Servant leaders are able to lead through a primary focus that puts the needs of others before their own. These service philosophies extend beyond the team environment to include everyone associated with an organization, including the customers and all the constituents. Serving others is a key leadership trait, but these five famous servant leaders provide a good example to follow. They exemplify the attitude that it takes to constantly put the needs of others first.
- Nelson Mandela
Mandela stood before his people and told them that he was a humble servant. He had a passion for his people and wanted to see them achieve equality. Sometimes that meant taking to the streets to demonstrate and put his personal well-being at risk. At other times, it meant surviving harsh conditions in prison so that a statement could be made. Through it all, Mandela proved that you can lead others by putting their needs first.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
The same thing could be said about Martin Luther King Jr. He didn’t always want to be the leader of the US civil rights movement, but he knew that there was a need for equality. By putting the needs of others first, he was able to leave a lasting legacy that proved anyone can make a difference if they’re willing to have a humble, serving perspective. Some of his speeches are still listened to regularly today because they have such a ring of truth.
- Albert Schweitzer
Schweitzer was a man who took his faith very literally. He took the words of Jesus seriously and determined to love others as best as he could. To that extent, he served in a number of ways. At one point, he and his wife examined over 2,000 patients in Africa while traveling hundreds of miles sometimes just to reach one person. He questioned the theology of his time to help bring others a fresh perspective.
- Mother Teresa
She dedicated her life to serving others through her faith as well. Mother Teresa had her critics from time to time, as most servant leaders do, but no one could question the motives that existed behind her desire to help. She never sought personal recognition for the things that she was doing, though at times she insisted on large changes and wasn’t afraid to say things that others might hesitate to say. In the end, however, many are calling her to become a saint because her life really was a miracle.
- Mahatma Gandhi
Opposing the British ruling officials was bound to be dangerous, but Gandhi believed that the best way to lose oneself was to serve others. He protested peacefully, often through the use of fasting and logical discourse, and eventually his ideas won out and India became an independent nation that was free of colonialism. He is widely regarded for his work, even if his goal wasn’t to become famous, simply because he was willing to always put the needs of someone else before his own.
What does serving do to our authority?
- It clearly reminds us that our authority is not something to which we are entitled, but it is a gift.
- It shows others that we are accountable to the people who have given us this authority.
- It empowers those we lead to accomplish great things.
One final caution to leaders: We have a tendency to over-strategize leadership. We see the strategic benefits of servant leadership and allow that to become our reason to serve.
That’s an extremely dangerous mistake because ultimately that turns serving into manipulation.
- Servant leadership isn’t a strategy to get people to follow you or a good habit to develop over time. Servant leadership is an attitude of leadership.
What is Servant Leadership in the Modern World?
While the idea of servant leadership goes back at least two thousand years, the modern servant leadership movement was launched by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970 with the publication of his classic essay, The Servant as Leader. It was in that essay that he coined the words “servant-leader” and “servant leadership.” Greenleaf defined the servant-leader as follows:
“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 appease 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?”
Greenleaf said that “the servant-leader is servant first.” By that he meant that that the desire to serve, the “servant’s heart,” is a fundamental characteristic of a servant-leader. It is not about being servile; it is about wanting to help others. It is about identifying and meeting the needs of colleagues, customers, and communities.
In The Servant as Leader, Greenleaf said:
…the great leader is seen as servant first, and that simple fact is the key to his greatness. A strong man who is a servant is often actually the leader all of the time, but he was servant first because that was what he was, deep down inside. Leadership was bestowed upon a man who was by nature a servant. It was something given, or assumed, that could be taken away. His servant nature was the real man, not bestowed, not assumed, and not to be taken away. He was servant first.
Servant leadership is not a topic only for the religious leader, the businessman(woman) or government official. It is a crucial characteristic for anyone who leads others at any level in society. You may lead at home, among friends, among colleagues, or in high levels of the corporate sphere. Any time you lead you serve the people.