When his disciples were vying for which among them was greatest, Jesus responded to them, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” Matthew 20:26 [NIV]
A man named Robert K. Greenleaf took this concept and applied it to leadership in what he termed servant leadership. His writings (1904–1990) are influential to understanding servant leadership. Greenleaf offered much sage advice and described a number of servant leader capacities. He also prescribed how we might become servant leaders and offered the best test for servant leadership.
Without providing an operational definition of servant leadership, Greenleaf briefly referred to a feeling of wanting to serve first, followed by a responsible, ethical, and humble choice to lead. His description of leading provides the essence for understanding what is expected of the servant leader.
Serving first clearly contextualizes our motive, our purpose, and a way to lead. It is also a legitimate predisposition for leading.
The question I would like to tackle today is, why serve?
Surely, serving the needs of our children, or those of our parents and grandparents, makes sense and seems intuitive and natural. Furthermore, we may want to serve our team, our organization and community to enhance our sense of belonging and self-esteem. Certainly, most people choose to work and serve for different reasons, including for survival, duty, or obligation; for approval, or money, power, and influence; or even because serving is their love language.
There are a few more reasons why I believe we should all strive to be servant leaders, and chief among those is love. Love for others and for self. As human beings we are created for relationships; relationships with others, with animals, nature, and with all of creation. The paradox is that being in relationship is often awkward and painful, but it is through these relationships that we can learn what is most meaningful and most human, even though we often fall far short of the mark. As we become more fully aware of our capacity for love, we are tested with the choices of whether or not to be honest, responsible, moral, generous, forgiving, and humble. Developing the capacity to hold loosely our judgments, our distrust, our doubt, and our fears and become present and available to another is an act of love, even though it may stir feelings of vulnerability. Being in relationship helps develop our emotional and spiritual maturity.
Humility is also involved in “serving first.” Research has shown that many of the most effective leaders are humble. Even though they are determined to achieve their vision, they are more interested in getting the job done and in building something corporately great than they are in press clippings or personal credits. While many in leadership find themselves caught in “political battles,” expending their energy on advancing personal agendas rather than driving toward what is best for the organization, servant leaders are more effective because they set aside ego, let go of power politics and personal agendas, and focus their professional energies instead on building organizational health and human capabilities. In his book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins performed an in-depth study of companies that proved to be far more successful than their more traditional counterparts. He found that one of the distinguishing features of these companies was the personal nature of their leaders, which he labeled Level 5 Leadership. The other levels of leadership (1-4) are categories of traditional leadership stereotypes.
Collins wrote,
In the spirit of Level 5 leadership, servant leaders become more effective when they set their ego aside and unselfishly focus on building organization capabilities. They empower the organization by identifying and developing key capabilities critical to the achievement of their vision and competitive strategy.
Servant leaders also effectively develop human capabilities within the organization. Delegating key responsibilities, brokering major change initiatives within the organization, and sponsoring capable rising stars are all unselfish ways leaders can promote individual and organizational development. They know that if they can find talent within the organization and match it up with emerging strategic opportunities, it creates excitement and energy, and will move the organization intentionally and consciously forward.
Effective servant leaders empower employees in the organization by providing clear objectives, key resources, training, and support for initiatives that are mission critical. When employees know the limits of the playing field, and are given the resources, tools, and responsibility to make things happen, it turns them loose to take the initiative and move their part of the organization to the next level. This is one of the most powerful ways servant leaders motivate employees and build commitment in the organization.
A leader who has the capacity to lead from both natural gifts (strengths) and humility (admission of mistakes, honesty, forgiveness, and healing) has a much wider spectrum of options for effectiveness, and one’s perceived authenticity may be significantly enhanced. Through love, as in being warm-hearted versus cold-hearted, a leader has a greater capacity for authentic, respectful relating with others, and is better able to address issues, establish trust, and promote worth, fulfillment, and purpose.
A man named Robert K. Greenleaf took this concept and applied it to leadership in what he termed servant leadership. His writings (1904–1990) are influential to understanding servant leadership. Greenleaf offered much sage advice and described a number of servant leader capacities. He also prescribed how we might become servant leaders and offered the best test for servant leadership.
