Servant leadership

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Servant leadership is an approach to leadership development, coined and defined by Robert Greenleaf and advanced by several authors such as Stephen Covey, Peter Block, Peter Senge, Max De Pree, Margaret Wheatley, Ken Blanchard, and others. Servant-leadership emphasizes the leader's role as steward of the resources (human, financial and otherwise) provided by the organization. It encourages leaders to serve others while staying focused on achieving results in line with the organization's values and integrity.

The modern concept of Servant Leadership started with Robert Greenleaf, who published his essay, "The Servant as Leader" in 1970. This led to further essays from Greenleaf, and further works from others, especially in recent years. However, the concept is thousands of years older than this. Chanakya or Kautilya, the famous strategic thinker from ancient India, wrote about servant leadership in his 4th century book Arthashastra. He clearly stated that "the king[leader] shall consider as good, not what pleases himself but what pleases his subjects [followers]". He argued that "the king [leader] is a paid servant and enjoys the resources of the state together with the people". The concept of servant leadership in the west can be traced back, at least partly, to Jesus' teachings on leadership. He sought to teach his disciples that in order to be first they must "wash each other's feet" (Jn. 13:14). Jesus preached that people must seek to serve each other in order to be true leaders. And again, Jesus said that "many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first" (Matt. 19:30). meaning that true leadership, according to Jesus, was leadership based in servanthood. Servant Leadership is also the main principle concept behind the film, The Emperor's Club, that shows the relation of a teacher and student after years of distinctive differences in their ambitions and philosophies on life. Servant Leadership in the film, teaches how "it is not living that is important, but living rightly". In such a context, The Emperor's Club clearly defines "right" and brings out its moral implications on a heavily mortalised world.

It differs from other leadership approaches by eschewing the common top-down hierarchical style, and instead emphasizing collaboration, trust, empathy, and the ethical use of power. At heart, the individual is a servant first, making the conscious decision to lead; his drive is to lead because he wants to serve better, not because he desires increased power. The objective is to enhance the growth of individuals in the organization and increase teamwork and personal involvement.

Critics might dismiss Servant leadership as yet another management fad to line consultants' pockets, but its proponents counter that the ideals underlying it are timeless (witness its description in chapter 17 of the Tao Te Ching, ca. 6th century BCE), and the concept of Servant Leadership has been in development for over 40 years with involvement from AT&T and Harvard Business School.

Several companies have based or incorporated servant leadership into their corporate culture, including Herman Miller, Toro Company, Southwest Airlines, TDIndustries, Starbucks Coffee, Men's Warehouse, ServiceMaster, and others.

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[edit] Universities Implementing Servant Leadership

Numerous universities have had success implementing Servant Leadership programs on their campus.

  • Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI offers an MA in Servant Leadership. The only Master's degree in the world focused specifically on Servant Leadership, this program brings together people who aspire to leadership positions in church, community, and business.
  • Seton Hall University(South Orange, NJ) incorporates a strong servant leadership component into their students' education. The school has its own department dedicated towards the mission- The Center of Vocation and Servant Leadership. [1]
  • T.M.I.: The Episcopal School of Texas uses "educating Servant Leaders...." as a slogan.
  • Concordia University, Seward, a Lutheran Christian university in Nebraska, has incorporated servant leadership into its curriculum, under the slogan "Preparing servant leaders for church and world." Concordia students are required to take a servant leadership practicum in which they perform a 60 hour service project.
  • A Servant Leadership Program was established by the Right Rev. Bishop Bennet Sims, the Episcopal Bishop of Atlanta, after retirement at Emory University in Atlanta. The school was subsequently moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina.
  • In 2004, a Servant-Leadership program was established by the Milwaukee School of Engineering from an endowment by Dr. Richard Pieper, establishing MSOE as the first and only university with a chair position in servant leadership. The Pieper-Endowed Chair in Servant-Leadership is currently held by Dr. Samuel Scheibler.[2]
  • Concordia University, Irvine, a Lutheran Christian university in Southern California and sister school to Concordia, Seward (see above) has recently developed The Office of Servant Leadership, committed to helping others through various service opportunities. Since its implementation in 2006, students have participated in projects like trips to Mexico orphanages, house-building projects, Operation Christmas Child, and more through the Office of Servant Leadership.
  • Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA) has a strong program for a Master's in Organizational Leadership (offered on campus and online) which focuses on the philosophy and practice of Servant Leadership. Gonzaga also offers a PhD in Leadership Studies, which emphasizes servant leadership.
  • CEO Netweavers, a Non Profit organization in Dallas Texas, has over 300 CEO/COO members whose Vision is to transform business and enrich lives through servant leadership.

[edit] See also

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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