Is Servant Leadership a New Concept?
Isaac Newton stated in a letter in 1675 that "if I have seen further [than others], it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". This is a quote that is, in fact, more ancient than Newton but is often attributed to him when demonstrating that one can bring forward new thinking or discovery only by further development of what has been achieved by others previously.
And as it is with scientific endeavour, so it is with business principles. The reality is that while some leadership and business principles may appear new, they are often practices that have been used successfully by others for millennia, but it sometimes requires someone to fully define, articulate and label a particular method in order for it to take hold of the consciousness of thoughtful leaders and then become a widely applied approach.
Such is with the case with “servant leadership” which was coined by Robert K Greenleaf in an essay entitled The Servant as Leader which he published in 1970. In this essay he stated:
“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.
“The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?“?
Interestingly, he also recognised that institutions (including companies) can also be servant, and that servant-leader organisations can change the world.
Fundamentally servant leaders might be characterised by these traits:
The servant leadership approach is essentially people focused. It is my belief that I was lucky enough to experience its benefits quite early in my career when I joined Medtronic aged 26 in the early 1990s. Bill George had been appointed CEO in 1991. George is a well-known advocate of the servant leadership philosophy, and regularly refers to it in his writings now that he is a professor at Harvard and is a regular contributor to LinkedIn.
Medtronic was sometimes accused (and probably still is) of a certain amount of corporate arrogance by its detractors and competitors, but this was never my experience. Most of the people I worked with and was inspired by, were confident, professional, and humble. Arrogant? Most definitely not.
What I found refreshing was that even at my relatively junior level at that time, we felt empowered, trusted, and valued. This enabled a strong sense of purpose and belonging, which was something I had never experienced with an employer before. When you consider the size of the organisation and its international scope, this was an amazing achievement of culture and values. It very much felt that the philosophy was to ensure that the employees were paramount, thereby ensuring that the customers were kept engaged with happy employees and the shareholders were kept happy by strong returns due to the virtuous circle that was achieved.
Is servant leadership a new concept then? No, it is not, and this is stated on the website of the Center For Servant Leadership (www.greenleaf.org) that refers to it as a timeless concept. Indeed, there have been a number of figures through history that could be described as such. At the recent funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Archbishop Justin Welby referred to the late Queen’s servant leadership approach throughout her long reign.
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We can probably all recall someone who has inspired us as a leader in our own careers, and it is highly likely they may meet this description. You might even want to tag them in the comments section below in recognition?
Robert K Greenleaf did the study of leadership a huge service by his definition. Those of us that have benefitted from the leadership of his disciples are immensely grateful, and hope that we can continue to serve others in the same way.
Have you benefitted from servant leadership? Is it something you have successfully used in your organisation? Please comment below, and if you can, please show your appreciation and tag a great servant-leader.??
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Sr. Director at Philips
2 年From my perspective, servant leadership was introduced by Jesus. In John chapter 13, Jesus washes his disciples' feet and explains that we are to serve one another, and that the leader is to set that example. Further the 2nd greatest commandment, to love one's neighbor as oneself speaks to serving others. As leaders how are we to be effective unless we truly get to know our folks, an act of love and service? These acts of loving leadership include providing clear constructive feedback, especially when it is challenging to deliver and for that person to receive. Also included is demanding of ourselves to provide great support so that our folks can deliver high performance. Servant leadership is not new but it is the most effective way to serve our organizations, our people, and ourselves.