Mission

In 2014, a Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership was officially launched in Brussels. Its mission is to inspire people working in and with European Union (EU) organisations to awareness, understanding and application of servant-leadership. It is part of the international network of Greenleaf Centers for Servant-Leadership with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. The Greenleaf Center in Brussels aims specifically at translating the servant-leadership philosophy to the multi-faceted and international EU environment.

Why Servant-Leadership ?

Our world today needs a new type of leaders who know how to create change by unleashing the potential of others. Leaders who make people around them grow. Leaders who do not necessarily have a management title. Such characters are called Servant-Leaders. The Servant-Leader shares power, focuses on identifying and meeting the needs of others, thus helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. Servant-Leaders have the capability to connect with others and to create a culture of mutual trust where people feel empowered to take more responsibility and initiative. Organisations that apply Servant-Leadership score better: productivity increases, as well as client and employee satisfaction, while absences decrease. A culture emerges where people feel noticed, heard and understood, where they willingly serve others in the organisation, where talents flourish. A sustainable and serving system is built that is supported by its stakeholders. That is why Servant-Leadership offers a unique opportunity to empower professionals in facing the challenges of the 21st century and helping their organisation to serve its employees, customers, stakeholders and citizens better.

Founder

The Brussels Center was founded by a dedicated team with extensive experience with 21st century leadership in both the EU Institutions and the private sector, as well as public-private partnerships.

Dr Ronald de Bruin is a 21st Century leader with over 20 years of verifiable experience in the European multi-stakeholder research and innovation arena obtained in business, public-private partnerships and EU organisations. He is Director at COST Association - European Cooperation in Science and Technology - an intergovernmental organisation with 43 member countries financed by the European Commission. Before joining the Association, Dr De Bruin was Director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and Head of Department of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA). For almost eight years, he played a key role in and managing and setting up these European Union agencies from scratch. He is Ambassador to Brussels for the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership Europe and Founding Director of the Greenleaf Center in Brussels. Dr De Bruin holds a Ph.D.in Law and Computer Science, an M.Sc. in Technology Management and a B.Sc. in Electronic Engineering, complemented by executive leadership and board-level education at INSEAD.

Contact us

Email: ronald.de-bruin[at]europe.com