Tom Thibodeau, Professor of Servant Leadership at Viterbo University speaking to HCO staff

Tom Thibodeau

Distinguished Professor of Servant Leadership at Viterbo University, speaking to HCO Staff

Servant leadership offers a philosophy grounded in practical practices for placing the needs of consumers, employees, and communities first. HCO is building a program that aims to develop future employees and leaders with the critical leadership skills necessary to protect and promote the common good.

 

Why Servant Leadership? And why now?

We are working to foster, enhance, and infuse concepts of Servant Leadership into our culture and work within the community because:
  • Based on experiences of the last few years, we are looking to the future for the well-being of those we support/serve by creating opportunities to prepare the next generation to assume leadership roles within our agency and our broader community that support the common good.
  • We recognize we live in an unprecedented time filled with great opportunity that requires foresight, courage, and intention. We need to support our younger generations at this point in history as they deal with social reckoning, the climate crisis, violence in society, and rapid technological advancements.
  • HCO knows that it must create its future workforce. We have much to offer those who join in our work and those within our broader Winona community because we are a place of inclusivity, nurturance, and true belonging.

At our Summer Leadership Meeting on July 18th, our full-time staff, along with members of our Board of Directors, Human Rights Committee, and SK Committee had the opportunity to attend a Servant Leadership presentation offered by Tom Thibodeau of Viterbo University. As Tom shared stories, offered insights, and guided the audience through simple exercises, he engaged the HCO staff in exploring critical aspects of servant leadership, reminding everyone that a leader’s personal and moral development allows one to enter into the realm of the servant as a leader. Tom highlighted the many ways that the HCO organization and its staff are naturally servant leaders and provided inspiration for further leadership development in this area.

By providing our leaders with a clear understanding of Servant Leadership, we can move forward with sharing the concepts of servant leadership with others in our community to guide our young people in becoming ethical leaders interested in careers of public service to strengthen our community’s health, well-being, and values in the years to come.

Tom Thibodeau is a Distinguished Professor of Servant Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse. For over 20 years, he has consulted with various organizations, communities, and major corporations to provide insights and understanding about servant leadership and its profound impact on individuals, organizations, communities, and the broader society. Tom inspires leaders from all walks of life to engage in self-exploration while guiding them to consider and comprehend the deep purpose of their work for themselves and others.