for members. Most recently, I arranged for a gun expert to speak to the congregation on what to do in case of an active shooter. Being proactive, it’s my duty and responsibility as a servant to protect God’s people. In addition, I am always looking for ways to give back to my community, including providing brown bag lunches once a quarter for the less fortunate with my own money as well as organizing one of the largest peaceful marches/ protest under the banner of Black Lives Matter (BLM). ministry for over 20 years, mainly working with youth and young adults throughout the New Orleans community. Much of my work has focused on helping our youth and young adults to just survive. New Orleans is #1 for mass incarceration in the world and had been titled “The Murder Capital of the World.” As servant leaders, several interfaith leaders have come together on a grassroots level to train men to be conflict resolution specialists within the community. We worked to raise funds to put up billboards in our high crime areas that read “Stop the Beef Before the Grief” with a large casket in the forefront of the billboard. There is also a conflict resolution hotline listed on the billboard so that those affected by violence, or the threat of violence, can call us to come in and help ease some of the tensions before it results in another death. This initiative has called us, as servant leaders, to be available at all hours of the day to make sure we address the needs of our community. This is how servant leadership is lived out and we witness two of the aims of our beloved fraternity - manly deeds, and love for all mankind. If it takes a village to raise a child, it will take that same village to save that child.

Servant leadership. A word that is too often thrown around like it is common. Servant leadership is not for the weak or lazy. It takes great talent, dedication, and motivation. The secret ingredient is passion. Without passion, servant leadership is just another term that we use without any action. To me servant leadership is bringing oneself down to a level where leadership can be seen and felt. I also call it serving from the heart. Servant leadership is twofold. We show others how to lead and serve. In return, they teach us how to be effective. My motivation for being a servant leader is knowing where I came from and what it took to get me where I am at in life. I can remember the days as a youth behind K-mart dumpster diving looking for dinner at times. Those days being without pushed me towards greater things. I was determined I will never allow anyone to go through what I went through. I wanted to make a difference. It pushed me to take on the role as a servant leader. All praises be to The Most High, because I had many servant leaders in my life who served as exemplary pillars in my life.

Servant leadership is built on the foundation of serving with a grateful heart. I am grateful that I get to serve and lead daily.

For me, I see a servant leader as one who understands that holding a position of leadership does not exempt him from doing the work. The goal of a servant leader is to uplift and empower those he serves, and not himself. I demonstrate servant leadership through my work as a mentor to the young men I serve on the campus of Savannah State University. It is a labor of love, but I firmly believe we must poor into young people, and specifically our young men, as they navigate an ever changing, unforgiving selfish world. In the work I do, I do not seek attention or recognition, for my satisfaction comes from seeing those I have led and served achieve success. Servant leadership is exhibited through my chapter, Beta Phi Lambda, as we put our aims into action. Our initiatives such as Team Up to Clean Up where we take to and clean the streets of Savannah, and our Voteless People is a Hopeless People (Political Action) Committee where we have gone door to door in low election turn out neighborhoods and encouraged residents to vote. As Alphas, we should always be found representing the underserved and giving voice to the voiceless.

Brother Philip Linwood

Wilkerson III, Theta Rho Lambda ’17

Theta Rho Lambda – Arlington/ Alexandria, VA

Ansel Augustine, Rho Epsilon ’96 General Organization

Being a servant leader means taking time to assess and address the needs of the community. I have served in

We state that you should not look to join Alpha to become a leader, but that membership should enhance the leadership qualities that already exist in your core. I remember thinking of how accomplished, and confident everyone seemed when I went to my first chapter meeting. There was no way I could be like all these extraordinary gentlemen around me. But, as my commitment to my chapter and community grew through service, so did my leadership confidence. It’s strange when you focus on just doing your best to help others; focusing on doing good and just work turns into a pursuit of excellence. Furthermore, as you look to serve others best, people take note and want to follow your lead. You sometimes become an unintentional leader not by barking orders at others, but through organizing a group of like-minded people focusing on the same goals. Through wanting to serve the chapter, I was tasked with things I had never done before. I was thrust into a mentorship role when I was asked to serve as faculty advisor to the Fraternity’s Iota Alpha Chapter at George Mason University, where I work. I was advising student leaders who were way more ambitious than me when I was their age, and now I was tasked with making sure they were heard and valued by me. I take that role with a lot of importance because I now have a platform to advocate for these students. That same summer, I became the faculty advisor for the GMU NAACP. Serving the students at George Mason University in these roles strengthened my commitment to Black students and forced me to become an example to the youth whether I wanted to or not.

