This document provides an overview of servant leadership theory as proposed by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970. It defines servant leadership as prioritizing serving others and defines its key attributes. The document reviews Greenleaf's life and publications, criticisms of the theory, and its potential application in information organizations. While servant leadership is well-suited for information services, the theory still requires more formalization and empirical research to substantiate and further develop it.
Servant leadership is a philosophy where the leader's primary goal is serving others. The document discusses the origins and definition of servant leadership, including quotes from ancient texts advocating putting others' needs first. It also profiles the modern founder Robert Greenleaf and his view that the servant leader's natural instinct is to serve. Ten key characteristics of servant leadership are outlined, such as listening, empathy, and commitment to developing people. Examples are given of famous leaders like Gandhi, MLK, and Mother Teresa who exemplified putting others' needs before their own. Both strengths and criticisms of the servant leadership model are presented.
Servant leadership is a philosophy that prioritizes serving and developing others, with the goal of creating a just world. A servant leader leads by example through listening, empathy, and empowering others. The ten principles of servant leadership are listening to others, empathizing, healing relationships, self-awareness, persuasion over coercion, conceptual thinking, foresight, commitment to personal growth, building community, and acting as a steward of resources.
This presentation talks of Servant Leadership - the origins of Servant leadership, the characteristics of a Servant leader and the qualities of a Servant Leader
Servant leadership is defined as leaders who serve others first by listening, empathizing and helping people grow. The concept originated from ancient texts like the Arthashastra and teachings of Jesus Christ. In the 1970s, Robert Greenleaf further defined servant leadership as aspiring to serve others primarily. Servant leaders demonstrate characteristics like listening, empathy, awareness, conceptualization and building community. Modern examples include Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines and Dee Hock of Visa International, who created cultures of service and sustainability.
The 5 levels of leadership byJohn MaxwellSameer Mathur
John Maxwell outlines the five levels of leadership: 1) Position, where people follow due to obligation; 2) Permission, where relationships develop and people follow willingly; 3) Production, where credibility grows as leaders effectively solve problems; 4) People Development, where leaders commit to developing others' skills and capacities; 5) Pinnacle, where deep respect forms due to a leader's proven qualities and long-term contributions. Maxwell stresses that leadership is an ongoing learning process and different people view leaders through these various levels depending on their relationship.
Transactional & Transformational LeadershipVijay A Raj
The document discusses two leadership styles: transactional leadership, which is based on an exchange between leader and group, and transformational leadership, which focuses on inspiring change. Transactional leadership uses rewards to motivate, while transformational leadership uses inspiration, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration. The document then introduces transcendent leadership, which emphasizes collective decision making, valuing diverse views, and service above self for the good of all.
The document discusses different theories of leadership. It defines leadership as the ability to influence others toward goals, and management as using authority to obtain compliance. Trait theories view leadership as innate traits, though no universal traits predict leadership. Behavioral theories propose leadership behaviors can be taught. The Ohio State and University of Michigan studies identified leadership behaviors as initiating structure/production orientation and consideration/employee orientation. Contingency theories state the most effective leadership depends on the situation, such as Fiedler's model relating leader style and situational favorability, and Hersey and Blanchard's situational leadership model linking leader behavior to follower readiness.
Servant leadership is a philosophy where the leader's primary goal is serving others. The document discusses the origins and definition of servant leadership, including quotes from ancient texts advocating putting others' needs first. It also profiles the modern founder Robert Greenleaf and his view that the servant leader's natural instinct is to serve. Ten key characteristics of servant leadership are outlined, such as listening, empathy, and commitment to developing people. Examples are given of famous leaders like Gandhi, MLK, and Mother Teresa who exemplified putting others' needs before their own. Both strengths and criticisms of the servant leadership model are presented.
Servant leadership is a philosophy that prioritizes serving and developing others, with the goal of creating a just world. A servant leader leads by example through listening, empathy, and empowering others. The ten principles of servant leadership are listening to others, empathizing, healing relationships, self-awareness, persuasion over coercion, conceptual thinking, foresight, commitment to personal growth, building community, and acting as a steward of resources.
This presentation talks of Servant Leadership - the origins of Servant leadership, the characteristics of a Servant leader and the qualities of a Servant Leader
Servant leadership is defined as leaders who serve others first by listening, empathizing and helping people grow. The concept originated from ancient texts like the Arthashastra and teachings of Jesus Christ. In the 1970s, Robert Greenleaf further defined servant leadership as aspiring to serve others primarily. Servant leaders demonstrate characteristics like listening, empathy, awareness, conceptualization and building community. Modern examples include Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines and Dee Hock of Visa International, who created cultures of service and sustainability.
The 5 levels of leadership byJohn MaxwellSameer Mathur
John Maxwell outlines the five levels of leadership: 1) Position, where people follow due to obligation; 2) Permission, where relationships develop and people follow willingly; 3) Production, where credibility grows as leaders effectively solve problems; 4) People Development, where leaders commit to developing others' skills and capacities; 5) Pinnacle, where deep respect forms due to a leader's proven qualities and long-term contributions. Maxwell stresses that leadership is an ongoing learning process and different people view leaders through these various levels depending on their relationship.
Transactional & Transformational LeadershipVijay A Raj
The document discusses two leadership styles: transactional leadership, which is based on an exchange between leader and group, and transformational leadership, which focuses on inspiring change. Transactional leadership uses rewards to motivate, while transformational leadership uses inspiration, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration. The document then introduces transcendent leadership, which emphasizes collective decision making, valuing diverse views, and service above self for the good of all.
The document discusses different theories of leadership. It defines leadership as the ability to influence others toward goals, and management as using authority to obtain compliance. Trait theories view leadership as innate traits, though no universal traits predict leadership. Behavioral theories propose leadership behaviors can be taught. The Ohio State and University of Michigan studies identified leadership behaviors as initiating structure/production orientation and consideration/employee orientation. Contingency theories state the most effective leadership depends on the situation, such as Fiedler's model relating leader style and situational favorability, and Hersey and Blanchard's situational leadership model linking leader behavior to follower readiness.
Lead Humbly: The Path of Servant Leadership Lindy Ryan
This presentation was created for and delivered to attendees of the 6th Annual University of Colorado CUGold Leadership Conference.
http://umc.colorado.edu/studentlife/cugold/leadershipconf
Servant leadership is defined as prioritizing the needs of followers by making sure their highest priorities are met. There are 10 characteristics of servant leaders including listening, empathy, awareness, and conceptualization. A model of servant leadership includes antecedent conditions like culture and leader attributes, servant leader behaviors like putting followers first and empowering them, and outcomes like increased follower performance and organizational performance. While servant leadership has strengths like emphasizing altruism, it also has weaknesses such as not working in environments where followers do not want guidance or empowerment.
Wish to implement leadership strategies that influence, engage and encourage excellence performance in the organization? SlideTeam has come up with content ready leadership PowerPoint presentation slides to portray the management abilities of the workforce. These team management PPT templates include slides like leadership introduction, leadership vs. management, control styles and theories, participating captaincy process, strategic management, business theory, adaptive performance, group cohesion, communication patterns and many more. Apart from this, if you want customized designs for your presentation, our design team is at your service. Our predesigned leader-member exchange theory presentation can be used for the topics like leadership skills and training, qualities of leadership, leadership in management, leadership strategies & practices, productive guidance etc. Click and download our leadership PowerPoint presentation templates and make your team efficient. Folks are enthralled by the explosion of colors in our Leadership Powerpoint Presentation Slides. It's iridescence increases interest. https://bit.ly/3x4FNNn
Servant leadership is a philosophy where leaders focus on serving their followers by putting their needs first and helping them develop and perform at their best potential rather than focusing on personal gain or power. A servant leader shares decision-making power, prioritizes the needs of others, helps people improve their skills, is willing to learn from others, and does not seek rewards or advancement for themselves. Real-life examples of servant leaders include Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Gandhi who fought for justice, peace, equality, and helping the poor and oppressed.
Brief conceptual highlighting, Key leadership skills, Major leadership competencies, Function and Importance of Leadership, Delivery of results and ten lessons
This document discusses the qualities and principles of effective military leadership. It defines leadership as influencing others to accomplish a mission through willing obedience and cooperation. Effective leadership balances both authoritative and persuasive styles. Key leadership qualities include bearing, courage, decisiveness, enthusiasm, and humility. The principles of leadership outlined are: know yourself and your subordinates, be technically and tactically proficient, take responsibility for your actions, make timely decisions, set a good example, look out for subordinates' well-being, keep subordinates informed, develop their sense of responsibility, ensure tasks are understood and accomplished, build the team, and employ the unit according to its capabilities.
This document discusses motivation in the workplace. It defines motivation and outlines several theories of motivation, including instinct, incentive, arousal, drive, and humanistic theories. It discusses why motivating both employees and managers is important for productivity, revenue, and satisfaction. It provides techniques for motivating managers, such as praise, respect, education, feedback, and incentives. For motivating employees, it suggests treating them as partners, keeping them informed, providing training and resources, and building trust. The conclusion emphasizes that small gestures and relationships with managers are often more motivating than material rewards.
Our leadership coaching is designed for effective leadership skills by providing leadership training. Join our online Effective leadership for developing leadership skills and coaching skills
Servant leadership is a philosophy that prioritizes serving others and helping them succeed. Servant leaders put others' needs and interests ahead of their own, help develop people's skills and autonomy, and empower followers. Key traits of servant leaders include listening, empathy, foresight, persuasion, conceptualization, awareness, commitment to followers' growth, and building community. Notable servant leaders who transformed organizations include Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Max De Pree.
The document discusses various perspectives on leadership and management. It begins by defining leadership as directing others' behavior towards accomplishing an objective. It then discusses different parts of leadership including vision, direction, and inspiring others. The document contrasts managers and leaders, noting managers focus on goals, structure and the short-term while leaders focus on vision, people and the long-term. Several leadership theories are summarized, including trait theories, behavioral theories, contingency theories and transformational leadership. The document also discusses different leadership styles and situational leadership models.
The document discusses the nature of leadership, leadership traits, skills, and styles. It defines leadership as the ability to persuade people to work towards a common goal. Key leadership traits include honesty, competence, being forward-looking, inspiring, intelligent, fair-minded, and courageous. Leadership skills include technical, human, and conceptual skills. Common leadership styles are autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire. The document also discusses power, sources of power including position and personal power, and influence tactics.
