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Servant Leadership Snapshot

Devereux’s talented and hard-working team members lead to serve, while inspiring others to learn and grow. Our “Servant Leadership Snapshot” series shines a light on exemplary servant leaders across our organization who empower all those around them to be their best selves. Look below to read features written by these compassionate collaborators as they help their teams, programs, departments and centers reach even greater heights through Servant Leadership.

Mubarik Ismaeli, Community Housing Manager

Center/office location: Devereux TCV Community Services/Swissvale and Munhall, Pa.

Length of service: April 2007

How do you embed an inclusive, Servant Leadership mindset into your daily processes?

To embed a Servant Leadership mindset, I strive to create a compassionate and empathetic environment for the individuals we serve. By doing so, I hope our individuals, as well as our staff, feel accepted, comfortable and safe to address their concerns. My hope is that this will ultimately facilitate a positive team approach geared toward diversity, trust and a selfless frame of mind.

How do you inspire others to embrace Servant Leadership practices?

Over the years, I have learned actions speak louder than words. I have witnessed selfless acts from our executive leadership in various situations where the care and well-being of others was the primary focus, thus creating a culture of Servant Leadership. This observation reaffirmed my belief of treating others how you want to be treated. Over time, acts of service have become contagious. My approach is to show staff that when you have a mindset of love, care, openness and understanding, this allows others to feel positive within a positive space and flourish to become positive people.

Share an example or story of how you demonstrated compassion or delivered quality customer service at your center.

During my holiday vacation, there was an incident at one of my sites that houses more than a dozen individuals, requiring us to relocate them to another building facility. I received a call from an overwhelmed staff member requiring assistance. Without hesitation, I drove to the site so the transition could be smooth and seamless. At that moment, I was reminded that I am able to spend my holiday with family and friends, yet the people we serve sometimes have no one but us. My goal was to ensure they felt supported, protected and safe. After relocating them, they were provided with dinner and movies to bring normalization to a chaotic situation during the holiday season.