Calendar of Events
Upcoming Servant Leadership Meetings
We meet on the third Friday of the month on Zoom. See details for each session below, or visit our meeting archive for resources and self-study materials from past sessions.
May 2026 Madison Area Servant Leadership Meetup
Forming our Purpose and Why Mattering Matters
This month, we’ll focus on purpose, mattering, and belonging, and how that impacts us as Servant Leaders and in our teams. Mary Hoddy will lead our discussion, featuring the following agenda items.
• We’ll start with a moment to breathe and a Howard Thurman quote
• Psyche article: “Your purpose isn’t something to find, it’s something you form”: https://psyche.co/ideas/your-purpose-isnt-something-to-find-its-something-you-form
This article disabuses us of faulty thinking regarding purpose:
- Purpose is something we “lack.”
- Purpose can “suddenly appear, fully formed, in brilliant clarity.”
- Purpose is unchanging.
- Purpose is a means to an end.
Instead, taking responsibility to form purpose allows us to work with what we’ve already got—in a dynamic, evolving, and open-minded manner—and as its own end. Consider the following questions before our time together:
- How might the notion of trying to “find” purpose to solve life’s problems be faulty thinking for a Servant Leader?
- Do you agree that forming a purpose is a process and its own reward? Why or why not?
- How might the focus on forming purpose apply to Servant Leadership?
The article suggests we can begin forming our purpose by reflecting on “A Day on Purpose”. We’ll spend 5 minutes individually imagining “a day free of doing the stuff we didn’t want to do. Choose things that are both meaningful to you and have the potential to connect you to the world beyond yourself,” before, during, and after work. Also consider which parts of your work light you up, and which parts drain you?
What reflections do you have?
• Review of the podcast “The Power of Mattering”: https://magicintheroom.libsyn.com/199-the-power-of-mattering
- Being seen, heard, and understood are primary characteristics of mattering. Does every employee in your department matter? Does every team member KNOW they matter? (It is individuals who decide if they matter.) How do they know they matter, are significant, and add value to our department or organization?
- Why is shared purpose important to mattering? Why do we show up and participate in our organization? Do I create value for the students, my department, or organization?
- How do we put that into practice?
• Closing Thoughts
Please listen to the podcast and read the article to be prepared to engage with the group during our session.
Bonus Content:
“I wish that you could see what I see when I look at you.”
You Are Somebody / You Matter / You Are Enough
Enjoy this song from keynote speaker and singer, Rachel Druckenmiller, entitled Somebody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6m8karjAmk
May 15, 2026
8:30-10:00 am CST
Meeting ID: 987 0673 4791
Passcode: 156691
June 2026 Madison Area Servant Leadership Meetup
TBA
Session topic to be announced soon!
June 19, 2026
8:30-10:00 am CST
Meeting Archive
Go to the meeting archive page to see past agendas and meeting descriptions, as well as links to the materials we shared. There’s a lot of leadership gold within this vault!
Our Mission
The Servant Leadership Community of Practice fosters emerging and current leaders to develop a servant-first mindset as the most effective strategy to empower people and build thriving organizations. We welcome people from outside and inside the University to share insights and grow through our monthly meetings.