Servant Leadership: Serving Employees, Customers, & the Community

Servant Leadership is a philosophy and practice of leadership that was originally defined by Robert Greenleaf in his essay, “The Servant As Leader.”  The concept of servant leadership stems from ancient history.  From the Tao Te Ching to the Christian New Testament, servant leadership has been passed down for many years.  The New Testament states, “But ye [shall] not [be] so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.”  Leaders aren't just meant to lead, but to serve others as well.  The chart below describes the differences between two different types of leadership. 

As you can see, servant leaders care more about their relationships with others in every area.  In order to be a servant leader, one needs the following qualities: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, growth and building community.  True service stems from a desire to give from the heart.  A servant-leader is a servant first and leader second.  They must have the natural feeling to want to serve before a conscious choice brings them to aspire to lead. On the other end of the spectrum, a person who is a leader first is usually power driven and likes to acquire material possessions.   

In a business setting, servant leaders achieve results for their organizations by giving priority attention to the needs of their colleagues and those they serve.  They are often considered humble stewards of their organization.  Servant leaders should constantly be asking themselves: Are the people I’m serving growing individually? Do they, while being served become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?  And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?

Greenleaf stated, “This is my thesis: caring for persons, the more able and the less able serving each other, is the rock upon which a good society is built.”  I truly believe that servant leadership is the way to a better society.  Just think, if one person cared for another, that person would then hopefully spread that love and service toward another person, and so on.  Now, some of you might be thinking that I only believe this because I am a Christian and I’m supposed to serve God and his people, but even if I wasn’t a Christian, I still firmly believe in giving back to your community and your peers.  Just imagine what the world would be like if we all put service first.  People wouldn’t be so caught up in the high-tech business world and always having to be the best and the most successful or most powerful.  Life would be so much better.  I feel like servant leadership is the leadership theory that best describes me and my relationship with others. 

“Leaders are learning that this kind of empowerment, which is what servant-leadership represents, is one of the key principles that, based on practice, not talk, will be the deciding point between an organization's enduring success or its eventual extinction.”
—Stephen Covey

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