Servant leadership

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Servant leadership is a philosophy and practice of leadership, coined and defined by Robert
Greenleaf and supported by many leadership and management writers such as James Autry, Ken
Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Peter Block, Peter Senge, Max DePree, Larry Spears, Margaret
Wheatley, Jim Hunter, Kent Keith, Ken Jennings and others. Servant-leaders achieve results for
their organizations by giving priority attention to the needs of their colleagues and those they
serve. Servant-leaders are often seen as humble stewards of their organization's resources
(human, financial and physical).

Contents
[hide]

 1 Concept of Servant Leadership

 2 Aspects of being a servant leader
 3 History of Servant Leadership
 4 Models of Servant Leadership
 5 See also
 6 References
 7 Further reading
 8 External links
o 8.1 Greenleaf and related sites
o 8.2 Servant Leadership and Christianity

[edit] Concept of Servant Leadership

The modern servant leadership movement was launched by Robert K. Greenleaf in his 1970
essay, “The Servant as Leader,” in which he coined the terms “servant-leader” and “servant
leadership.” Greenleaf subsequently published a number of additional essays on various aspects
of servant leadership. Since his death in 1990, the concept has been developed by other writers
such as James Autry, Ken Blanchard, Jim Hunter, Ken Jennings,[1] Kent Keith, George
SanFacon, and Larry Spears (see “Further Reading”).

[edit] Aspects of being a servant leader

In order to be a servant leader, one needs the following qualities: listening, empathy, healing,
awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, growth and building
community.
[edit] History of Servant Leadership
The general concept is ancient. Chanakya wrote, in the 4th century B.C., in his book
Arthashastra:

“the king [leader] shall consider as good, not what pleases himself but what pleases his subjects
[followers]” “the king [leader] is a paid servant and enjoys the resources of the state together
with the people.”

There are passages that relate to servant leadership in the Tao Te Ching, attributed to Lao-Tzu,
who is believed to have lived in China sometime between 570 B.C. and 490 B.C.:

The highest type of ruler is one of whose existence the people are barely aware. Next comes one
whom they love and praise. Next comes one whom they fear. Next comes one whom they
despise and defy. When you are lacking in faith, Others will be unfaithful to you. The Sage is
self-effacing and scanty of words. When his task is accomplished and things have been
completed, All the people say, ‘We ourselves have achieved it!’[2]

Jesus urged his followers to be servants first. He told his followers:

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise
authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must
be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did
not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-
28; also Mark 10:42-45)

Jesus also washed the feet of his disciples, as an example of the way in which they were to serve
each other. (John 13: 12-15)

Greenleaf , in his classic essay, The Servant as Leader, described the servant-leader in this
manner:

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. That person is sharply different
from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to
acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types.
Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.

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. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do
those served grow as persons? 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?

[edit] Models of Servant Leadership

Most writers see servant leadership as an underlying philosophy of leadership, demonstrated
through specific characteristics and practices. The foundational concepts are found in
Greenleaf’s first three major essays, The Servant as Leader, The Institution as Servant, and
Trustees as Servants.

Larry Spears, who served for 17 years as the head of the Greenleaf Center for Servant
Leadership, identified ten characteristic of servant leaders in the writings of Greenleaf. The ten
characteristics are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization,
foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of others, and building community.
Leadership experts such as Bolman, Deal, Covey, Fullan, Sergiovanni, and Heifitz also reference
these characteristics as essential components of effective leadership.

The Center for Servant Leadership at the Pastoral Institute in Georgia defines servant leadership
as a lifelong journey that includes discovery of one’s self, a desire to serve others, and a
commitment to lead. Servant-leaders continually strive to be trustworthy, self-aware, humble,
caring, visionary, empowering, relational, competent, good stewards, and community builders.

