First Lady of the United States and the World: A Case Study of Eleanor Roosevelt's Servant-Leadership

Abstract

Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most dynamic social advocates of the 20th century. Her formative youth was spent in an era of austere social conventions in which women were considered to be slightly above property and whose conventional role was to be a mother and take care of the household. Roosevelt defied the stereotypes of her day. Despite her financially privileged upbringing, she saw many injustices of society and chose to serve others to help ease their suffering. She was the longest serving First Lady of the United States during some of the United States’ darkest times: The Great Depression and World War II and was the vocal conscience of The New Deal. After the death of her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she continued to serve others as a leader, both domestically and internationally, by advocating for human rights and world peace. Roosevelt experienced challenges to her servant-leadership throughout her life, primarily the dominant patriarchal society of her historical period (Tabors, 2018). She broke stereotypes to become a major influence, not only at a time when many would not consider an American First Lady as a “leader,” but throughout the twentieth century. She proved that women were just as capable as men. Greenleaf’s (2015) theory of servant-leadership, is comprised of ten characteristics which include listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community. The major difference between a leader and a servant-leader is that the servant-leader serves first and leads second, putting the highest priority on people and others’ needs being met (Greenleaf, 2015). Russell (2001) continues Greenleaf’s theory that leadership is based on values and specifically servant-leader is based upon the value of trust, appreciation of others, and empowerment. Individuals are not born servant-leaders, but cultivated through their experiences and being taught what being a servant-leader entails. Although four characteristics identified by Greenleaf (2002, 2015) and Spears (2010): healing, building community, awareness, and a commitment to the growth of others are addressed in this article, Roosevelt also embodied others: she was persuasive; she listened deeply ; and she demonstrated empathy often. Roosevelt may have demonstrated many, if not all, of Greenleaf’s servant-leader characteristics. This article, however, will focus on healing, building community, awareness, and a commitment to the growth of others which allowed her to make a difference in many people’s lives (Beasley, 2010; Glendon, 2001; O’Farrell, 2010).