This is a power point presentation I made at the RV College of Engineering to pre-final year students. The Program is meant students as leaders for the corporate world.
An introductory presentation into Servant Based Leadership. Designed to help someone unfamiliar with the concept gain a basic understanding of the pillars and principles that this type of leadership is based upon.
This document discusses different theories of leadership, including trait theories, behavioral theories, and contingency theories. Trait theories focus on personality traits that differentiate leaders from non-leaders, but no universal traits have been identified. Behavioral theories propose that leadership can be taught and examine specific behaviors. Contingency theories emphasize that leadership effectiveness depends on matching a leader's style to the situation.
The document discusses several theories of leadership including:
1) Trait theories which examine personality characteristics and traits of leaders.
2) Situational theories which argue that effective leadership depends on characteristics of the leader, followers, and aspects of the situation.
3) Contingency theories which propose that the most effective leadership style depends on situational factors such as the task, the followers, and aspects of the organization.
The document discusses leadership theories and concepts. It provides an anecdote about Shelley Lazarus' mentorship under David Ogilvy which helped her advance her career. It then reviews various leadership theories such as trait theory, situational theory, transformational leadership, and discusses qualities of effective leaders like vision, passion for change, and being a teacher.
Definition of Leadership:
Leadership refers to the relation between an individual and a group around some common interest and behaving in a manner directed or determined by him. Leadership may be defined in terms of totality of functions performed by executives as individuals and as a group.
or
Leader is a person who leads his team in an Organization or business for better results in doing their task or job given
Robert Kiefner Greenleaf introduced the concept of servant leadership in 1970. He defined the servant leader as one who serves others first to help them develop and perform at their best. Some key attributes of servant leadership include listening, empathy, foresight, and commitment to enhancing others' personal growth. While critiqued as potentially ineffective for business goals, servant leadership focuses on ethical and sustainable leadership through service, community-building, and empowering others. Greenleaf established the Center for Applied Ethics to promote servant leadership principles.
Leadership is defined as influencing others to work enthusiastically for common good. Effective leaders mobilize others to achieve extraordinary goals, transform values into actions, and create climates where people succeed. They engage in five practices: modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging processes, enabling others to act, and encouraging hearts. Leaders build credibility and trust by aligning actions with values, keeping promises, and recognizing contributions which optimizes employee engagement and business outcomes.
This document provides an overview of leadership perspectives and concepts from the notes of Dr. Rijal. It introduces leadership and defines it as influencing people to accomplish goals or missions. It outlines four perspectives on leadership: structural functionalist, political-conflict, constructivist, and critical humanist. It also discusses issues like whether leaders are born or made and the role of leadership in transforming organizations. The document provides definitions of leadership, influencing people, setting purpose and direction, and motivating followers. It contrasts managers with leaders and outlines elements of self-leadership.
This document discusses servant leadership, including its definition as leadership that prioritizes serving others. It outlines Robert Greenleaf's founding of the modern servant leadership theory and 10 characteristics of servant leaders like listening, empathy, and community building. The document argues servant leadership is relevant today and provides examples of industries, famous leaders, and companies that practice it. It describes how servant leadership could benefit health information management departments by empowering employees.
Lead Humbly: The Path of Servant Leadership Lindy Ryan
This presentation was created for and delivered to attendees of the 6th Annual University of Colorado CUGold Leadership Conference.
http://umc.colorado.edu/studentlife/cugold/leadershipconf
Servant leadership is defined as prioritizing the needs of followers by making sure their highest priorities are met. There are 10 characteristics of servant leaders including listening, empathy, awareness, and conceptualization. A model of servant leadership includes antecedent conditions like culture and leader attributes, servant leader behaviors like putting followers first and empowering them, and outcomes like increased follower performance and organizational performance. While servant leadership has strengths like emphasizing altruism, it also has weaknesses such as not working in environments where followers do not want guidance or empowerment.
Wish to implement leadership strategies that influence, engage and encourage excellence performance in the organization? SlideTeam has come up with content ready leadership PowerPoint presentation slides to portray the management abilities of the workforce. These team management PPT templates include slides like leadership introduction, leadership vs. management, control styles and theories, participating captaincy process, strategic management, business theory, adaptive performance, group cohesion, communication patterns and many more. Apart from this, if you want customized designs for your presentation, our design team is at your service. Our predesigned leader-member exchange theory presentation can be used for the topics like leadership skills and training, qualities of leadership, leadership in management, leadership strategies & practices, productive guidance etc. Click and download our leadership PowerPoint presentation templates and make your team efficient. Folks are enthralled by the explosion of colors in our Leadership Powerpoint Presentation Slides. It's iridescence increases interest. https://bit.ly/3x4FNNn
Servant leadership is a philosophy where leaders focus on serving their followers by putting their needs first and helping them develop and perform at their best potential rather than focusing on personal gain or power. A servant leader shares decision-making power, prioritizes the needs of others, helps people improve their skills, is willing to learn from others, and does not seek rewards or advancement for themselves. Real-life examples of servant leaders include Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Gandhi who fought for justice, peace, equality, and helping the poor and oppressed.
Brief conceptual highlighting, Key leadership skills, Major leadership competencies, Function and Importance of Leadership, Delivery of results and ten lessons
This document discusses the qualities and principles of effective military leadership. It defines leadership as influencing others to accomplish a mission through willing obedience and cooperation. Effective leadership balances both authoritative and persuasive styles. Key leadership qualities include bearing, courage, decisiveness, enthusiasm, and humility. The principles of leadership outlined are: know yourself and your subordinates, be technically and tactically proficient, take responsibility for your actions, make timely decisions, set a good example, look out for subordinates' well-being, keep subordinates informed, develop their sense of responsibility, ensure tasks are understood and accomplished, build the team, and employ the unit according to its capabilities.
This document discusses motivation in the workplace. It defines motivation and outlines several theories of motivation, including instinct, incentive, arousal, drive, and humanistic theories. It discusses why motivating both employees and managers is important for productivity, revenue, and satisfaction. It provides techniques for motivating managers, such as praise, respect, education, feedback, and incentives. For motivating employees, it suggests treating them as partners, keeping them informed, providing training and resources, and building trust. The conclusion emphasizes that small gestures and relationships with managers are often more motivating than material rewards.
Our leadership coaching is designed for effective leadership skills by providing leadership training. Join our online Effective leadership for developing leadership skills and coaching skills
Servant leadership is a philosophy that prioritizes serving others and helping them succeed. Servant leaders put others' needs and interests ahead of their own, help develop people's skills and autonomy, and empower followers. Key traits of servant leaders include listening, empathy, foresight, persuasion, conceptualization, awareness, commitment to followers' growth, and building community. Notable servant leaders who transformed organizations include Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Max De Pree.
The document discusses various perspectives on leadership and management. It begins by defining leadership as directing others' behavior towards accomplishing an objective. It then discusses different parts of leadership including vision, direction, and inspiring others. The document contrasts managers and leaders, noting managers focus on goals, structure and the short-term while leaders focus on vision, people and the long-term. Several leadership theories are summarized, including trait theories, behavioral theories, contingency theories and transformational leadership. The document also discusses different leadership styles and situational leadership models.
The document discusses the nature of leadership, leadership traits, skills, and styles. It defines leadership as the ability to persuade people to work towards a common goal. Key leadership traits include honesty, competence, being forward-looking, inspiring, intelligent, fair-minded, and courageous. Leadership skills include technical, human, and conceptual skills. Common leadership styles are autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire. The document also discusses power, sources of power including position and personal power, and influence tactics.
This is a power point presentation I made at the RV College of Engineering to pre-final year students. The Program is meant students as leaders for the corporate world.
An introductory presentation into Servant Based Leadership. Designed to help someone unfamiliar with the concept gain a basic understanding of the pillars and principles that this type of leadership is based upon.
This document discusses different theories of leadership, including trait theories, behavioral theories, and contingency theories. Trait theories focus on personality traits that differentiate leaders from non-leaders, but no universal traits have been identified. Behavioral theories propose that leadership can be taught and examine specific behaviors. Contingency theories emphasize that leadership effectiveness depends on matching a leader's style to the situation.
The document discusses several theories of leadership including:
1) Trait theories which examine personality characteristics and traits of leaders.
2) Situational theories which argue that effective leadership depends on characteristics of the leader, followers, and aspects of the situation.
3) Contingency theories which propose that the most effective leadership style depends on situational factors such as the task, the followers, and aspects of the organization.
The document discusses leadership theories and concepts. It provides an anecdote about Shelley Lazarus' mentorship under David Ogilvy which helped her advance her career. It then reviews various leadership theories such as trait theory, situational theory, transformational leadership, and discusses qualities of effective leaders like vision, passion for change, and being a teacher.
Definition of Leadership:
Leadership refers to the relation between an individual and a group around some common interest and behaving in a manner directed or determined by him. Leadership may be defined in terms of totality of functions performed by executives as individuals and as a group.
or
Leader is a person who leads his team in an Organization or business for better results in doing their task or job given
Robert Kiefner Greenleaf introduced the concept of servant leadership in 1970. He defined the servant leader as one who serves others first to help them develop and perform at their best. Some key attributes of servant leadership include listening, empathy, foresight, and commitment to enhancing others' personal growth. While critiqued as potentially ineffective for business goals, servant leadership focuses on ethical and sustainable leadership through service, community-building, and empowering others. Greenleaf established the Center for Applied Ethics to promote servant leadership principles.
Leadership is defined as influencing others to work enthusiastically for common good. Effective leaders mobilize others to achieve extraordinary goals, transform values into actions, and create climates where people succeed. They engage in five practices: modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging processes, enabling others to act, and encouraging hearts. Leaders build credibility and trust by aligning actions with values, keeping promises, and recognizing contributions which optimizes employee engagement and business outcomes.
This document provides an overview of leadership perspectives and concepts from the notes of Dr. Rijal. It introduces leadership and defines it as influencing people to accomplish goals or missions. It outlines four perspectives on leadership: structural functionalist, political-conflict, constructivist, and critical humanist. It also discusses issues like whether leaders are born or made and the role of leadership in transforming organizations. The document provides definitions of leadership, influencing people, setting purpose and direction, and motivating followers. It contrasts managers with leaders and outlines elements of self-leadership.
