Rotary's 'Service Above Self' is Lead with Civility in Action
- Kalen Academy
- Jul 24
- 3 min read
A guest post by Dean Huard, U.S. Army veteran and former city manager, delivered a presentation on Lead with Civility by Diane Kalen-Sukra, #1 bestseller in Government & Politics, to his Texan Rotary Club on July 23rd, tying it to the 4-Way Test and Service Above Self. Huard's guest essay, Battlefield to City Hall, reflects on the moral test every leader eventually faces when idealism runs headfirst into an entrenched, uncivil system.
On July 23rd, I had the privilege of carrying Lead with Civility: A Handbook for Uncivil Times, by civic leadership expert Diane Kalen-Sukra, a #1 Amazon bestseller in Government & Politics, into the halls of my local Rotary Club in Texas.
Lead with Civility is the handbook I believe every civic minded leader needs on their shelf, and the missing piece civic leadership training has overlooked for far too long. I am honored to have contributed a guest essay to this landmark work.
My piece, "Battlefield to City Hall," reflects on the classic movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and the moral test every leader eventually faces when idealism runs headfirst into an entrenched, uncivil system. It's a test I met more than once, first as an Army officer through combat deployments, later as a city manager standing in front of a council chamber.
My essay sits at the opening of the book's roadmap, Part 1, Civility as a Leadership Imperative: know yourself, champion civic virtues like courage and compassion, and lead as a servant. That foundation is what the rest of Lead with Civility builds on, chapter after chapter.
Lead with Civility draws on some of humanity's deepest wisdom traditions—from Socrates to the Stoics to the principles of servant leadership—and lands in deep alignment with Rotary's own. I mapped it out on a slide for the club (see below).
Rotary asks: Is it the truth?
Lead with Civility answers: Speak with honesty, integrity, and courage.
Rotary asks: Is it fair to all concerned?
Lead with Civility answers: Honor the dignity and perspective of others.
Rotary asks: Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Lead with Civility answers: Strengthen relationships, even amid disagreement.
Rotary asks: Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Lead with Civility answers: Pursue the common good, not merely personal victory.
Ancient wisdom, modern leadership guidance, and a century old Rotary motto, all converging on the same conviction. Service Above Self is civility in action.
This is not a technical manual you skim once and shelve. It's a handbook for civic leaders who want to change the culture, not just survive it, and it belongs in your hands, at the council table, and wherever decisions shape civic life.
Readers are encouraged to go a step further and complete your own proven Roadmap to Renewing Civic Culture, found within the book, to maximize your culture transforming impact, found together with companion resources on the Lead with Civility Book Club page.
Civic leaders everywhere have used Roadmap successfully to transform the civic culture in their communities since it was first published in 2019 in Diane's bestseller, Save Your City: How Toxic Culture Kills Community & What To Do About It. Lead with Civility, published in 2026 is a companion to this book and brings this roadmap to life.
Grateful to my club for the invitation, and grateful for a book that gave me the language for what thirty four years in uniform and public service have taught me.
Dean Huard
U.S. Army Veteran, Former City Manager
Lead with Civility Ambassador & Guest Essayist
Follow Kalen Academy on YouTube for videos on the many ways to put Lead with Civility into practice in our workplaces and communities. Here Dean Huard is in conversation with Lead with Civility author Diane Kalen-Sukra on how to hire for civility at city hall.
For more updates like this Subscribe to Civic Wisdom below.
What Civic Leaders are Saying About Lead with Civility (3 Min)
Lead with Civility Book Trailer (2 min)
Comments