SERVING LEADER OR LEADING SERVANT? – Nine Things That Separate Them By George M. Nuthu

Who is a servant leader—a leader who serves or a servant who leads? And, is there a difference between a leading servant and a serving leader? 

Mistakenly, ‘leading servant’ and ‘serving leader’ are often used interchangeably. Unknown to many, the two represent very different crops of leaders. The focus, motivation and tendencies of a leading servant vary greatly from those of a serving leader. 

Whereas a leading servant or servant leader focuses on serving, is motivated to “wash the feet of the followers” and tends to lead by serving…the serving leader concentrates on leading, is motivated to “have his or her feet washed” and serves by leading.

The Defining Traits of Leading Servants and Serving Leaders 

Whilst a leading servant carries a servant’s heart and a steward’s mentality, a serving leader bears a master’s heart and an owner’s mentality. As a result, the two display different tendencies when executing their duties and treating their followers. 

Today, most leaders claim to be leading servants but act like serving leaders. Leadership is their primary and dominant role and then servant hood the secondary and minor role. They prefer being served to serving those whom they are accountable to and, or responsible over. 

In that spirit, they focus on the privileges, the perks and the power that comes with the leadership title and position. They have reduced ‘servant leadership’ to a cliché and a decorative word—without its very essence.

What Separates Leading Servants from Serving Leaders 

1.     A bona fide leading servant focuses on how the actualization of the big picture affects the followers as they engage in it. He or she is more concerned with how this process is improving the followers as individuals and professionals but a serving leader’s main concern is realizing the big dream. A serving leader has little or no regard of how the process impacts the followers and whether they engage in it or not. He or she wants the goal actualized by all means.

Leading servants are sensitive to whether actualization of the big picture benefits or hurts their followers, but the serving leaders are insensitive. To them, the end justifies the means and the cost. 

2.     Leading servants have great faith in and place a high value on those they serve but serving leaders believe in and value themselves more than their followers. 

3.     The serving leader sees the followers as subordinates whereas the leading servant considers them as equals—or even better.

4.     The leading servant empathizes with the followers and views them as human beings; thus he or she uses relational influence to inspire them to get things done. On the contrary, a serving leader views the followers as human “doings” i.e. machines, thus he or she commands and controls them to get things done. Unlike a servant leader, a serving leader is less sensitive to personal issues and is therefore impersonal and detached from the followers.

5.     The leading servant tends to credit the followers with great and untapped potential which needs to be unleashed and maximized through inspiration and support. When their potential is unlocked the followers demonstrate high productivity. However, the serving leader thinks little of the followers’ potential and productivity and more of his or her own; so he or she pushes and manipulates them to maximize his or her own potential and productivity.

6.     Having great confidence in the followers, a leading servant dialogues with them on the issues and challenges they face as a team, while the serving leader counterpart tends to tell, direct and lecture the followers—because he has low confidence in them and does not appreciate teamwork. 

7.     A leading servant empowers those he or she serves so that they can make and implement the best decisions within their circumstances, but a serving leader withholds power so that he or she can make decisions for the followers and have them implement them. 

8.     The leading servant tends to inspire commitment in the followers; and stimulates creativity, problem solving and decision-making from them. The opposite is true of a serving leader. He or she intimidates the followers and uses fear to achieve compliance, “solve their problems” and make their decisions.

9.     The leading servant tends to believe he or she does not monopolize knowledge; the followers have great solutions and strategies hence he or she seeks to learn from them and tackle the challenges and issues together with them. However, the serving leader believes he or she is the one with the best the answers. He or she presumes to be the custodian of the group’s solutions and strategies, and he or she only passes them down to the followers for action.

Conclusion

Robert K. Greenleaf, the father of servant leadership said, “The servant leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve first.”