Without providing an operational definition of servant leadership, Greenleaf briefly referred to a feeling of wanting to serve first, followed by a responsible, ethical, and humble choice to lead. His description of leading provides the essence for understanding what is expected of the servant leader.
Serving first clearly contextualizes our motive, our purpose, and a way to lead. It is also a legitimate predisposition for leading.
The question I would like to tackle today is, why serve?
Surely, serving the needs of our children, or those of our parents and grandparents, makes sense and seems intuitive and natural. Furthermore, we may want to serve our team, our organization and community to enhance our sense of belonging and self-esteem. Certainly, most people choose to work and serve for different reasons, including for survival, duty, or obligation; for approval, or money, power, and influence; or even because serving is their love language.
There are a few more reasons why I believe we should all strive to be servant leaders, and chief among those is love. Love for others and for self. As human beings we are created for relationships; relationships with others, with animals, nature, and with all of creation. The paradox is that being in relationship is often awkward and painful, but it is through these relationships that we can learn what is most meaningful and most human, even though we often fall far short of the mark. As we become more fully aware of our capacity for love, we are tested with the choices of whether or not to be honest, responsible, moral, generous, forgiving, and humble. Developing the capacity to hold loosely our judgments, our distrust, our doubt, and our fears and become present and available to another is an act of love, even though it may stir feelings of vulnerability. Being in relationship helps develop our emotional and spiritual maturity.
Humility is also involved in “serving first.” Research has shown that many of the most effective leaders are humble. Even though they are determined to achieve their vision, they are more interested in getting the job done and in building something corporately great than they are in press clippings or personal credits. While many in leadership find themselves caught in “political battles,” expending their energy on advancing personal agendas rather than driving toward what is best for the organization, servant leaders are more effective because they set aside ego, let go of power politics and personal agendas, and focus their professional energies instead on building organizational health and human capabilities. In his book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins performed an in-depth study of companies that proved to be far more successful than their more traditional counterparts. He found that one of the distinguishing features of these companies was the personal nature of their leaders, which he labeled Level 5 Leadership. The other levels of leadership (1-4) are categories of traditional leadership stereotypes.
Collins wrote,
Compared to high-profile leaders with big personalities who make headlines and become celebrities, the good-to-great leaders seem to have come from Mars. Self-effacing, quiet, reserved, even shy - these leaders are a paradoxical blend of humility and professional will. They are more like Lincoln and Socrates than Patton or Caesar. (pp. 12-13)Level 5 Leadership is characterized by subjection of personal interests to the welfare of the larger group or organization. In addition, these kinds of leaders also demonstrate a ferocious determination to achieve their vision and goals. Level 5 leaders are willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary for the success of the company. They tend to discount their own contributions when their organizations succeed, and also insist on personal responsibility if their organizations are performing poorly.
In the spirit of Level 5 leadership, servant leaders become more effective when they set their ego aside and unselfishly focus on building organization capabilities. They empower the organization by identifying and developing key capabilities critical to the achievement of their vision and competitive strategy.
Servant leaders also effectively develop human capabilities within the organization. Delegating key responsibilities, brokering major change initiatives within the organization, and sponsoring capable rising stars are all unselfish ways leaders can promote individual and organizational development. They know that if they can find talent within the organization and match it up with emerging strategic opportunities, it creates excitement and energy, and will move the organization intentionally and consciously forward.
Effective servant leaders empower employees in the organization by providing clear objectives, key resources, training, and support for initiatives that are mission critical. When employees know the limits of the playing field, and are given the resources, tools, and responsibility to make things happen, it turns them loose to take the initiative and move their part of the organization to the next level. This is one of the most powerful ways servant leaders motivate employees and build commitment in the organization.
A leader who has the capacity to lead from both natural gifts (strengths) and humility (admission of mistakes, honesty, forgiveness, and healing) has a much wider spectrum of options for effectiveness, and one’s perceived authenticity may be significantly enhanced. Through love, as in being warm-hearted versus cold-hearted, a leader has a greater capacity for authentic, respectful relating with others, and is better able to address issues, establish trust, and promote worth, fulfillment, and purpose.
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