SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Published in
3 min readSep 26, 2020
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𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲
■ Servant leadership is a mindset that reflects a servant-first mentality rather than a leader-first mentality.
■ Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy in which the goal of the leader is to serve. This is different from traditional leadership where the leader’s focus is the thriving of their organization.
■ A servant leader shares power puts the needs of the employees first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. Instead of the people working to serve the leader, the leader exists to serve the people.
■ As stated by its founder, Robert K. Greenleaf, a Servant Leader should be focused on, “Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?”
■ When leaders shift their mindset and serve first, they benefit as well as their employees in that their employees acquire personal growth, while the organization grows as well due to the employee’s growing commitment and engagement.
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■ Robert K. Greenleaf first popularized the phrase “servant leadership” in “The Servant as Leader”, an essay published in 1970.
■ In this essay, Greenleaf explains how and why he came up with the idea of servant leadership, as well as defining a servant leader. The most important characteristic in being a servant leader, according to Greenleaf, is making one’s main priority to serve rather than to lead.
■ Greenleaf proposed that servant leaders should serve first, make the needs of others their main priority, and find success and “power” in the growth of others; summarily, “A servant can only become a leader if a leader remains a servant”.
■ These traits indicate one is a servant leader because, overall, they are causing the ones they serve to become healthier and wiser, guiding others toward self-improvement. Eventually, the served are driven to possess the traits of a servant leader as well, continuing the spread of the leadership style.
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■ Greenleaf believed the betterment of others to be the true intention of a servant leader: “I serve” in opposition to the traditional “I lead” mentality.
■ The “I serve” mentality is evident in politicians who define their role through public service. From the “I serve” mentality come two arguments: I serve because I am the leader, and I am the leader because I serve.
■ The first argument signifies the act of selflessness. Greenleaf declares that servant leadership begins with the natural feeling of wanting to serve first. The second argument of servant leadership begins with a rooted ambition to be a leader.
■ In simpler terms, servant leaders should seek to be servants first, to care for the needs of all others around them, to ensure the growth of future leaders.
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Academy ti4 | www.ti4.org
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