What I’ve been talking about in several of my recent posts is what is known as Servant Leadership, a term coined in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf in an essay called The Servant as Leader. In that essay he contrasted the Servant Leader, one who desires to serve first and leads in order to serve, with someone who leads with other purposes in mind.
Of course, the concept of servant leadership was best modeled nearly 2,000 years earlier. Laurie Beth Jones writes in Jesus, CEO: using ancient wisdom for visionary leadership:
The principle of service is what separates true leaders from glory seekers. Jesus, the leader, served his people.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, put it this way:
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant… (Phil. 2:3-7)
Paul, here, gives what turns out to be exceptional advice for leaders of every stripe, whether a corporate CEO or someone starting out in the mailroom. A successful leader serves.
Leadership expert Tom Peters, in a powerpoint presentation you can download here, said:
You get my drift, I’m sure.
Poor leadership results in conflict
At the moment, the world is in turmoil because of leaders who have failed to serve their people, choosing instead power and glory. The people are “mad as hell, and not going to take it anymore.” History is full of such examples. History also tells of those who are remembered as heroes for their service, people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Servant leadership may be a recently-coined term, but the concept has been around for thousands of years. In my opinion, it is the only way to truly be a leader. Sure, you can sometimes force people to follow you, but then, you’re really just a manager—someone whose job it is to keep people in line. If you want people to follow you by choice, learn how to serve them.