Life Member

Servant leadership is the ability to follow a mission statement that has been adopted by a group that has policies, procedures, and regulations in place to guide the group’s focus, direction, goals. As a servant, we serve others to ensure that our greatest purpose lie outside of ourselves. Indeed, my desire, and I think I can speak for my chapter, our motivation is our communities. A true servant leader possesses the qualities and characteristics of a person who genuinely cares, follows mandates, and ensure that the population outside of ourselves are the benefactors of our benevolence. I try to live by this code and for me, the most important characteristic is being and remaining humble. I started from humble beginnings. I come from a very large family whose parents had meager education – fourth grade for Dad and eleventh grade for Mom! Yet in my eyes, they had PhDs in common sense. They raised their children to seek education expecting that education would lead to a better life. My siblings and I reach back and tryp to help others as we impact their lives. As servant leaders, we want more for others than we want for ourselves. As a servant leader, we lead and follow. We respect others and respect their leaderships and skills. Servant leaders trust others. Servant leaders understand that to be successful, one must plan and then work their plan - incorporating others into the plan by sharing the plan and seeking buy-in from others. Servant leaders understand that criticism is constructive when one brings solutions to the table, not just complaints. In my chapter, we try to emulate and teach the traits of the servant leader. We plan our outreach and work that plan with action and after-action evaluation. We know we cannot rest on our laurels. Most importantly, we do not do our community outreach seeking recognition. We do our community service and outreach to resolve issues in our communities. We tend to want to leave this world better than we find it. Our reward is knowing that we contribute to society. As a chapter, we use orientation, and retreats to self-evaluate. Activities that work, we may tweak to improve, and we modify and revise any activity that does not work. We work to become better! We combine the servant and leadership so that they both, become our compass!

Brother Richard Norris, III, Omicron ’19

Alpha Omicron Lambda –Pittsburgh, PA

Life Member

A lesson that continues to echo throughout the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church today comes from the late Brother Bishop Richard Allen Hildebrand, who once said, “Love the people, and the people will love you.” In other words, if you want to be effective in your ministry, just be intentional about serving the people. If you can do that, then everything else will fall into place. That, in my opinion, is the essence of servant leadership. To be a servant leader is to actively recognize that your service to an organization or institution is bigger than you. To be a servant leader is to be mindful of the long-term ramifications and precedents that will be set because of your leadership. To be a servant leader is to always do right by the people you serve. On Friday, July 26, 2019, I was elected to serve as the International President of the Young People’s and Children’s Division (YPD) of the Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) of the AME Church. It has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life to superintend the work of the official youth organization of my denomination for the past 3.5 years. On the campaign trail, my slogan was “Believe with R3” because the overarching goal for my administration was––and still is––for my Zion to believe in young people in the same way that I do. That is particularly why as President I have always striven, in consultation with our International Director and with the support of my Executive Board, to help cultivate a culture in which our young people 1) can rest in knowing that someone is rooting for them to make it, someone is standing with them, someone is supporting them, 2) are encouraged to develop their gifts (not in the gifts that we have already pre-selected for them, but the gifts that God and God alone has placed within them), and 3) have opportunities to actually use their gifts in the church. In planning our yearly leadership training institutes and various initiatives, my administration has purposefully endeavored to let our YPDers know that we believe in them. And it has so warmed my heart to see that, even amid a pandemic, young people across the breadth of our Connection have the enthusiasm to serve the YPD, and the AME Church, in ways I had not saw before.