This document discusses servant leadership, including its definition as leadership that prioritizes serving others. It outlines Robert Greenleaf's founding of the modern servant leadership theory and 10 characteristics of servant leaders like listening, empathy, and community building. The document argues servant leadership is relevant today and provides examples of industries, famous leaders, and companies that practice it. It describes how servant leadership could benefit health information management departments by empowering employees.
Servant leadership was coined by Robert Greenleaf in 1977 and expanded on by Spears in 1995. It focuses on serving others and prioritizing employees' needs. The core concept is that leaders should serve others rather than focusing on power or status. Servant leaders demonstrate 10 key characteristics including listening, empathy, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, and commitment to employee growth and community building. Advantages include strong leader-follower relationships, organizational effectiveness, and positively influencing society. Disadvantages include the difficulty of fulfilling all 10 characteristics and the time needed to fully implement servant leadership.
le style de leadership et la motivation de personnel que ce soit monétaire ou non monétaire ;sont considérés comme facteur d'influence sur le climat de travail
Importance of Human Resource Management in 21st Century12inch
Human beings are the most important resource of an organization. These are the people who plan all the activities and then they carry on all the activities. And managing human beings is the toughest duty of the manager as no two persons are alike. Every individual has separate values, aspirations, motivations, assumptions, goals, etc. Today we are discuses about Importance of human resource management in 21st century
The document discusses the importance of human resource management (HRM) and its evolution in Pakistan. Until 2000, HRM in Pakistan primarily took a traditional approach of personnel management and dealing with trade unions. After 2000, HRM shifted to focus on maintaining HR policy and procedure manuals that outline job descriptions, candidate specifications, workforce demand, and HR planning. However, HRM is still inadequately practiced in Pakistan due to a lack of commitment from management, a belief that formal HRM is not needed, non-compliance with labor laws, and HRM practitioners' inability to prove its long-term benefits and implement credible systems.
The document discusses the concept of servant leadership as coined by Robert Greenleaf in the 20th century. Greenleaf was skeptical of traditional authoritarian leadership styles and instead promoted a style where the leader focuses on serving their followers' needs. The key aspects of servant leadership discussed are that the leader prioritizes the needs of others over their own interests, helps others grow, and empowers followers in decision making. Examples are given of companies that successfully employ servant leadership principles like Southwest Airlines and Johnson & Johnson.
This document discusses leadership traits, personality, attitudes, ethics, and moral development. It covers several theories on traits of effective leaders, the Big Five personality model, achievement motivation theory, and how attitudes can influence leadership styles. It also explores the three levels of moral development and approaches to ethical leadership, including considering stakeholders and justifying decisions in an ethical manner. The key aspects covered are traits and personality in leadership, theories on motivation and attitudes, and developing ethical leadership skills.
Human resource management involves recruiting the right employees, training and developing their skills, evaluating their performance, and ensuring fair compensation and workplace practices. It aims to maximize employees' talents while meeting business needs. Key aspects of HRM include recruitment and selection, training, performance appraisal, management of trade unions, and employee development. HRM is important as it helps organizations operate cost-effectively, satisfies and retains employees, controls budgets, improves work life quality, and ensures legal compliance with discrimination, safety, and labor laws.
The document discusses the roles and responsibilities of Christian leadership. It defines Christian leadership as shepherd leadership that serves others humbly through relationships and stewardship. Effective Christian leaders build teams, resolve conflicts, delegate tasks, ensure accountability, and develop followers' abilities. Christian leaders are held to high moral and ethical standards that represent Christ and adhere to biblical qualifications for leadership.
The document discusses leadership traits and the Five Factor Model of personality. It describes how early theories thought leaders were fundamentally different than followers, but studies found leaders and followers share many characteristics. Certain traits like intelligence, stress tolerance, and dominance can improve leadership success, but do not guarantee it. The Five Factor Model identifies five broad personality dimensions: Surgency (dominance, sociability), Agreeableness (empathy, friendliness), Dependability (organization, credibility), Adjustment (steadiness, self-acceptance), and Intellectance (openness to experience). The document also discusses "dark-side" personality traits like argumentativeness, narcissism, and impulsivity that can negatively impact leadership.
Learn what transformational leadership is, the qualities of a transformational leader, how they transform themselves, others, organizations, the world! Discover the impact that your being a transformational leader can have on bringing about a change in the world that we need to see that is in the best interest of everyone, a moral change.
Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Sanjay Mishra
This document discusses business ethics and social responsibility. It provides definitions of business ethics as examining ethical principles and problems that arise in business. It discusses major branches of ethics including meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. It also lists some common ethical issues in business such as employee and customer relations. The document emphasizes the importance of business ethics and provides Gandhi's perspective of treating business as a form of service and running it honestly.
The document is a short eBook about leadership titled "The Second Little Book of Leadership". It contains short passages and quotes on various aspects of leadership. In under 3 sentences:
The eBook contains advice and insights on leadership from various sources, discussing topics such as what leaders do (create meaning), how leadership is learned through emulation, the importance of actions aligning with words, getting people engaged in their work, moving from a focus on oneself to the team, and creating more new leaders rather than just followers. The passages provide different perspectives on effective leadership strategies and behaviors.
This document discusses the concept of servant leadership. It begins by defining servant leadership as a philosophy that involves sharing power and putting others' needs first. It then provides background on servant leadership, tracing it back to ancient Chinese and Christian texts. The term "servant leadership" was coined by Robert Greenleaf in 1970. Greenleaf described the servant-first attitude of prioritizing others' highest priority needs. The document outlines 10 key characteristics of servant leaders, provides examples of famous servant leaders like Gandhi and MLK Jr, and describes how to practice servant leadership through self-awareness, listening, empowering others, and foresight.
Definition Of People Oriented Leadership EssayAshley Fisher
This document discusses and compares the leadership styles of two famous college basketball coaches: Bobby Knight and Mike Krzyzewski. While both were very successful coaches who won national championships, their styles differed greatly. Knight was known for his outrageous and unacceptable behavior towards players and fans, while Krzyzewski mentored his players and led with integrity. The document examines how their differing approaches to leadership impacted their coaching careers over time. It suggests Krzyzewski's integrity-based leadership built more confidence from his team compared to Knight's volatile style.
Discussion Board Forum RepliesIn ModulesWeeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 y.docxowenhall46084
Discussion Board Forum Replies:
In Modules/Weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 you will be required to post a substantive reply of at least 250 words each to a minimum of 3 classmates’ threads. Expect to enter on-going dialogues with your classmates and be prepared to answer questions about your own selected topics. Student interaction on the Discussion Board is the key to success in this course.
·
You must use at least 1 peer-reviewed reference (not used in the original posting) in your response.
·
Use 3
rd
person.
·
Do not simply revisit what was discussed in the thread.
·
Only the substantive part of the response will be counted toward the word count.
Submit your replies by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of the assigned module/week.
Submit your replies for Discussion Board Forum 4 by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on
Friday
of Module/Week 8.
2 days ago
Scott Buber
Robert Greenleaf
Collapse
Top of Form
Forum 2 (Modules 3-4)
Key Term: Robert Greenleaf (Servant Leadership)
Definition
“Greenleaf, was CEO of AT&T [over 30] years ago, lecturer and teacher at Harvard and MIT, and author of
Servant Leadership
” (Gebhart, 1995)
Summary
Robert Greenleaf is best thought of as a revolutionary thinker in terms of how to lead others in both business and the community. “The emphasis in servant leadership theory is on leaders whose primary aim is to serve their followers while developing employees to their fullest potential in different areas such as task effectiveness, community stewardship, self-motivation, and also the development of their leadership capabilities.” (Dierendonck & Patterson, 2015, p. 119)
In today’s workplace, Greenleaf is often quoted and the inspiration for leading people in a way that brings about positive results. Greenleaf’s theory was relatively unproved until years later by a few scholars. These scholars conducted several studies to determine the true results of the relationship of servant-leaders and their direct reports in the workplace.
Discussion
In 1977, Greenleaf published a theory about how extraordinary leaders develop the desire to serve others before themselves. This trait in and of itself is what is called Servant Leadership. Servant-leaders do all that they can to provide the highest need of those they are leading before fulfilling their own needs. This theory of leadership is not a short-term solution for problems in the company. Servant leadership has been described “as including an altruistic calling, which is the motivation of leaders to put others’ needs and interests ahead of their own, and organizational stewardship, which is orienting others toward benefiting and serving the community.” (Dierendonck & Patterson, 2015, p. 119) Greenleaf has stressed the need to genuinely show concern for other people, businesses and communities altogether.
There is a “deep connection between servant leadership and compassionate love with the outgrowths of humility, gratitude, forgiveness and .
Relevance Of Personality And PsychopathyCarmen Martin
This document discusses leadership styles and organizational culture. It begins by defining leadership and describing Blake and Mouton's managerial grid model, which identifies five leadership styles based on concern for production and people. It then analyzes the leadership styles of Coach Krzyzewski and Coach Knight, concluding that Krzyzewski exemplifies team management while Knight alternates between country club management and authority-compliance. The document also examines organizational culture and the impact of different leadership approaches.
Theories Of Leadership And Leadership TheoriesKrystal Green
The document discusses and compares three popular leadership theories: situational leadership, trait theory, and transformational leadership. Situational leadership, developed by Hersey and Blanchard, focuses on altering leadership style based on the situation and development level of subordinates. Trait theory examines the characteristics and personality traits effective leaders possess. Transformational leadership centers on inspiring and motivating followers through empowerment and satisfaction.
Essay on Management and Leadership
Collaborative Leadership Essays
A Leadership Journey
Motivation and Leadership Essay
Essay on Leadership in Organizations
Essay on Effective Team Leadership
Management And Leadership Essay example
Leadership Development Plan Essay
What is Leadership? Essay
Definition Essay Leadership
Business Leadership Essay
Essay about Leadership in Early Childhood
Essay on Leadership
Essay on The Leadership Challenge
The Study is titled ―Leadership Styles: A Case Study of Syria‖. The main objectives of the research work are to identify and then analyze the political leadership style in Syria, to generate a profile of past, current and emerging leaders of Syria, to study the reasons that led to the uprising in Syria and to assess the future consequences of the decisions taken by the Political Leadership. The study will be descriptive in nature. Keeping in mind the objectives of the study, appropriate data will be collected from people and organizations from both, official and non-official, taking a look at the current and emerging leadership Styles in Syria. Survey for the political, security and economic situation will be carried. Both primary and secondary sources of data will be used for present research. For analysis and conclusion of the results of the survey, appropriate statistical tools and analysis will be done
This document discusses various aspects of leadership philosophy and models. It begins by outlining qualities of effective leaders such as having high standards, being supportive, inquisitive, involved, honest, and having integrity. It then discusses the roles and responsibilities of leaders, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness, values, trust, and being a lifelong learner. The document also examines narcissistic leadership and contrasts it with effective leadership. It analyzes several models of leadership, including trait, behavioral, contingency, and transformational approaches.
