Denmark is the happiest county in the world. At least according to the UN World Happiness report, and it has held the title for 40 years and counting! This is in complete contradiction to all of the things that we do or believe will make us happy as Americans. It even sometimes flies in the face of science. For instance they have very long, very dark, very cold winters, pay more than 50% of their income in taxes, and are nearly a completely secular (religion or spirituality is supposed to improve happiness) (Russell, 2015). Apparently there are a number of reasons why their happiness ranks so highly despite being a country that doesn’t necessarily seem equipped for happiness, but their culture of servant leadership is the one that seems most interesting to me.
Northouse describes the role of the servant leader as “-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served”, the results of which are the “served becoming healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, and more likely to become servants themselves” (2016). This is the foundation of Danish culture in general. They build their government, their welfare system, and educational system around the idea that in order for the Danish people to be happy and healthy and wise their basic, intellectual, and emotional needs must be met. The result of this (and the high taxes) is that Danes work typical 34 hour work week, they have on average 5 weeks of vacation and 13 holidays off from work a year, a “flexicurity” system that pays a citizen 80% of their salary for two years to do any number of things from change careers, tend to family matters, convalesce, etc, everyone to college for free, child care is funded by the government, health care is funded by the government, they even use recycling to produce fuel that heats the floors in their homes through the very long cold winters, which is funded by the government (Russell, 2016).
This might sound like the result of a socialist economy and it is a very liberal one, but really it’s the result of a government comprised of true servant leaders from a culture of servant leaders who are constantly working to improve the lives of their citizen. They are a highly independent and egalitarian society. Denmark was one of the first countries to elect women in positions of power in the government as early as the 1800’s (Russell, 2015). They are exceedingly proud of their national spirit of equality and it is not an imposed equality but an elected one. They also have one of the most environmentally responsible nations on the planet (Russell, 2015). In fact, they are so dedicated to the environment that bicycles and not cars are the preferred method of transportation and what we consider a status symbol becomes completely irrelevant to the Danes. In fact the tax on cars is more than 100% the cost of a car. Doctors, CEO’s, and Janitors all might bike to work and they all will make a living wage. This is another interesting quirk of the Danish economy. Certainly Doctors make more than janitors but a janitor will be paid far better than they would in the U.S. The motivation behind high pay for all jobs is two fold. First, Danes want people to do a job that makes them happy and fits in their lifestyle. School is free and the government pays for so many other amenities that the motivation to become a physician isn’t the money, it’s the work the person finds most interesting and satisfying (Russell, 2015). It is because of this that the Danes are a highly educated nation with some of the lowest unemployment and welfare populations and the highest ratings in job satisfaction and work life balance (Russell, 2015). Second, the Danish believe so strongly in equality that value all contribution made to society as important enough to be well paid (Russell, 2015).
It’s the mission of the Danish people to do what is best to improve the lives of all Danish people. You can see the servant leader model reflected not just in government processes, but in their business models, educational system, and municipalities as well. The sharing of power exists at all levels of society and servant leader behaviors, such as conceptualizing, emotional healing, putting followers needs first, helping people to grow and succeed, behaving ethically, empowering followers, and creating value for the community are the cornerstone of Danish society. It is this culture of servant leadership that allows the Danes to foster an environment that produces the “happiest people in the world” and inspires servant leadership in their young citizens who will continue to work to better and uphold the quality of life in Denmark.
Russell, H. (2015). The year of living Danishly: Uncovering the secrets of the world’s happiest country. London, U.K.: Icon Book.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Whitney Alexis Wade says
Jamie,
Your post was incredibly informative and interesting. I find it surprising that Denmark is found as one of the happiest places on earth. .I feel like a huge component of that has to do with the quality and simple standard of living. One of the reasons I feel America is not as happiest as Denmark is because of the lack of cultural unity. America as a nation is a diverse melting pot and that difference sometimes leads to racial tension. I believe that one reason Denmark does not have to deal with those problems is because of its lack of diversity. The absence of those problems is huge contributing factor to their overall happiness. When you live in a nation that has few hate crimes, virtually no police brutality and an ideal of sharing and doing things for the overall communal wellbeing happiness being a bi-product seems to be expected.
The servant-leadership model is an example of leadership were individuals within the highest position of society work to serve and help the individuals that have the worst needs. Many countries that are socialist have these types of styles and leadership within government. There are both good examples and bad examples of this style of leadership being executed. In Canada they have a policy where healthcare is free for all of its citizens and immigrants that come or visit the country. This is paid for through the individuals tax payers. I think inherent to servant leadership is the idea that we have a obligation to care for each other and that contributes to overall happiness.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/after-health.asp
Renee Tillman says
My ultimate goal is now to be as happy as the Danish. Living and growing up in a such a materialistic society, it makes me feel as though our priorities are in the wrong place. We have unequal wages among genders, students can’t afford a higher education, homeless are getting evicted from their under bridge homes, police are murdering citizens and so many other chaotic things yet this is not our focus. As long as we have the next iPhone, the latest shoes and fashions, we seem to be content. Yet the government is failing us.
I believe that the Danish government not only falls into servant leadership but authentic leadership. “Authentic leaders understand their own values and behave toward others based on these values” (Northouse, p.199). They’re not only doing what’s best for the citizens, but they’re empathizing with them. These government officials are not putting themselves on a pedestal, they see eye to eye with the people. I honestly admire it. To read about a group of people who are absolutely happy with their government is rare and extremely amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.