The tools are the hands, the eyes, the words and the presence.

Servant leadership is the guiding principle.

Since 2017, work on disability matters in Hafnarfjörður has been based on the 'Servant Leadership' philosophy, and its service centres have had it as their guiding principle. All staff of Hafnarfjörður Municipality in this sector attend a basic course in the theory. Guðrún Halldórsdóttir, manager of the short-stay facility at Svalahraun 19, wanted to learn more and attended a course in Akureyri and now has the qualifications to train others in the theory.

„It actually started when I attended the annual international conference on Servant Leadership, held in Portugal in 2022, to further my knowledge of the theory. I wanted to do more and know more. There hadn't been a mentor training course like this in Iceland since 2016. When I saw it advertised this year by SímEy, I jumped at the chance,“ says Guðrún, delighted. The teachers came from a company in Canada that is a world leader in this field of study and taught the participants how to be guides, as well as providing them with access to a large guide pack.

Learnt infant swimming

Guðrún holds a Bachelor of Education in Education and a postgraduate diploma in Social Work and Disability Studies. She is also currently undertaking a Master's degree in Leadership and Human Resource Management. „I am fundamentally very enthusiastic and love to seize all kinds of opportunities to expand my knowledge. For example, I trained in baby swimming instruction.“, Svöluhraun was a home for disabled people but was converted into short-term accommodation in 2024. „The best thing about working here is that the community is very good. There is a very close-knit and good team here that looks after up to 18 residents, four at a time in four rooms.“ Guðrún has lived in Hafnarfjörður since 2016, has worked here since 2018 and says that over time she has met people who adopt a servant leadership approach, and when it is used, so much beautiful things happen. „You look inwards, at what you can do better and how you plan to do things in the future. There were 17 of us on the course and a special friendship developed within the group – which came from all over the country. We will remain in contact with the course tutors for consultation, as the next steps are to translate the course material into Icelandic and standardise the terminology.“

„This will become a way of life.“

Everyone who practises this then has an effect on those around them and thus becomes an example and a role model. „When I first encountered this, I realised it has to become a way of life; always approaching situations with kindness is important and good. It can also be applied to work groups like this one. We work together and meet in this spirit to experience an important sense of security and trust.“ Guðrún explains servant leadership even more deeply: „The foundation is that the individual we work with feels safe, is valued, feels affection and is a participant. For example, we don't make demands or issue bans; instead, it's based on trust and respect. The best thing for me is that if you practise this at work, you do it automatically at home as well. It extends to your entire life.“
She believes that at our core, we are all good people who want to do good. With the knowledge that servant leadership offers, there are important ways to support one another in being good people and working together harmoniously. „Our tools are our hands, our eyes, our words and our presence. In modern society, it can be difficult to be nurturing, to use our hands and words kindly, and to maintain a warm gaze. We serve people who may have varying abilities to communicate, so it is important that we read their behaviour and emotions.“ says Guðrún at last.