Devereux awarded $15,000 grant for Servant Leadership implementation

The Philadelphia Foundation, one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the United States, recently awarded Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health a $15,000 Leadership Grant to help the nonprofit implement Servant Leadership methodology and best practices across its centers in the Philadelphia region.

The grant – from the William J. McCahan 3^rd Fund in Memory of Thomas C. McCahan and Florence M. McCahan – will be used to train leaders and staff, and provide them with the tools and resources needed to be shining examples of Servant Leadership. Announcement of the grant was made by Pedro A. Ramos, president and CEO of the Foundation.

“I want to thank The Philadelphia Foundation for awarding us this generous grant, which will ultimately help us incorporate Servant Leadership best practices into our organizational culture and framework,” said Devereux Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Rhea Fernandes. “Our goal is to create a work environment where employees feel empowered to voice their ideas, innovate and ultimately contribute to our mission in a meaningful way. We believe embedding Servant Leadership into our everyday practices will result in increased employee engagement and retention, as well as excellent outcomes for the individuals and families we care for on a daily basis.”

About Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership, a term coined by Robert K. Greenleaf, is a philosophy and set of values and practices that enrich the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world. According to the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, a servant leader:

Focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong;
Shares power by putting the needs of others first; and
Helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.

Examples of companies adopting Servant Leadership practices include: Nordstrom, REI, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, Wawa, Wegmans, Whole Foods and Zappos.

Servant Leadership at Devereux

Devereux began its Servant Leadership journey in 2018; employees in the Philadelphia region are in the process of receiving on-site and/or web-based training (which will continue into 2019).

“As our organization continues to evolve, we must always explore thoughtful and meaningful ways to spark innovation and collaboration. Through Servant Leadership, every single one of our employees can make an impact – and make Devereux an even better behavioral health organization,” explained Dr. Fernandes. “Most importantly, part of being a Servant Leadership organization includes becoming an even more valued collaborator with our families, partners and communities. Just a few ways we will do this, individually, is by ensuring that we put people first by listening, treating others with respect, being patient and trustworthy, providing encouragement and support, and showing appreciation.”

The nonprofit is also in the process of building/implementing Servant Leadership measurement tools, including surveys for its external partners and caregivers, to establish baseline metrics and identify opportunities for improvement.

About The Philadelphia Foundation

Founded in 1918, The Philadelphia Foundation (TPF) strengthens the economic, social and civic vitality of Greater Philadelphia. TPF grows effective philanthropic investment, connects individuals and institutions across sectors and geography and advances civic initiatives through partnerships and collaboration. A publicly supported foundation, TPF manages more than 900 charitable funds established by its donors and makes more than 1,000 grants and scholarship awards each year. Click here to learn more.

Learn about Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health.

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