Brother Rodney S. Jones, Epsilon Iota ’96 General Organization

My belief is there is no greater example of a servant leader than Jesus. Consider that He was sent from a position of royalty to live as a common man—removal of title; washed his disciples’ feet—did work that was seemingly beneath him; gave his life to save others—sacrifice for the benefit of someone outside of self. Those three attributes define servant leader. In my opinion, there should be no other definition. My motivation to be a servant leader has everything to do with my personal “why:” to empower the underdog to compete on a stage they are not statistically qualified to be on—and WIN. I’m motivated to see others take down the “Goliaths” in their life. I (like many other black men in this country) know what it’s like to live at a deficit yet “…watch the things you gave your life to broken, and stoop and build ’em up with wornout tools.”— excerpt from “If” by Rudyard Kipling. What motivates me is knowing that somewhere there’s a young man trying to build a life of success with worn-out tools. To sit idly by and watch him struggle when I can help him with a better design is unacceptable. The best way to do that is to strip myself of the affluent title; meet this young man where he is; sacrifice my time, energy and talent and serve him…the way that God modeled servant leadership. I demonstrate this through my continued efforts with Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS). Since 2009, I have been a mentor. In the past 13 years, I have had the honor of serving five little brothers as their Big Brother/ Mentor. My contribution as a mentor was so impactful that the Houston region asked me to join their board of directors. I served in that capacity for two years before relocating to Atlanta. I may not have a board seat, but I continue to demonstrate my volunteerism through one-to-one mentorship with BBBS. Currently I am matched with a sixteen-year-old young man named Jaxon. We talk everything from financial education, college, fantasy football, and yes… girls. His mother trusts me to help shape her son into the man God has called him to be. That responsibility fuels my motivation to be a servant leader and defend his potential. of personal gain.” I see these same virtues of servant leadership in my Brothers of the Tau Delta Lambda Chapter in which I am a member.

Brother Walter Hails, Eta Xi ’88

Iota Rho Lambda – Pontiac, Michigan

Brother Omar Morales, Pi Chapter ’05

Tau Delta Lambda – San Juan, Puerto, Rico

A “servant leader’ is a leader who focuses not on his goals and aspirations but on the people that he leads, on the community he serves so that they reach their highest potential. In my opinion, to be an Alpha Man means to be a servant leader is found in a line of the poem by Brother Fred H. Woodruff, To Be An Alpha Man. Brother Woodruff states, “It means an honest devotion, not anticipation

Servant leadership is a philosophy a leader or group of leaders live by, where they share power and put the needs of the organization and the growth of its members first. They don’t care about individual accolades or who gets the credit. It’s about making a difference in the lives of the people they serve. Servant leaders strive to understand the needs of the community around them and deliver stellar outcomes in whatever they do. They do this by being authentic, transparent, intentional, and displaying a willingness to serve the greater good. Iota Rho Lambda chapter, seated in Pontiac, within the heart of Michigan’s Oakland County is the epitome of servant leadership. A chapter chock-full of leaders with seventy Alpha men strong, they have a next man up mentality. They believe in one another and have learned to harness the synergistic effect and talents of its members to produce spectacular results. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has many national programs and partnerships. It’s often very challenging to complete everything and do it well, especially for small chapters.

However, Iota Rho Lambda believes they have found that secret sauce. We don’t need the whole chapter at every event. Numbers are nice, but often small teams can do the trick. We simply assemble teams of five brothers, young and old, who have a passion in an area and let them plan, organize, and execute. We add brothers incrementally, if needed.

These nimble groups have produced successful outcomes. It all starts with understanding the community you serve. When you don’t care who gets the credit, or about photo ops, or even about winning awards, you can focus truly on what God wants us to do and that is to help uplift our communities and make this world a better place.

Sitting on a white stool in her hot kitchen, preparing mouthwatering Thanksgiving delicacies, I watched my grandmother labor in love to bring the family together over a hot meal. As hungry eyes and anxious feet scurry back and forth in the kitchen, I pause and recognize on the surface, this was just a meal but there is a power in her labor. Family who hadn’t been around in a while, neighbors who may have otherwise been lonely, and others had needs satiated through food prepared by my grandmother. She showed me exactly what servant leadership looks like through her ability to feed anyone who walked through that door no matter how they came. Servant leadership meets the community where they are, loves them despite the perception, and leads them through active engagement, listening, and resource development.

