What Is Servant Leadership?
The idea that leaders should be focused on serving others is an idea that goes back at least two thousand years. However, the modern servant leadership movement was launched by Robert K. Greenleaf
in 1970 with the publication of his classic essay, The Servant as Leader. It was in that essay that he coined the words “servant-leader” and “servant leadership.” Greenleaf defined the servant-leader as follows:
"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?"
The most important characteristic of the servant-leader that stands out in Greenleaf’s essay is the desire to serve. In his essay, Greenleaf listed additional characteristics that he considered important. They included listening and understanding; acceptance and empathy; foresight; awareness and perception; persuasion; conceptualization; self-healing; and rebuilding community. Greenleaf described servant-leaders as people who initiate action, are goal-oriented, are dreamers of great dreams, are good communicators, are able to withdraw and re-orient themselves, and are dependable, trusted, creative, intuitive, and situational.
Servant leadership is ethical because it is about serving people, not using people. It is practical because servant-leaders are good at getting results for their organizations. It is meaningful because servant leaders make a positive difference in the lives of individuals, organizations, and communities.
The idea that leaders should be focused on serving others is an idea that goes back at least two thousand years. However, the modern servant leadership movement was launched by Robert K. Greenleaf
in 1970 with the publication of his classic essay, The Servant as Leader. It was in that essay that he coined the words “servant-leader” and “servant leadership.” Greenleaf defined the servant-leader as follows:
"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?"
The most important characteristic of the servant-leader that stands out in Greenleaf’s essay is the desire to serve. In his essay, Greenleaf listed additional characteristics that he considered important. They included listening and understanding; acceptance and empathy; foresight; awareness and perception; persuasion; conceptualization; self-healing; and rebuilding community. Greenleaf described servant-leaders as people who initiate action, are goal-oriented, are dreamers of great dreams, are good communicators, are able to withdraw and re-orient themselves, and are dependable, trusted, creative, intuitive, and situational.
Servant leadership is ethical because it is about serving people, not using people. It is practical because servant-leaders are good at getting results for their organizations. It is meaningful because servant leaders make a positive difference in the lives of individuals, organizations, and communities.
