Which comes first, service or leadership, for a leader?

In my perspective, prioritizing others, showing empathy and compassion, leading by setting a positive example, empowering and supporting team, practising stewardship, emphasizing long-term goals, and promoting open communication defines servant leadership. Robert K. Greenleaf coined the term "The Servant as Leader," in his essay published in 1970.

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I believe a servant leadership approach matters for the reasons as follows. To begin with, a study conducted by Edelman (2019) has determined the importance of trust within the organisation as he observed that employees who are trusted, valued, respected and supported by their leaders shows higher level of workplace engagement and satisfaction, ultimately resulting in enhanced productivity and employee retention. Additionally, this strategy also leads to individual development by enhancing the skills, and building their potential for leadership, eventually improving the organizational performance. Furthermore, according to Greenleaf (1970), the creator of this concept, said that those who are guided by servant leaders are more inclined towards ethical decision-making and follow principles of corporate social responsibility. Finally, servant leaders contribute to favourable organizational culture by placing focus on qualities such as empathy, compassion, and community-building. This approach encourages mutual support among members. For instance, teachers highly exhibit the characteristics of servant leadership as they facilitate learning, development, and achievement of students, by prioritizing their needs.

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To summarise, as Coetzer et al. (2017) explained servant leadership as “multidimensional leadership theory that encompasses all aspects of leadership, including ethical, relational, and outcome-based dimensions”. Therefore, we can firmly say that servant leadership is not only about prioritising the needs of other’s rather it has a broader meaning which includes improving employee’s satisfaction, positive organizational culture, cultivating trust, and abiding to ethical principles. However, one intriguing factor to consider is should a leader transition from a servant leadership style to an authoritative one when the vision or goal is not aligned with any of the team members? Does this mean that servant leadership is ineffective in such circumstances?