Servant Leadership in Behavioral Health: Leading Upstream for Lasting Impact

"The servant-leader is servant first... It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first." – Robert Greenleaf.

For me, servant leadership in behavioral health has never been about the spotlight. It’s been about service, growth, and long-term change, and those values were shaped by Robert Greenleaf’s model of servant leadership. His words gave structure to something I had long felt: leadership starts by lifting others.

Initially, this meant focusing on the individual sitting across the desk. Helping one person in front of me. And that still matters deeply. But over time, my mission evolved — and with it, my understanding of what it means to lead.

Leadership Is Bigger Than a Team

We often talk about leadership in terms of team dynamics — supporting, empowering, and developing. And yes, that’s critical. But servant leadership is about more than team morale or workplace culture. It’s about how those teams then shape programs, and how those programs impact entire communities.

If your leadership stops at your org chart, it’s incomplete.

Real leadership ripples outward. The way we lead our teams affects the quality of care, the integrity of our systems, and the trust our communities place in us. That’s why authentic leadership — grounded in honesty, humility, and consistency — is the natural partner to servant leadership. One without the other lacks the power to transform.

Micro to Macro: How My Focus Shifted

In behavioral health, we often use the metaphor of pulling people out of the river — saving those in crisis, stabilizing the drowning, trying to help them survive. And we’ve done this work well. But the river is full. Our crisis teams and community mental health systems are overwhelmed. The numbers are growing, and we can’t keep pulling forever.

So what if we looked upstream?

What if we asked:

• Why are so many people falling in?

• What safety nets exist before the crisis?

• How do we lead change before the damage is done?

At Avalon Wellness & Recovery Center, that’s our mission. Reach out to us to learn how we’re working upstream to support both individuals and communities. We work to catch people before they hit the rapids, before the crisis becomes overwhelming — because we know that the best intervention is often the one that prevents the emergency altogether. Our programs are designed to engage early, support meaningfully, and create stability before the system is overstretched.

My focus now includes both the micro and the macro — the individual in front of me and the systems around them. I want to help the person and the neighborhood. The client and the community. That’s where sustainable change lives.

Let’s Lead Differently

If you’re in leadership — especially in behavioral health, human services, or systems of care — I urge you: don’t lead small. Look upstream. Serve beyond your walls. Consider how your decisions impact not only your team but also the future of those you may never meet.

We’re not just here to help people recover. We’re here to build communities where they don’t have to fall in the river in the first place.

That’s what I wake up thinking about every day. And if you're reading this, perhaps you're being called to it too.

Let’s lead in a way that makes systems stronger, people safer, and communities better..

• Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Paulist Press.

• Spears, L. C. (1995). Reflections on leadership: How Robert K. Greenleaf’s theory of servant leadership influenced today’s top management thinkers. John Wiley & Sons.

• George, B. (2003). Authentic leadership: Rediscovering the secrets to creating lasting value. Jossey-Bass.

• George, B., Sims, P., McLean, A. N., & Mayer, D. (2007). Discovering your authentic leadership. Harvard Business Review, 85(2), 129–138.

• SAMHSA. (2020). Behavioral health barometer: United States, volume 6. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov

• Heifetz, R. A., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership: Tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world. Harvard Business Press.