This document discusses leadership styles and interpersonal trust in organizational settings. It aims to study different leadership styles using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and understand their relationship with interpersonal trust among employees, as measured by an Interpersonal Trust Scale. Specifically, it seeks to understand how leadership style impacts employee trust and how choosing the right style for a given situation can increase trust within an organization.
3In the previous chapter, we reviewed how theorists’ view .docxtamicawaysmith
This document summarizes a chapter on relational leadership. It discusses how leadership is understood as a complex process involving relationships. A relational leadership model is presented that focuses on five key components: being purposeful, inclusive, empowering, ethical, and process-oriented. The chapter emphasizes that leadership is a collaborative process where developing a shared vision and purpose among members is important. It also discusses how the knowing-being-doing framework relates to leadership development.
A Leadership Journey
Motivation and Leadership Essay
Leadership Is A Personal Journey Essay
Leadership Traits Essay example
What I Have Learned of Leadership
What is Leadership? Essay
Leadership Role and Style: Personal Narrative
Leadership Experience Essay examples
Examples Of Executive Leadership
Essay on Leadership and Communication Skills
Personal Philosophy of Leadership Essay
Effective Leadership Essay
Essay about Women in Leadership Roles
Definition Essay Leadership
Essay on Management and Leadership
What Leadership Means to Me Essay
Personal Leadership Statement Essay
Management And Leadership Essay example
Examples Of Leadership Statement
Sample Of Leadership Philosophy
Robert Greenleaf developed the theory of servant leadership after a long career at AT&T. Servant leadership positions serving others as the primary function of leadership. Greenleaf argued that successful leaders are driven first by a desire to serve rather than by a desire for power or material wealth. He believed that when institutions view their primary function as serving customers and employees, they build a better society. The Greenleaf Center was established to promote servant leadership principles in organizations.
The functions of leadership in administrative institutionsinventionjournals
John Adair (1964), one of the leading functionalists on leadership, urgues that if leaders are needed beforehand then we cannot wait for the situation to produce the leader. He holds that groups, like individuals, have certain common needs which must be satisfied. Leadership is then defined as the function for the gratification of the group needs. Three categories of needs have been identifies as: a. task needs; b. team maintenance needs and c. individual needs. These categories of needs overlap and influence one another in the group situations, For instance, failure of the group task affects the feeling of solidarity and decrease the individual happiness; whereas success in the group enhances group pride and individual; happiness. The functions of leaders are to promote the solidarity of the group, to achieve the needs of the group, and satisfy individual needs.Several factors may influence practice of leadership functions in so far as delegation of authority is concerned, for instance, the personality of the leader himself; the knowledge, skill and experience of his subordinates, and the situation of the tasks are all central in the behavioural theory of leadership.
research paperrequirement.docx1. Proposal 150 words – a p.docxronak56
research paper/requirement.docx
1. Proposal : 150 words – a page
………………..
2. Research paper
I want you to write a paper on a leadership concept/theory that we will discuss throughout this course. This paper should be in the form of a literature review. For example, you may decide to write a paper on the effectiveness of transformational leadership in the healthcare setting. Or another example is a paper on the determinants of job satisfaction among millennials. Of course, you may not use either of the examples as your paper topic, but be creative in coming up with a paper topic for your research paper. It should be something that is timely and interesting to read. It should also be something that you are able to find literature on, particularly academic literature. I want to see at least 15 different sources (peer reviewed scholarly articles (10), magazine articles, newspaper columns, books, stories, etc (5)). This paper should be no more than 15 pages (no less than 10 pages) and should be double-spaced, using 12 pt Times New Roman font and 1 inch margins on all sides.
Here is a sample of what the paper should look like:
1. Introduction – Brief explanation of the concept/theory and the purpose of the paper.
2. Literature review – Discussion of what other researchers have found regarding your paper topic.
3. Conclusion – What you learned from conducting research on this concept/theory.
………………
3. Power Point
Students are expected to prepare a formal digital presentation with no more than 5 slides (cover slide, introduction and purpose of study, literature review – 2 slides, conclusion).
research paper/SL.docx
Servant Leadership in Ppractical Iindustries and Ccultural Pperspectives: Literature Review
I. Introduction
The important role of leadership is considering as a keyword to create success in the organization. The function of leadership is as vital as the role of management and they support together to increase the effectiveness of the organization, especially in fluctuation of the economic era in recently. Servant leadership is one leadership style based on ethical, pro-social or people-centered behaviors (van Dierendonck, 2011; Chiniara & Bentein, 2015). According to Spears, there are four elements of insights on leadership, which are service, stewardship, spirit, and servant-leadership (1998). TIn this literature review focuses on servant-leadership as it is a core factor to create leadership and affects other factors in the practice nowadays.
Moreover, servant-leadership is an interesting topic to investigating a variety of parts of society. However, the link between servant-leadership and other factors is limited and how servant leadership appears in practice in different countries is questionable. According to Liden et al. agreed that majority of studies about servant leadership are limited to gain across different types of organizations and cultures (2008).
The objective of the literature review indicates there is a re ...
This document discusses the traits of a great leader through an essay. It begins by stating that certain leaders stand out in our memories for traits like charisma and inspiration. It then explains that a great leader has empathy - they strive to understand others on a deeper level and gain knowledge of situations by hearing from all parties involved before making decisions. Great leaders also have vision and can inspire others through compelling visions of the future. They are role models who lead by example through integrity, work ethic and treating others with respect.
The document discusses the LEADERS model, which provides a framework for defining core leadership principles and attributes. The model is based on a mnemonic with the following components: Lead by example, Earn and extend trust, Adopt a bias for action and proactivity, Demonstrate core values, Engage the four E's of involvement, Respect the three C's of communication, culture and change, and Succeed by planning and prioritizing. Each component is then explored in detail with references to additional leadership models and theories.
The document discusses various leadership theories including trait theory, behavioral theory, contingency theory, and contemporary theories like transformational leadership. It notes that effective managers do not rely on one single leadership style, but rather adapt their approach depending on the situation and challenges faced. Overall, the theories aim to help organizations increase productivity by providing frameworks for different leadership approaches.
1
Introduction
Leadership is a highly sought-after and highly valued commodity. In the 1 5 years since the first edition of this book was published, the
public has become increasingly captivated by the idea of leadership.
People continue to ask themselves and others what makes good leaders. As
individuals, they seek more information on how to become effective
leaders. As a result, bookstore shelves are filled with popular books about
leaders and ad,·ice on how to be a leader. Many people belie,·e that
leadership is a way to improve their personal, social, and professional lives.
Corporations seek those with leadership ability because they believe they
bring special assets to their organizations and, ultimately, improve the
bottom line. Academic institutions throughout the country have responded
by providing programs in leadership studies.
In addition, leadership has gained the attention of researche rs worldwide.
A review ofthe scholarly studies on leadership shows that there is a wide variety
of different theoretical approaches to explain the complexities of the leader
ship process (e.g., Bass, 1990; Bryman, 1992; Bl)'Tllan, Collinson, Grint, Jack
son & Uhl-Bien, 201 I ; Day & Antonakis, 2012; Gardner, 1990; Hickman.
2009; Mumford, 2006; Rost, 1991 ). Some researchers conceptualize leader
ship as a trait or as a behavior, whereas others view leadership from an infor
mation-processing perspective or relational standpoinl Leadership has been
studied using both qualitative and quantitative methods in many contexts,
including small groups, therapeutic groups, and large organizations. Collec
ti,·ely, the research findings on leadership from all of these areas provide a
picture ofa process that is far more sophisticated and complex than the often
simplistic view presented in some of the popular books on leadership.
This book treats leadership as a complex process having multiple
dimensions. Based on the research literature, this text provides an in-depth
I Cl) 1.1 FmPrninn Pr;>rtirP< I 'GEt 1 ? I ,:~;art~r<hin in Nurdnn
2 LEADERSHIP I TH EO RY AND PRACTICE
description and application of many different approaches to leadership.
Our emphasis is on how theory can inform the practice of leadership. In
this book, we describe each theory and then explain how the theory can be
used in real situations.
LEADERSHIP DEFINED
There are many ways to finish the sentence, "Leadership is...." In fact, as
Stogdill ( 1974, p. 7) pointed o ut in a review of leadership research, there
are almost as many different definitions of leadership as there are people
who have tried to define it. It is much like the words democracy, love, and
peace. Although each of us intuitively knows what we mean by such words,
the words can have different meanings for different people. As Box 1.1
shows, scholars and practitioners have attempted to define leadership for
more than a century without universal consensus.
Box 1.1 The Evolut ...
1 Introduction Leadership is a highly sought-after aAbbyWhyte974
This document provides an introduction and overview of leadership. It begins by noting the widespread public interest in leadership and discusses how leadership has been conceptualized and defined over time. Key points include:
- Leadership is a complex social process that involves influence over a group working towards common goals. It is not a trait but a transactional process.
- There are nearly as many definitions of leadership as people who have tried to define it. Definitions have evolved over the last century from a focus on traits to emphasizing influence, transformation, and relationships.
- Leadership can be viewed from different perspectives such as traits, behaviors, relationships, or skills. The document provides a definition that emphasizes leadership as an influence process involving a
Top 10 Free Accounting and Bookkeeping Apps for Small BusinessesYourLegal Accounting
Maintaining a proper record of your money is important for any business whether it is small or large. It helps you stay one step ahead in the financial race and be aware of your earnings and any tax obligations.
However, managing finances without an entire accounting staff can be challenging for small businesses.
Accounting apps can help with that! They resemble your private money manager.
They organize all of your transactions automatically as soon as you link them to your corporate bank account. Additionally, they are compatible with your phone, allowing you to monitor your finances from anywhere. Cool, right?
Thus, we’ll be looking at several fantastic accounting apps in this blog that will help you develop your business and save time.
Starting a business is like embarking on an unpredictable adventure. It’s a journey filled with highs and lows, victories and defeats. But what if I told you that those setbacks and failures could be the very stepping stones that lead you to fortune? Let’s explore how resilience, adaptability, and strategic thinking can transform adversity into opportunity.
