May 2020 – The Servant

Michal Beránek, a member of the Red Button network, shares his thoughts on the book.

The book is a classic business story revealing the principles of servant leadership. John Daily is a businessman whose seemingly successful life starts to spiral out of control. He feels down and fails in all his leadership roles—whether as a boss, husband, father, or coach. To get his life back on track, he reluctantly agrees to attend a week-long leadership seminar held in a remote Benedictine monastery. To John’s surprise, the monk leading the seminar was a former business manager and Wall Street legend. The monk took John under his wing and became his guide to the simple and true understanding that the essence of leadership is not power, but authority based on relationships, love, service to others, and sacrifice. Alongside John, readers discover that the principles described in this book are neither new nor complicated. They require no special talent or skills; they are based on fostering respect, responsibility, and care for the people around us. Perhaps this is why Servant has resonated with so many readers from various fields. This message can be applied anywhere and to anyone—at home or at work. If you’re tired of books that preach instead of teach, if you’re looking for an effective way to improve your leadership skills, if you want to understand the timeless qualities that lead to lasting and meaningful success, Servant is the book you shouldn’t miss. The book has been translated into more than 14 languages and sold over 3.5 million copies.

Michal Beránek chose the book Servant also because, as a leader himself, he wants to keep developing, believing more in interpersonal relationships than in directive leadership. He connects worlds and experiences.

Who is Michal Beránek?

Michal Beránek has been leading companies and teams for over 20 years. For the past 4 years, at OpenOne, where he is the majority owner, he has been searching for a new model of how to lead a company so that as many people as possible enjoy their work while the company remains economically self-sufficient. This is commonly called a free company. He believes it’s possible to find a model where there is a lot of joy and happiness at work. He thinks the role of leaders in the 21st century is to seek out, set up, and maintain such a model. He strives to inspire and awaken company owners and their leaders to this approach.