Alpha Xi – University of Washington

Servant leadership is about initiative, being the one to stand up and advocate for your community. One of the greatest gifts that we can receive in life is a chance to make a difference, which depending on where you come from or the struggles that you have had to endure, becomes increasingly rare. These “forgotten communities” need a servant leader more than anyone. When a community and its needs are constantly ignored, when its people remain voiceless, we must take it upon ourselves to pay our gift forward. As someone who grew up in a forgotten community, I know just how seldom these opportunities are, and once I got my chance, I knew what I must do. I was gifted the opportunity to attend the University of Washington after I was accepted off the waitlist, and it was like this fire was lit beneath me, I had somehow slipped through with the untouchables, and I had everything to prove. I crossed the Alpha Xi Chapter of our fraternity in the winter of my first year on our Spring 2020 line and was shortly after that elected president of our National Pan-Hellenic Council, becoming the youngest in the university’s history. I now found myself within months of crossing, guiding the entire yard through the pandemic, hosting mental health seminars for the black community on campus, and re-negotiating the NPHC’s agreement with the University to secure more services for D9 members on campus. My work eventually led to the erection of NPHC Crests in our student center, one of the first instances on the west coast of a physical acknowledgment of Black Greek Culture. I now serve as the Director of the Black Student Commission on campus, where I continue to advocate for increased support and services for black students, such as establishing a Black Residence Hall and promoting ways to increase funding for black student activities. Our chapter has also spent the last few years working with the Black Student Union and University Administration on demands to create a better environment for black students. Working to increase black mental health resources and remove statues of racist figures from campus and pushing for more racial disparity coursework for all students. As I near the end of my undergraduate years, I prepare to enroll in Law School in the fall to pursue my JD in hopes of returning to Los Angeles to become the District Attorney of Los Angeles County so that I can advocate for criminal justice reform in the community. I have my whole community behind me, I promised myself that when I returned, I would make them proud, for all the good times and support that I had received I would dedicate my life to its service. This is what servant leadership is to me, when you receive this gift, it is meant to be paid forward, in hopes of opening more doors for the servant leaders of the future.

A servant leader is someone who puts the needs of others before their own and uses their leadership abilities to serve and empower others. The motivation for a servant leader is the desire to help others and make a positive impact on their community. Servant leadership is especially important in the African American community, where we have a long history of facing injustice and inequality. By practicing servant leadership, we can work to create positive change and to improve the lives of others. The Nu Tau Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. demonstrates this through its commitment to volunteerism and activism. One example of this is the chapter’s annual partnership with the Orange County Food Bank to honor the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther

King Jr. on his Day of Service. This partnership, which was established in 1999 by Brothers Bobby McDonald and Ken Hill. Presently, Bro. Michael Glass, following in the footsteps of his father, Brother Reverend Colonel Fredrick A. L. Glass, and his biological and fraternal brother, Fredrick Glass, serves as the Chairperson of this event since 2010. This shows our chapter’s commitment to serving and supporting those in need.

A-Road program and serving as a mentor in our chapter’s youth mentoring program, Alpha Academy, are just some of the ways I serve. I feel it is my duty as a man and my purpose because I am an Alpha man.

Brother Chris Morton, Theta Zeta Lambda ’17

Theta Zeta Lambda – Ann Arbor, MI

Life Member

Brother Carlton Riddick, Alpha Omicron ’89

Omicron Phi Lambda - East Point, GA

A servant leader is a person who understands that the foundation of leadership is service. That type of leader focuses on working for the greater good of the people and the organization. I am motivated daily to serve the African American community because of those that came before me and created the opportunity for me to become the man that I am today. I feel obligated to volunteer and advocate for my community because of that fact. Working on voter registration drives, cleaning up roads with our Adopt-

Servant Leadership is a concept that was introduced in literature in the late 1970s within management and organizations. Robert K. Greenleaf defined servant leadership as the desire to influence, motivate, and guide followers through the inspiration of hope and through a more caring experience. This motivation, influence, and guidance is attained through established quality relationships. Therefore, to be a servant leader is to have quality and established relationships within the community you are in. Servant leadership tends to the encouragement, empowerment, growth, and success of those they lead. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Theta Zeta Lambda Chapter (Key

#283) seated in Ann Arbor, Michigan was chartered on January 23, 1962, by seven men who was rejecting discriminatory practices of full employment and open housing in the Ann Arbor area for Black Americans. Theta Zeta Lambda continues to play a role in providing servant leadership to the Ann Arbor community through volunteerism and activism. Since 1987, Theta Zeta Lambda’s the Brother Dr. Thomas A. Bass Caring & Sharing Program, named in honor of one of the chapter charter members, is a a food basket program to provide those in need within our local communities. Annually, the program helps approximately 90 families during the Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas seasons by providing food boxes and gift cards for needy families. The chapter’s Esquire Leadership & Mentor Program (ELMP), which was started in 2004 as a partnership between Theta Zeta Lambda, Epsilon (University of Michigan), and Epsilon Eta (Eastern Michigan University), develops young Black men academically, socially, and personally with a central focus on higher education and service to mankind. I truly believe that Ann Arbor and surrounding communities are better because of the relationship that Theta Zeta Lambda has with the community.

BY BROTHER ERIC CHRISTOPHER WEBB, DDIV., CPLC [NU ’89]