Call8328958814 satta matka Kalyan result satta guessing➑➌➋➑➒➎➑➑➊➍
Satta Matka Kalyan Main Mumbai Fastest Results
Satta Matka ❋ Sattamatka ❋ New Mumbai Ratan Satta Matka ❋ Fast Matka ❋ Milan Market ❋ Kalyan Matka Results ❋ Satta Game ❋ Matka Game ❋ Satta Matka ❋ Kalyan Satta Matka ❋ Mumbai Main ❋ Online Matka Results ❋ Satta Matka Tips ❋ Milan Chart ❋ Satta Matka Boss❋ New Star Day ❋ Satta King ❋ Live Satta Matka Results ❋ Satta Matka Company ❋ Indian Matka ❋ Satta Matka 143❋ Kalyan Night Matka..
Digital Marketing with a Focus on Sustainabilitysssourabhsharma
Digital Marketing best practices including influencer marketing, content creators, and omnichannel marketing for Sustainable Brands at the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit 2024 in New York
Anny Serafina Love - Letter of Recommendation by Kellen Harkins, MS.AnnySerafinaLove
This letter, written by Kellen Harkins, Course Director at Full Sail University, commends Anny Love's exemplary performance in the Video Sharing Platforms class. It highlights her dedication, willingness to challenge herself, and exceptional skills in production, editing, and marketing across various video platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
Profiles of Iconic Fashion Personalities.pdfTTop Threads
The fashion industry is dynamic and ever-changing, continuously sculpted by trailblazing visionaries who challenge norms and redefine beauty. This document delves into the profiles of some of the most iconic fashion personalities whose impact has left a lasting impression on the industry. From timeless designers to modern-day influencers, each individual has uniquely woven their thread into the rich fabric of fashion history, contributing to its ongoing evolution.
Discover timeless style with the 2022 Vintage Roman Numerals Men's Ring. Crafted from premium stainless steel, this 6mm wide ring embodies elegance and durability. Perfect as a gift, it seamlessly blends classic Roman numeral detailing with modern sophistication, making it an ideal accessory for any occasion.
https://rb.gy/usj1a2
Industrial Tech SW: Category Renewal and CreationChristian Dahlen
Every industrial revolution has created a new set of categories and a new set of players.
Multiple new technologies have emerged, but Samsara and C3.ai are only two companies which have gone public so far.
Manufacturing startups constitute the largest pipeline share of unicorns and IPO candidates in the SF Bay Area, and software startups dominate in Germany.
Storytelling is an incredibly valuable tool to share data and information. To get the most impact from stories there are a number of key ingredients. These are based on science and human nature. Using these elements in a story you can deliver information impactfully, ensure action and drive change.
The Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs to Follow in 2024.pdfthesiliconleaders
In a world where the potential of youth innovation remains vastly untouched, there emerges a guiding light in the form of Norm Goldstein, the Founder and CEO of EduNetwork Partners. His dedication to this cause has earned him recognition as a Congressional Leadership Award recipient.
NIMA2024 | De toegevoegde waarde van DEI en ESG in campagnes | Nathalie Lam |...BBPMedia1
Nathalie zal delen hoe DEI en ESG een fundamentele rol kunnen spelen in je merkstrategie en je de juiste aansluiting kan creëren met je doelgroep. Door middel van voorbeelden en simpele handvatten toont ze hoe dit in jouw organisatie toegepast kan worden.
[To download this presentation, visit:
https://www.oeconsulting.com.sg/training-presentations]
This presentation is a curated compilation of PowerPoint diagrams and templates designed to illustrate 20 different digital transformation frameworks and models. These frameworks are based on recent industry trends and best practices, ensuring that the content remains relevant and up-to-date.
Key highlights include Microsoft's Digital Transformation Framework, which focuses on driving innovation and efficiency, and McKinsey's Ten Guiding Principles, which provide strategic insights for successful digital transformation. Additionally, Forrester's framework emphasizes enhancing customer experiences and modernizing IT infrastructure, while IDC's MaturityScape helps assess and develop organizational digital maturity. MIT's framework explores cutting-edge strategies for achieving digital success.
These materials are perfect for enhancing your business or classroom presentations, offering visual aids to supplement your insights. Please note that while comprehensive, these slides are intended as supplementary resources and may not be complete for standalone instructional purposes.
Frameworks/Models included:
Microsoft’s Digital Transformation Framework
McKinsey’s Ten Guiding Principles of Digital Transformation
Forrester’s Digital Transformation Framework
IDC’s Digital Transformation MaturityScape
MIT’s Digital Transformation Framework
Gartner’s Digital Transformation Framework
Accenture’s Digital Strategy & Enterprise Frameworks
Deloitte’s Digital Industrial Transformation Framework
Capgemini’s Digital Transformation Framework
PwC’s Digital Transformation Framework
Cisco’s Digital Transformation Framework
Cognizant’s Digital Transformation Framework
DXC Technology’s Digital Transformation Framework
The BCG Strategy Palette
McKinsey’s Digital Transformation Framework
Digital Transformation Compass
Four Levels of Digital Maturity
Design Thinking Framework
Business Model Canvas
Customer Journey Map
Zodiac Signs and Food Preferences_ What Your Sign Says About Your Tastemy Pandit
Know what your zodiac sign says about your taste in food! Explore how the 12 zodiac signs influence your culinary preferences with insights from MyPandit. Dive into astrology and flavors!
Zodiac Signs and Food Preferences_ What Your Sign Says About Your Taste
Greenleaf Servant Leadership
1. Smith 1
Servant leadership:
the leadership theory of
robert K. greenleaf
Carol Smith
Info 640 – mgmt. of info. Orgs.
Submitted december 4, 2005
2. Smith 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT 3
AUTHOR KEYWORDS: 3
SERVANT LEADERSHIP THEORY 3
Defining Servant-Leadership 3
Servant-Leadership Attributes 5
Role of Values in Servant-Leadership 6
Theory Criticism 7
Theory Support 8
Theory Comparisons 9
ROBERT K. GREENLEAF 10
Roots of Servant-Leadership – A Brief Biography 10
Publication of The Servant as Leader 11
Other Publications 11
THEORY APPLICATION 12
Scenario 13
Enter the Aspiring Servant-Leader 13
CONCLUSION 15
BIBLIOGRAPHY 16
Cover image credit:
The Greenleaf Centre for Servant-Leadership UK (2005). Retrieved November 12, 2005
from http://www.greenleaf.org.uk/whatissl.html
3. Smith 3
ABSTRACT
Servant-leadership, first proposed by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970, is a
theoretical framework that advocates a leader’s primary motivation and role
as service to others. This paper defines and explores the central tenets of
servant-leadership theory, and reviews the attributes and values displayed in
exemplary servant-leaders. Academic criticism and support of the theory is
reviewed, and servant-leadership is evaluated in terms of transformational
leadership, a related framework. Robert K. Greenleaf’s life and publications
are also reviewed. The paper concludes with a fictional application of
servant-leadership within an information organization. Servant-leadership is
found to be a theory well suited for the information services arena, but one
which still requires formalization, substantiation, and further research.
AUTHOR KEYWORDS:
Leadership theories; Servant-leadership; Greenleaf, Robert K. (1904-1990).
SERVANT LEADERSHIP THEORY
“…The great leader is seen as servant first…” – Robert K. Greenleaf
This short quotation, a fragment of a sentence from an essay written in 1970, captures the
essence of servant-leadership theory. A simple, yet profound and powerful concept, it has
spawned countless journal articles, books and multimedia productions in the 35 years since
its introduction. From humble roots, servant-leadership has gained increasing interest in
recent decades, and is now extensively applied in the workplace, demonstrating its potential
as a practical, as well as theoretical approach to organizational management.
Defining Servant-Leadership
The very notion of a servant as leader, or “servant-leadership” as it has come to be known, is
purposefully oxymoronic and arresting in nature. The theory’s originator, Robert K.
Greenleaf, intentionally sought a descriptor that would give people pause for thought, and
challenge any long-standing assumptions that might be held about the relationship between
leaders and followers in an organization. By combining two seemingly contradictory terms,
Greenleaf asks us to reconsider the very nature of leadership. Although aware of the
negative historical connotations associated with the word ‘servant’, he felt it a necessary
choice to turn established conceptions about the organizational pyramid on their head, and
jump-start insight into a new view of leadership. This concern for linguistic impact is further
evidenced by the Greenleaf’s titling of his seminal essay as “The Servant as Leader”, and not
the inverse, “The Leader as Servant’.
4. Smith 4
Larry Spears, Executive Director of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership,
succinctly defines servant-leadership as:
…A new kind of leadership model – a model which puts serving others as the
number one priority. Servant-leadership emphasizes increased service to others; a
holistic approach to work; promoting a sense of community; and the sharing of
power in decision-making (1996, p. 33).
Each of these central tenets is explored individually below, to present a fuller picture of the
servant-leadership framework.
1. Service to Others. Servant-leadership begins when a leader assumes the position
of servant in their interactions with followers. Authentic, legitimate leadership arises
not from the exercise of power or self-interested actions, but from a fundamental
desire to first help others. Greenleaf wrote that this “simple fact is the key to [a
leader’s] greatness” (1970, p. 2). A servant-leader’s primary motivation and purpose
is to encourage greatness in others, while organizational success is the indirect,
derived outcome of servant-leadership.
2. Holistic Approach to Work. Servant-leadership holds that “The work exists for
the person as much as the person exists for the work” (Greenleaf, 1996, p. 8). It
challenges organizations to rethink the relationships that exist between people,
organizations and society as a whole. The theory promotes a view that individuals
should be encouraged to be who they are, in their professional as well as personal
lives. This more personal, integrated valuation of individuals, it is theorized,
ultimately benefits the long-term interests and performance of the organization.
3. Promoting a Sense of community. Greenleaf lamented the loss of community
in modern society, calling it “the lost knowledge of these times” (1970, p. 28).
Servant-leadership questions the institution’s ability to provide human services, and
argues that only community, defined as groups of individuals that are jointly liable
for each other both individually and as a unit, can perform this function. Only by
establishing this sense of community among followers can an organization succeed
in its objectives. Further, the theory posits that this sense of community can arise
only from the actions of individual servant-leaders (Greenleaf, 1970, p. 30).
