The Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation's mission is "to improve the economic climate and quality of life in Carbon County by providing services, information and advocacy for our members and the community."

Looking back, a number of volunteer leaders who serve as CCEDC board members along with the CCEDC staff worked together on a mission statement that would best describe what we do.It was a great planning session and discussion as everyone had input and ideas as we developed the final statement. In order to carry out this mission, we need to be "servant leaders."What is "servant leadership"? After researching the history of this concept, I realized it is something that I've been practicing throughout my professional career.I really enjoy helping people and being part of solutions in challenging situations … and I thank my mom, coaches and mentors for making me realize the importance of being this kind of person. It is rewarding to be a mentor and provide opportunities for others to grow on a professional and personal level.As described by Wikipedia, the servant leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.A servant leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong.While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase "servant leadership" was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in the "Servant as Leader," an essay that he first published in 1970.In that essay, Greenleaf said: "The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served."Special thanks to all of our volunteer leaders who serve organizations throughout Carbon County.Lisa E. Johnson, vice president of public relations and marketing from Blue Mountain Health System, recognizes the importance of servant leadership."The Blue Mountain Health System strives toward servant leadership in everything we do. Health care has a natural propensity to servant leadership in that we need to listen to patients, to have empathy and understand their care needs, and to help develop a healing environment for them."She goes on to say, "We also have the responsibility and obligation to be good stewards of all our resources, meaning our staff, to help them grow, to help them see and maximize their strengths, and to build and foster a sense of community among our staff."We believe that the servant leadership philosophy guides us in how we treat both patients and our staff."As a "bottom-up" member focused organization, we are here to serve and lead our businesses and communities and do so with great honor.For example, CCEDC is host to a number of boards and committees made up of volunteer leaders.Servant leadership surfaces as we plan events, programs, marketing campaigns and community outreach initiatives for Carbon County.Every day I ask myself, how can we keep our businesses strong, attract people to our beautiful area and keep our finger on the pulse of advocacy issues?We are the "connectors" who have the ability to make this happen through our partnerships and relationships.As you lead in the workplace, at home and in your community, keep "servant leadership" in mind.Marlyn Kissner is executive director for the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber.