Leadership and Service
Those who lead must lead in the spirit of service, consulting those they serve and being accountable to them.
The Bahá'í administrative order is designed to ensure that leadership remains servant leadership. Administrative institutions consult those they serve, are accountable to them, and operate transparently. There are no permanent positions of power; all institutions are subject to re-election and review.
Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.
Bahá'í servant leadership principles anticipate and complement modern servant leadership theory in organizational management.
Hidden Words
Written about in
- What the Bahá'í Faith says about what to say and what to leave unsaid
"Let deeds, not words, be your adorning" puts the weight of a life on conduct rather than statement. In the Bahá'í administrative order this is structural: institutions consult those they serve and stand for re-election, so being judged by what you did rather than what you announced is the design, not an ideal.