4. Sharing of Power in Decision-Making. Effective servant-leadership is best
evidenced by the cultivation of servant-leadership in others. By nurturing
participatory, empowering environments, and encouraging the talents of followers,
the servant-leader creates a more effective, motivated workforce and ultimately a
more successful organization. As phrased by Russell (2001), “Leaders enable others
to act not by hoarding the power they have but by giving it away” (p. 80). The
organizational structure resulting from servant-leadership has sometimes been
referred to as an “inverted pyramid”, with employees, clients and other stakeholders
at the top, and leader(s) at the bottom. Exemplary followers, a product of delegated
decision-making, are a further example of servant-leadership’s inverse nature,
“another type of leader turned inside out” (Sarkus, 1996, p. 28). Because servant-
5. Smith 5
leadership breaks away from the classic organizational pyramid and promotes
flexible, delegated organizational structures, many behavioral scientists see it as a
forward-looking, post-industrial paradigm for leadership (incl. Lee & Zemke, 1993;
Biberman & Whitty, 1997).
Servant-Leadership Attributes
Each of the above-listed tenets of servant-leadership can derive only from the selfless,
“others-directed” motivation that resides within the leader. This foundation is distinctive to
servant-leadership. According to Smith, Montagno and Kuzmenko, “Typically, models of
leadership do not begin with an analysis of leader motivation, and Greenleaf’s concepts in
this regard are unique” (2004, p. 82). Accordingly, aspiring servant-leaders must first
scrutinize their personal belief systems and reasons for aspiring to lead. Strong leader ethics,
principles and values lie at the core of the theory, and are seen as being key to the long-term
interests of the organization being served.
Servant-leadership, therefore, emphasizes core personal characteristics and beliefs over any
specific leadership techniques. This is seen throughout the writings of Robert K. Greenleaf,
from his first, seminal essay on servant-leadership to his posthumously published writings.
Behavioral theorists have identified 10 major leadership characteristics, or ‘attributes’ in
Greenleaf’s writings (Russell & Stone, 2002, p. 146):
1. Listening – A critical communication tool, necessary for accurate communication
and for actively demonstrating respect for others. According to Greenleaf, “Only a
true natural servant automatically responds to any problem by listening first” (1970,
p. 10)
2. Empathy – The ability to mentally project one’s own consciousness into that of
another individual. Greenleaf wrote, “The servant always accepts and empathizes,
never rejects” (1970, p. 12), and “Men grow taller when those who lead them
empathize, and when they are accepted for who they are…” (1970, p. 14).
3. Healing – Greenleaf defined healing as “to make whole” (1970, p. 27). The servant-
leader recognizes the shared human desire to find wholeness in one’s self, and
supports it in others.
4. Awareness – Without awareness, “we miss leadership opportunities” (Greenleaf,
1970, p. 19).
5. Persuasion – The effective servant-leader builds group consensus through “gentle
but clear and persistent persuasion, and does not exert group compliance through
position power. Greenleaf notes that “A fresh look is being taken at the issues of
power and authority, and people are beginning to learn, however haltingly, to relate
to one another in less coercive and more creatively supporting ways (1970, pp. 3-4).
Servant-leadership utilizes personal, rather than position power, to influence
followers and achieve organizational objectives.
6. Smith 6
6. Conceptualization – The servant-leader can conceive solutions to problems that do
not currently exist (Greenleaf, 1970, pp. 23-25).
7. Foresight – “Prescience, or foresight, is a better than average guess about what is
going to happen when in the future” (Greenleaf, 1970, p. 16).
8. Stewardship – Organizational stewards, or ‘trustees’ are concerned not only for the
individual followers within the organization, but also the organization as a whole,
and its impact on and relationship with all of society (Greenleaf, 1970, p. 31).
9. Commitment to the growth of people – A demonstrated appreciation and
encouragement of others. Per Greenleaf, “The secret of institution building is to be
able to weld a team of such people by lifting them up to grow taller than they would
otherwise be” (1970, p. 14).
10. Building community – The rise of large institutions has eroded community, the
social pact that unites individuals in society. According to Greenleaf, “All that is
needed to rebuild community as a viable life form…is for enough servant-leaders to
show the way” (1970, p. 30).
Studies by behavioral scientists confirm these ten characteristics as being critical to servant-
leadership (Joseph & Winston, 2005, p. 10), while extending and clarifying this list to include
many more leadership attributes. Russell and Stone (2002), for example, propose a list of 20
distinctive attributes observed in servant-leaders, as derived from scholarly literature. They
further categorized these 20 attributes into 9 ‘functional attributes’ and 11 ‘accompanying
attributes’. Functional attributes are defined as intrinsic characteristics of servant-leaders,
while accompanying attributes complement and enhance the functional attributes:
Functional Attributes Accompanying Attributes
1. Vision 6. Modeling 10. Communication 16. Persuasion
2. Honesty 7. Pioneering 11. Credibility 17. Listening
3. Integrity 8. Appreciation 12. Competence 18. Encouragement
4. Trust 9. Empowerment 13. Stewardship 19. Teaching
5. Service 14. Visibility 20. Delegation
15. Influence
Interestingly, many of the attributes described by Greenleaf have been identified as
accompanying, and not functional attributes; for example, stewardship, persuasion and
listening attributes are not categorized as functional attributes.
Role of Values in Servant-Leadership
The above attributes describe the outward, manifested characteristics of a servant-leader’s
leadership behavior. Theorists argue that these attributes grow out of the inner values and
beliefs of individual leaders, and that personal values like fairness and integrity are “the
7. Smith 7
independent variables that actuate servant leader behavior” (Russell, 2001, p. 79). Thus,
values lie at the core of any leadership philosophy – they shape the characteristics of leaders,
which in turn impact their activities and decision-making behavior. Behavioral scientists have
proposed, but not yet empirically proven, that the value systems held by servant-leaders are
unique, and distinguish them from other types of leaders and leadership theories (Russell,
2001, p. 76).
As previously noted, a leader’s motivation is viewed as another critical distinction between
servant-leadership and other management theories. Researchers suggest that motivation to
lead also arises from an individual’s core belief system (Sendjaya and Sarros, 2002, p. 61). In
the case of servant-leadership, a leader’s motivation derives from a core, egalitarian belief
that they are no better than those whom they lead.
A leader’s personal values are known to have great impact on the resulting culture and
performance of an organization. Russell (2001) notes, “Organizational cultures consolidate
the shared beliefs, assumptions, goals and values of their members” (p. 78). In particular,
senior leaders infuse their personal values throughout an organization through the process of
modeling (demonstrated, observable actions). Leaders who exhibit their values through
deeds, as well as words will instill those values over time into the organizational culture; this
in turn initiates organizational change. Thus, a leader’s personal values can be seen as a major
source of influence for bringing about change.
Given the importance of values, researchers have begun to examine the belief systems of
practicing servant-leaders, and are exploring whether identified values correlate positively
with the theoretical outcomes of servant-leadership, like organizational success. Russell
(2001) has examined the question from a non-empirical perspective, and calls for further
research into the value systems of servant-leaders. In a recent study, Joseph and Winston
(2005) were able to positively correlate honesty, integrity, benevolence and other leader
values to the attribute of leader and organizational trust, and organizational effectiveness.
Additional studies, however, are needed.
Theory Criticism
Like other disciplines in the social sciences, modern study of organizational behavior
employs the scientific method, and requires empirical validation. Leadership theories must
be translated into functional models. These models serve as the basis for forming hypotheses
that can then be tested and verified (or disproved). Only validated models can be used
reliably to describe, predict and recommend leader behavior in applied settings. Servant-
leadership has come under some fire for remaining grounded in philosophical theory, and
for lacking empirical substantiation. Stone, Russell, and Patterson (2003) call the theory
“systematically undefined and lacking in empirical support”, while Sendjaya and Sarros
(2002) note that the “current literature is filled with anecdotal evidence” and that “empirical
research is critically needed” (p. 63). Russell and Stone’s (2002) effort to develop a
rudimentary model of servant-leadership is an important step forward, but rigorous
academic research on servant leadership remains “in its infancy” (Stone, Russell & Patterson,
2003, p. 358).
8. Smith 8
Others criticize servant leadership from a social perspective, identifying it as either anti-
feminist or religious in nature. In a recent paper, Eicher-Catt (2005) argues that the values
attributed to servant-leadership are gender biased, and accuses the theory of perpetuating “a
theology of leadership that upholds androcentric patriarchal norms” and “insidiously
perpetuates a long-standing masculine-feminine, master-slave political economy” (p. 17).
Smith, Montagno and Kuzmenko (2004) warn that “some authors have attempted to couch
servant leadership in spiritual and moral terms” (p. 82). Such concerns seem borne out by
some of the academic literature, including Sendjaya and Sarros (2002) and McCormick
(1994). Other authors are careful to distinguish between religion and spirituality, but still
express concern about servant-leadership’s potential for conflicting with the spiritual
orientations of individual followers (Lee & Zemke, p. 3).
On the pragmatic front, some researchers question the practicality and applicability of the
theory to real-world scenarios. They question whether the collectivist aspirations of servant-
leadership are compatible with today’s emphasis on individual effort and performance
(Lloyd, p. 31). Others argue the theory is unrealistic in that it “ignores accountability and the
underlying fundamental aggression of people in the workplace”, and fails to consider
differing levels of competence among individuals (Lee & Zemke, 1993, p. 3).
Theory Support
Academic researchers that advocate servant-leadership rarely address theory effectiveness
from an empirical standpoint. Instead, they almost uniformly focus on the individual,
organizational and societal needs that can be filled by adherence to the theory’s profound
spiritual and moral underpinnings.
In particular, the literature suggests that the theory’s emphasis on leadership motivation
addresses the inherent weaknesses that reside in people. These weaknesses include an
individual’s potential for error of judgment, the excess of pride and self-interested actions
that can occur in persons holding high-level positions, and the “unhealthy subordinate
relationships” that can occur between leader and follower in traditional hierarchical
institutions. Researchers point to recent corporate scandals as examples of the organizational
dangers of self-serving leadership. A leader that operates from a desire to first serve others
avoids these power traps by building consensus, follower empowerment and a sense of
egalitarianism in the workplace. As Lee and Zemke (1993) state, “The [servant]-leader’s
belief system says he or she is no better than those who are led” (p. 86). Even researchers
who identify an erosion of personal influence in the modern workplace see a need for
servant leadership. Russell (2001) notes, “Position power is eroding in many organizations;
therefore, leaders must derive their influence from values” (p. 77).
