3 Leadership Lessons from New Book: Just Keep Growing
“Telling stories is one of the most powerful means that leaders have to influence, teach, and inspire. Stories convey the culture, history, and values that unite people,” a Harvard Business Impact article said.
As an award-winning journalist with a background in communications and marketing, Martha Boehm understands the impact of storytelling.
So she wrote a book…Just Keep Growing: 25 Servant Leadership Lessons! This book is filled with stories to uplift, inspire, teach, and connect people to the power and potential of servant leadership.
Here’s three reasons why you need to add it to your TBR list:
- It’s filled with short stories (let’s face it, our lives are busy!).
- They are REAL stories about real people with relatable scenarios.
- Each story ends with prepared reflection questions and action items for personal development.
At our September 2025 Servant Leadership Community of Practice, we invited Martha to lead our conversation on “Storytelling as Servant Leadership: Honoring People’s Stories” by focusing on three lessons from her book:
- Rituals Are Powerful
- Go Beyond Transactions
- Begin With Good
Rituals Are Powerful
What rituals or traditions do you celebrate? Maybe you celebrate personal or professional milestones, take an annual holiday, or have a special family tradition.
As a teenager, Martha traveled with a group to Rotorua, New Zealand and Australia, sparking her love of international travel.
As her group arrived at the property, a Māori woman said, “Kia ora,” a phrase for “Hello, welcome, and greetings.” She explained how the group would be “welcomed in formal order” as part of a pōwhiri, a Māori welcoming ceremony.
(Postcard image. Photo credit: Martha Boehm)
However, there were a few rituals they had to follow:
- If they laughed, it would be disrespectful, and they would not be able to stay at the property.
- A small fern branch was placed in front of their student leader, used as a tool for collaboration and communication.
- Picking up the branch conveyed the message, “We come in peace.”
Martha explained, “Had we not been told what to expect, I likely would have been alarmed or intimidated or worried.”
When it comes to rituals or traditions, it’s important to set expectations.
In his book Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue, Paul Woodruff wrote,
“Reverence is the well-developed capacity to have the feelings of awe, respect, and shame when these are the right feelings to have.”
He notes that rituals have the power to bring us together or tear us apart. Reverence keeps ceremonies from being empty.
The virtue of reverence helps us to create safe and supportive environments where people of different backgrounds and cultures are welcome and respected.
For your Personal Reflection:
- What are some of the rituals in your family?
- Describe a ritual you’ve seen at work. Why is it important to company culture?
Go Beyond Transactions
As companies focus on profits, it can often feel as though requests are made and tasks are completed with no thought or care for the individuals themselves, Martha explains in her book.
To build relationships and make stronger connections in the workplace (and in our communities!), we need to go beyond transactions.
Imagine these two scenarios:
Transactional: Doing the required performance review for your team member once a year.
Transformative: Help your team member identify their personal and professional goals (use CliftonStrengths® or another assessment tool) and celebrate their progress often.
OR
Transactional: Telling your team member, “Good job on that report.”
Transformative: Acknowledge the effort and creativity it took for your team member to complete the report. Then write a personal note or even share the recognition publicly.
Building relationships is at the heart of going beyond transactions.
Tom Thibodeau, distinguished professor of Servant Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI said: “Our lives are both social and sacred.”
Throughout her book, Martha states how stories are what connect us to each another, making stronger relationships and building trust.
When we show empathy and see other people’s perspectives, we begin to understand, learn, and grow together.
For your Personal Reflection:
- Why is it important to focus on relationships?
- How can we build relationships to go beyond the transaction?
Begin With Good
When Broadway actor Arbender Robinson is asked to speak at events, he surrounds himself with “tiny, tiny miracles.” These miracles are flowers. Beautiful, fresh flowers.
He also is sure to wear a colorful bowtie and fun socks. “So no matter what happens today, at least I had on a cute bow tie, and I wore fun socks. So I win!” says Robinson.
(Arbender Robinson, “Dreams Do Come True,” conference presentation, Viterbo University Conference on Servant Leadership, La Crosse, WI, July 2022. Photo credit: Martha Boehm)
This is an example of practicing gratitude.
Dr. Amit Sood, the executive director of the Global Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing and the creator of the Resilient Option program, spent 10 years developing his gratitude practice. His work focuses on resilience and well-being, with research on the design of the brain, its struggle with focus and fatigue, and ways to maximize happiness.
“Think about three of the most important people in your life,” Sood advised. “Send them your silent gratitude for them being in your life.”
Gratitude can come in the form of a random text message or call during the day, a sticky note on a bathroom mirror, or even a prayer.
Want to try it for yourself? Morning Pages is a concept of practicing gratitude by author Julia Cameron from her book, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity.
First thing in the morning, sit down and complete three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing either in a journal or on your laptop.
This simple practice can help you navigate each day with a greater sense of self, clarity, and purpose.
With these ideas in mind, brainstorm one specific thing you’ll do to practice gratitude daily and see the impact it creates in your life.
For your Personal Reflection:
- What do you need in order to focus on good things going on in your life?
- How can you start meetings at work that focus on good things happening with a project, in your department, or within your organization?
These lessons represent only a fraction of the diverse and uplifting stories from Martha’s book. Order a copy today and discover more ways to just keep growing!
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About Martha Boehm
Martha Boehm loves telling a good story, especially one that is uplifting and inspirational.
She began her career as an award-winning journalist and later shifted to communications and marketing in addition to leadership development.
Martha received a Servant Leader Award from Viterbo University, where she earned a Master of Arts in Servant Leadership. She also earned a Master of Arts in Media Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
Connect with her @foxbamboopress on Instagram!
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What have you learned from this blog? Let us know!
Don’t miss your opportunity to join our next conversation! Servant Leadership Community of Practice sessions are amazing opportunities for any and all leaders to gather and learn from one another in a supportive, comfortable environment, right from your computer. Our next session is on Tuesday November 25, 2025.
Additional Resources:
- Just Keep Growing: 25 Servant Leadership Lessons by Martha Boehm
- What Makes Storytelling So Effective For Learning? from Harvard Business Impact
- Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue by Paul Woodruff
- About Dr. Amit Sood
- Morning Pages, from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
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This blog post wraps up September 2025’s Community of Practice conversation. To join us during the live discussion for future months, register at https://www.sophiapartners.org/events/.