Dr. Kent Keith, author of The Case for Servant Leadership and the current CEO of the Greenleaf
Center, states that servant leadership is ethical, practical, and meaningful. He identifies seven
key practices of servant leaders: self-awareness, listening, changing the pyramid, developing
your colleagues, coaching not controlling, unleashing the energy and intelligence of others, and
foresight. James Sipe and Don Frick, in their book The Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership, state
that servant-leaders are individuals of character, put people first, are skilled communicators, are
compassionate collaborators, use foresight, are systems thinkers, and exercise moral authority.

Unlike leadership approaches with a top-down hierarchical style, servant leadership instead
emphasizes collaboration, trust, empathy, and the ethical use of power. At heart, the individual is
a servant first, making the conscious decision to lead in order to better serve others, not to
increase their own power. The objective is to enhance the growth of individuals in the
organization and increase teamwork and personal involvement.

[edit] See also

 Civil servant
 Javanese mythology on Servant Leader [1]

[edit] References
1. ^ http://www.3rd-river.com/kenjennings.html
2. ^ Lao Tzu, Tao Teh Ching, trans. John C. H. Wu (Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala,
2006),35.

[edit] Further reading

  Trevor M. Hall, ed. Becoming Authentic: The Search for Wholeness and Calling as a
Servant Leader (2007) ISBN 978-1-929569-36-6
 Robert Greenleaf. Servant Leadership ISBN 0-8091-0554-3
 Peter Block. Stewardship ISBN 1-881052-86-9
 Michael Parsons & David J. Cohen, eds. On Eagles' Wings. An Exploration of Strength
in the Midst of Weakness (2008) ISBN 978-0-7188-9195-4
 James Autry. The Servant Leader ISBN 1-400054-73-7
 Larry Spears, ed. Reflections on Leadership ISBN 0-471-03686-2
 Larry Spears, ed. Insights on Leadership ISBN 0-471-17634-6
 Larry Spears, ed. Focus on Leadership ISBN 0-471-41162-0
 Larry Spears & Michele Lawrence, ed. Practicing Servant-Leadership ISBN 0-7879-
7455-2
 James Hunter. the Servant ISBN 0-761513-69-8
 James Hunter. The World's Most Powerful Leadership Principle ISBN 1-578569-75-3
 Bruce E. Winston, Be a Leader for God's Sake ISBN 0-9725819-0-1
 Ken Blanchard, ed., Lead Like Jesus
 John J. Sullivan, Servant First! Leadership for the New Millennium ISBN 1-594672-27-X
 Kent Halstead, Servant Leadership for Congregations
 Timothy H. Warneka, Black Belt Leader, Peaceful Leader: An Introduction to Catholic
Servant Leadership ISBN 978-0-9768627-9-6
 Max DePree, "Leadership is an Art" ISBN 0-440-50324-8
 Tom Marshall. "Understanding Leadership: Fresh Perspectives on the Essentials of New
Testament Leadership" ISBN 1-85240-053-6
 Dr. Kent M. Keith. "The Case For Servant Leadership"
 James W. Sipe & Don M. Frick. Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership ISBN 978-0-8091-
4560-7
 Ken Blanchard, Leading at a Higher Level (Chapter 12), ISBN 0-13-234772-5
 Denny Gunderson, The Leadership Paradox: A Challenge to Servant Leadership in a
Power-Hungry World ISBN 978-1-57658-379-1
 Jerry Glashagel, Servant-Institutions in Business, ISBN 978-0-9822-0123-7
 Ken Jennings and John Stahl-Wert, The Serving Leader, ISBN 1-57675-265-8
 Jim Boyd, A Servant Leader’s Journey, ISBN 978-0-8091-4568-3
 George SanFacon, A Conscious Person’s Guide to the Workplace, ISBN 978-1-4251-
6680-9

[edit] External links

[edit] Greenleaf and related sites

 The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership

 "Practicing Servant-Leadership" by Larry Spears
 Article at The Academy for Chief Executives
 Spears Center
 Pastoral Institute
 Seeing Things Whole