Servant-leadership is also praised for its emphasis on a “wholistic” approach to the
individual worker, one that addresses his or her spiritual as well as economic needs. Lee and
Zemke (1993), for example, point to the instabilities of today’s work environment. Layoffs,
plant closings, corporate scandals and increased competitive pressures have all contributed
to a heightened uncertainty and stress in the workforce. There is a growing need for
psychological security and stability, and a sense of moral and ethical grounding. Researchers
cite a “growing preoccupation among individuals with the spiritual side of life” (Lee &
Zemke, 1993), and a need for follower empowerment and personal development. Servant-
9. Smith 9
leadership is described as a new paradigm that meets these needs, because corporate culture
is most influenced by the beliefs, values and actions of its leader. An inspirational, spiritually
strong leader, it is argued, is the most direct route to a spiritually satisfying (and therefore
more productive) workplace.
Greenleaf’s theory was developed in the 1960’s and 1970’s, but is today finding new
proponents who see it as a theory for its time, one that provides an ideal and necessary
alternative to the traditional, hierarchical paradigms of the industrial past. King (1994)
observes that business “timescales are being dramatically compressed…with business
conditions changing every 18 to 36 months” (p. 7). As organizations convert from large,
bureaucratic structures to smaller, more flexible units that can better respond to today’s
competitive environment, a new management paradigm is required. Servant-leadership, with
its emphasis on employee empowerment, teamwork and flatter organizational structures is
seen as an ideal fit.
Theory Comparisons
Servant-leadership is most often compared with transformational leadership, a theory
introduced in 1978 by James MacGregor Burns, and later extended by Bernard M. Bass
(1985). Like servant-leadership, transformational leadership has become a popular leadership
model in recent years because of its emphasis on extraordinary leader characteristics and its
humanistic valuation of followers. Some behavioral scientists have contend that
transformational and servant-leadership theories are both rooted in the charismatic
leadership framework developed by Max Weber in the late 19th
and early 20th
centuries
(Smith, Montagno & Kuzmenko, 2004). Indeed, both theories share the charismatic
leadership model’s focus on leadership qualities and behavior.
Transformational and servant-leadership, however, are not the equivalents of each other, nor
is one an instance of the other (Stone, Russell & Patterson, 2003). Instead, they are
complementary frameworks that share a focus on the individual, both in terms of
appreciation of followers and of emphasis on leadership characteristics, but differ
significantly in leader motivation, organizational objectives, measures of success, resulting
cultures, and contextual appropriateness.
Smith, Montagno and Kuzmenko (2004) posit that “the leader’s motivation for behaving is a
critical distinction between the two theories” (p. 85). Where the transformational leader is
ultimately motivated by the need to achieve organizational goals, the servant-leader is
ultimately motivated by the need to support the self-actualization of followers. In
transformational leadership, the personal development and empowerment of followers is
approached as a means for achieving the organizational goal; in servant-leadership, it is the
goal.
As a result, servant-leadership places a greater emphasis on people over production, and
transformational leadership places a greater emphasis on the reverse. This results in different
measures of success for the two theoretical frameworks. In transformational leadership,
achievement of organizational objectives serve as direct benchmarks, while in servant-
leadership, follower happiness is the hallmark of success. Achievement of organizational
10. Smith 10
objectives, according to servant-leadership theorists, is the indirect but inevitable, outcome
of a satisfied workforce.
The differing emphases of the two theories also lead to very different cultural environments,
according to Smith, Montagno and Kuzmenko (2004). Transformational leadership’s
combined emphasis on performance and inspiration fosters an “empowered dynamic
culture”, while servant-leadership’s emphasis on shared leadership and healthy follower
relationships creates a “spiritual generative culture” (p. 86). Both cultures are markedly
different, suggesting the two leadership styles may differ in contextual appropriateness.
Stable, evolving environments such as those found in the non-profit and community service
sectors may be more appropriate to servant-leadership, while competitive organizations
needing constant, revolutionary innovation may be better suited to transformational
leadership (Smith, Montagno, & Kuzmenko, 2004, p. 87). Spears (1996), appears to agree
that servant-leadership is best suited for the public service sector; all of his six proposed
areas of servant-leadership application involve non-profit or educational institutions (pp. 34-
35).
ROBERT K. GREENLEAF
“Teacher, Philosopher ● Servant-Leader ● Potentially a good plumber ●
Ruined by a sophisticated education.”
- Self-authored epitaph of Robert Greenleaf
Roots of Servant-Leadership – A Brief Biography
Robert Keifner Greenleaf, the author of servant leadership, was born in 1904, in Terre
Haute, IN. He was raised in a household committed to both strong personal ethics and
community involvement. His father, George Greenleaf, was actively involved in community
and business affairs, serving on the local school board and city council, and active in union
politics. George was a blue-collar worker as well as an educator, a machinist and mechanic at
the local Rose Polytechnic Institute who rose to become head of the institute’s educational
machine shops. In Robert Greenleaf’s father, we can see the roots of Greenleaf’s philosophy
– a strong identification with average, working people, a belief that leadership resides in all
of us, and that a true leader is one who serves first.
Robert Greenleaf displayed early aspirations to leadership, becoming president of his Wiley
High School senior class in 1922. After graduating from Minnesota’s Carleton College in
1926, Greenleaf immediately went to work for AT&T at their New York headquarters. At
the time, AT&T was the world’s largest corporation. In 1934 at the age of 30, Greenleaf
discovered Quakerism, a religion that influenced his already developing thoughts on the
nature of service and authentic leadership.
Greenleaf remained at AT&T for 38 years, eventually becoming the company’s director of
management research, development and education. His responsibilities included the
11. Smith 11
identification and training of promising managers, an activity that developed his growing
recognition that the best leaders are driven by team interests self-interests, and display a
shared set of ethical characteristics. Retiring in 1964, he founded the Center for Applied
Ethics (now the ‘Robert K. Greenleaf Center’) to promote research and public
understanding of leadership excellence. He embarked on a second career as a management
consultant and lecturer, advising such clients as the Ford Foundation and the Lilly
Endowment, and teaching at M.I.T., Harvard and Duke Universities.
Publication of The Servant as Leader
Greenleaf’s interactions with university students during the social upheaval of the 1960’s led
him to explore what they were reading. His encounter with a short German novel written in
1932 led to a dramatic coalescing of Greenleaf’s thinking and the birth of servant-leadership.
The story and its impact is best described by Greenleaf himself:
The idea of The Servant as Leader came out of reading Herman Hesse’s Journey to the
East. In this story we see a band of men on a mythical journey, probably Hesse’s
own journey. The central figure of the story is Leo who accompanies the party as the
servant who does their menial chores, but who also sustains them with his spirit and
his song. He is a person of extraordinary presence. All goes well until Leo disappears.
Then the group falls into disarray and the journey is abandoned. They cannot make it
without the servant Leo. The narrator, one of the party, after some years of
wandering finds Leo and is taken into the Order that has sponsored the journey.
There he discovers that Leo, whom he had first known as servant, was in fact the
titular head of the Order, its guiding spirit, a great and noble leader (Greenleaf, 1970,
p. 1).
Greenleaf immediately recognized the fundamental message of the novel; that “the great
leader is seen as servant first, and that simple fact is the key to his greatness” (Greenleaf,
1970, p. 2). True leadership emerges out of a deep-seated desire to first help others. He
began to write, publishing his emerging thoughts on servant-leadership in a privately
published essay in 1970, entitled The Servant as Leader. Only 200 copies were printed initially;
these he privately distributed to friends and key leaders of the day. Positive response led to
increasingly larger reprint orders for the essay. To date, more than half a million copies have
been distributed worldwide, translated into multiple languages. Although not his first or last
publication, this 35-page treatise written at the age of 66 remains his most influential.
Other Publications
The Servant as Leader was followed by two additional publications, The Institution as Servant
(1972) and Trustees as Servants (1974). These essays expanded his original vision of servant-
leadership to include leadership as an organizational as well as individual model. Advices to
Servants, a collection of nine essays on servant-leadership in various organizational
environments, was published in 1975. In Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of
Legitimate Power and Greatness (1977), Greenleaf explored the nature, use (and abuse) of power.
Additional publications followed, including Servant, Leader and Follower (1978), Teacher as
Servant: A Parable (1979), The Servant as Religious Leader (1982) and others.
12. Smith 12
Publication of Greenleaf’s many writings continued after his death in 1990, in the form of
two essay collections. The first posthumous collection, On Becoming a Servant-Leader (1996),
includes writings on such issues as leadership strength, power ethics and organizational
attributes, and also includes Leadership and the Individual (the Greenleaf’s last major essay
before writing The Servant as Leader. This essay was originally presented as a series of five
lectures at Dartmouth College in 1969, and discusses leadership qualities, leadership
strategies and what he termed ‘The Crisis of Leadership’ in modern society. The second
collection, entitled Seeker and Servant: Reflections on Religious Leadership (1996), focuses on the
role of servant-leadership in religious organizations but contains ideas that can be
extrapolated to many institutional settings.
Servant-leadership has also been treated in numerous third-party books, as interest and
practice of the theory has grown. Notable recent publications include The World’s Most
Powerful Leadership Principle: How to Become a Servant Leader (Hunter, 2004) and Practicing Servant
Leadership: Succeeding through Trust, Bravery, and Forgiveness (Spears & Lawrence, eds., 2004). The
former is a guide to implementing servant-leadership principles in one’s work and personal
life, and the latter is a collection of essays by leaders who have attempted to integrate
servant-leadership in the organizations they serve.
THEORY APPLICATION
Servant-leadership has been extensively applied in the workplace, demonstrating its potential
as a practical as well as theoretical approach to organizational management. The Greenleaf
Center for Servant-Leadership, based in Indianapolis, IN, is a non-profit organization
dedicated to the education, research and promotion of the principles of servant-leadership.
Center members include between 33-50% of Fortune magazine’s ‘100 Best Companies to
Work for in America’ (Arkin, 2004, p. 31). In 2000, three of the top five companies in
Fortune’s list were companies that claimed to be practitioners of servant-leadership (Sendjaya
and Sarros, 2002, p. 62). Companies that practice servant-leadership include Starbucks
Coffee Company, Southwest Airlines, and many of the nation’s top universities.
Still, the theory’s focus on a leader’s inner values over external technique renders it difficult
for companies to deploy on a practical level. As Russell (2001) notes, “Overall, servant
leadership succeeds or fails on the personal values of the people who employ it” (p. 81).
The question, then, is how can an organization “operationalize” servant-leadership theory?
Can servant-leadership even be taught?
To demonstrate servant-leadership’s potential for real-world application, the following
section presents an organizational scenario in which the principles of servant-leadership are
markedly absent, and subsequently introduced. The scenario is based in part upon factual
circumstances, but has been fictionalized to protect individual identities and present a fuller
illustration of servant-leadership in practice.
13. Smith 13
Scenario
The Information Technology Resource Center (ITRC) is a Montana state university think
tank, whose mission is to keep the university at the forefront of emerging information
technology. They also develop multimedia products and services for educational institutions,
as well as private and state enterprises. The ITRC has received a Montana Department of
Transportation grant to develop interactive information kiosks, to educate the public about
the nation’s upcoming Lewis & Clark Bicentennial.
The ITRC director placed a programmer in charge of the project, and the endeavor has
suffered greatly under his leadership, both in terms of kiosk development and team morale.
Although the team included three capable, creative multimedia experts with enthusiasm for
the task, the programmer imposed a highly directive leadership style on the group. He failed
to delegate authority, asked for team input only when assured that opinions would match his
own, and his opinion prevailed even in creative areas that were not his expertise or strength.
Given the capabilities and willingness of the team, the programmer’s leadership style was
highly inappropriate. The programmer’s top-down, autocratic approach to management led
to interpersonal conflicts, a demoralized team, substandard work and project delays. The
programmer was fired when the director overheard him engaging inappropriately with the
group.
Enter the Aspiring Servant-Leader
“Andy”, previously a manager of another media development team on campus, was brought
in to replace the programmer. Having just completed an organizational management course,
Andy was keen to try out his new knowledge about effective leadership. In particular, he felt
the precepts of the servant-leadership theory would be particularly appropriate to the
situation. He knew that many behavioral scientists had identified servant-leadership as being
well suited to community service-oriented or educational organizations, like the ITRC. The
strong values system espoused by servant-leadership also appealed to him, and he spent a
good deal of time preparing for his new responsibilities by first examining his own belief
systems, and his motivations for aspiring to leadership.
Andy began by calling a team meeting. He openly acknowledged that problems that existed
with the project, and asked for the team’s help in understanding the current challenges
(listening; empathy). The team was at first silent, afraid to communicate their true
thoughts, but Andy was aware of this fact. Through quiet, non-judgmental feedback, he was
slowly able to encourage open communication among the group members. By allowing the
group to air their grievances, Andy acknowledged them as holistic individuals, and
encouraged the healing process to begin.
To move the project to a more positive plane, and to support the growth of individuals, he
concluded the meeting by asking each team member to meet with him individually, so that
he could learn more about their individual strengths, skills and interests. The team was
initially suspicious of this one-on-one strategy, but Andy was consistently positive and
supportive with each individual. After learning their areas of expertise, and thoughts on
where they could best serve the project, Andy concluded each conversation by asking the
14. Smith 14
team member to consider how he, the leader, might best support and serve their efforts on
the project. Afterwards, the team members compared notes about their individual meetings
with the new project manager, and concluded that he seemed like a fair, forward-thinking
leader. Andy had begun to build trust.
Andy considered what he learned from each team member, and called the group together the
next day. In the meeting, he communicated his admiration for the team’s capabilities, and his
philosophy that his role as leader should be to serve, support and facilitate the team in
their quest for success. His primary role and motivation was to provide the resources they
needed to achieve success. He unveiled a proposal for delegating responsibility according
to individual areas of expertise, and asked for feedback as to whether the plan best met each
individual’s desires and strengths. The team proposed a couple of changes, and the plan was
jointly approved. The team responded positively to this first sharing of power in decision-
making. Andy was careful to clarify that delegation was not an abdication of his
accountability as a leader; rather, it was a way to empower team members to make the best
decisions about how to achieve their collective goals. He assured them that he would work
closely with them to support their activities. In doing so, Andy fostered an atmosphere of
participatory, non-hierarchical leadership, and further promoted group trust.
Andy concluded the meeting by communicating his emerging vision for the group’s efforts.
He conceptualized the key role that the information kiosks would play in the upcoming
bicentennial celebrations, and what future endeavors the Lewis & Clark project might lead to
for the group. By communicating this foresight, he inspired the group to accept him as a
servant-leader, and persuaded them to follow his vision.
These early, corrective efforts began to pay off. Team morale improved, communication
channels opened up, and the kiosk interface rapidly improved under delegated, supported
decision-making. Team members independently put in extra hours each week to move the
project back on schedule. Andy’s steady leadership behavior solidified the team’s motivation
and will to succeed. He displayed consistent honesty and integrity in all interactions with
followers, and expressed his appreciation of others at every appropriate opportunity. He
influenced the team not by coercion, but through visible personal example (modeling). He
knew that his own demonstrated behavior would prove the best foundation for influential
leadership, and the best way to instill organizational values. He demonstrated his personal
dedication to the project through his own deeds, thereby raising his credibility and creating
a principled culture of participation.
To promote the growing sense of community among the team, Andy began to host the
team’s weekly meetings over lunch at local cafes, or on the university green in fair weather.
Andy also emphasized the project’s responsibilities to the larger community, by holding
regular testing sessions with members of the public. The team began to develop a sense of
their organizational values and began to also see themselves as servants first.
Andy utilized the trust capital he had built up with the group to lead them to new
achievements. He proposed some cutting-edge multimedia features they could strive to
incorporate into the project, and initiated the process. He challenged the established mode
of doing things, and in doing so, led the team to become innovators. This pioneering
15. Smith 15
behavior involves some risks, but is also the hallmark that distinguishes managers from
leaders (Russell & Stone, 2002, p. 150).
After six months, the information kiosks were completed on time and installed in various
public locations along the route of Lewis & Clark’s journey through present-day Montana.
The project was viewed as a success, and led to additional contracts with state and federal
institutions. Team members went on to lead some of these projects themselves, which Andy
viewed as the greatest sign of his success. By serving as a leader himself, he encouraged
servant-leadership in others.
CONCLUSION
The above scenario demonstrates that servant leadership can be “operationalized”, and is
well suited for application in the information services arena. Information organizations are
frequently not-for-profit, volunteer or educational institutions that operate in fairly stable
external environments. They also attract leaders and followers who are particularly attracted
to opportunities for personal growth, consensus building atmospheres and community
service (Smith, Montagno & Kuzmenko, 2004, p. 89). Such opportunities are at the heart of
servant-leadership, making it an excellent framework for managing the information
organization.
Servant-leadership is not necessarily a recent theory. Although first proposed in 1970, some
trace its origins back to the human relations movement of the 1950’s (Biberman & Whitty, p.
134), and others recognize its principles as having been practiced worldwide for over 2,000
years (Joseph & Winston, 2005, p. 9). Still, the theory remains in its infancy in terms of
modern behavioral sciences. Servant-leadership lacks a formal, confirmed framework, and
has not yet been empirically linked to organizational performance. Many areas of concern
remain to be explored and answered, including the question of whether servant-leaders can
be formally trained. As the theory’s popularity continues to grow, these and other issues
must be addressed.
16. Smith 16
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Arkin, A. (2004). Serve the servants. People Management, 10(25), 30-33.
Biberman, J., and Whitty, M. (1997). A postmodern spiritual future for work. Journal of
Organizational Change, 10(2), 130-138.
Brody, D. (1992). First among equals: a corporate executive’s vision and the reemerging
philosophy of trustees as servant leaders. Foundation News. Council on Foundations.
Retrieved November 22, 2005, from
http://www.cof.org/files/Documents/Family_Foundations/Trustee
Orientation/First_Among_Equals.pdf
Eicher-Catt, Deborah (2005). The myth of servant-leadership. Women and Language, 28(1), 17-
25.
Frick, Don M. (2004). Terre Haute’s Original Servant Leader: Robert K. Greenleaf (1904-1990).
Retrieved November 22, 2005, from
http://library.indstate.edu/servlead/greenleaf.html
Greenleaf, R.K. (1991). The servant as leader. Indianapolis, IN: The Robert K. Greenleaf
Center. [Originally published in 1970, by Robert K. Greenleaf].
Greenleaf, R.K. (1996). On becoming a servant-leader. San Francisco: Josey-Bass Publishers.
Hunter, J.C. (2004). The world’s most powerful leadership principle: how to become a servant leader. New
York: Crown Business.
Joseph, E.E., and Winston, B.E. (2005). A correlation of servant leadership, leader trust, and
organizational trust. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 26(1), 6-22.
Kiechel, W. (1992). The leader as servant. Fortune, 125, 121-122.
King, S. (1994). What is the latest on leadership? Management Development Review, 7(6), 7-9.
Lee, C., and Zemke, R. (1993). The search for spirit in the workplace. Training, 30, 21-28.
Lloyd, B. (1996). A new approach to leadership. Leadership & Organization Development Journal,
17(7), 29-32.
McCormick, D.W. (1994). Spirituality and management. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 9(6),
5-8.
Russell, R.F. (2001). The role of values in servant leadership. Leadership & Organization
Development Journal, 22(2), 76-83.
Russell, R.F., and Stone, A.G. (2002). A review of servant leadership attributes: developing a
17. Smith 17
practical model. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 23(3), 145-157.
Sarkus, D.J. (1996). Servant-leadership in safety: advancing the cause and practice. Professional
Safety, 41, 26-32.
Sendjaya, S., and Sarros, J.C. (2002). Servant leadership: its origins, development, and
application in organizations. Journal of Leadershiop and Organization Studies, 9(2), 57-64.
Smith, B.N., Montagno, R.V., and Kuzmenko, T.N. (2004). Journal of Leadership and
Organizational Studies, 10(4), 80-91.
Spears, L. (1996). Reflections on Robert K. Greenleaf and servant-leadership. Leadership &
Organization Development Journal, 17(7), 33-35.
Spears, L.C., and Lawrence, M. (eds.). (2004). Practicing servant-leadership: succeeding through trust,
bravery and forgiveness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Stone, A.G., Russell, R.F., and Patterson, K. (2003). Transformational versus servant
leadership: a difference in leader focus. Leadership & Organization Development Journal,
25(4), 349-361.
Tate, T.F. (2003). Servant leadership for schools and youth programs. Reclaiming Children and
Youth, 12(1), 33-39.