Servant-Style Leadership: A Christian Perspective

Full disclosure my reflection is based upon my experience with prayer and Scripture as a resource for my personal development. As a result of this study, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about many of the key components of leadership; in particular, how do I lead in a manner that honors and glorifies God? The answer that has come to me repeatedly has been the term "servant leadership." Servant leadership is not simply a leadership style; it is a fundamental change in one's way of living and a fundamental way to relate to the people you lead, as well as to the people who are around you. Even if you do not believe that Jesus is your Savior, you can still refer to His life and teachings as a model for a humble, compassionate, and selfless life.

Servant leadership is the antithesis to what most people think about when considering the concept of "leadership", and it is also opposite to what most individuals believe is a "leadership role" or "leadership title." Servant leadership is about leading by serving and putting the needs of others before one's own. The three characteristics of servant leadership are humility, compassion, and servanthood. The heart of servant leadership is stated in my personal mission statement: Adding Value to Myself and to Those Around Me.

Even though the term "servant leadership" was originally coined by two contemporary thinkers and authors, Jesus Christ provided a model for servant leadership long before either of them wrote a book about it.According to Jesus in Mark 10, "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve." When we think of servant leadership it is best described as someone who leads by example. Rising to the top of the ladder is not what a leader does; rather a leader should use his/her position at the top to lift others from below.

The essence of servant leadership is that it comes from within. This is what distinguishes a servant leader from someone who merely says, "I'm in charge." Being a leader is about more than just what you do; it is also about how you view yourself. In the Bible (Philippians 2:3-4) it tells us that we are to think more highly of others than ourselves (that we are not to do things based on selfishness). Our current culture promotes the individual who desires recognition or "climbing the ladder," but this is counter to the mentality of servant leadership.

Servant leaders ask themselves tough questions like, "Who am I serving?" or "Do I want to lead because I am getting recognition for this effort or do I want to help others grow?" Leadership is giving yourself away to another person; it has nothing to do with how much you will gain from it.

A leader's heart determines how he/she leads effectively.

Some Specific Examples of the Impact of Servant Leadership

Servant leadership is more than a theoretical idea. Servant leadership has been shown to create a great impact on how a leader leads.

A great example of servant leadership is how a servant leader will listen to the people they are leading. They do not listen with the intent of responding, but rather to understand the perspective of the person they are leading. Servant leaders have intentional listening practices, because they value their people and not just the end result. Listening accompanies the value you place on the person you are leading.Leaders who practice communal listening demonstrate their concern for the value of their teams by creating a sense of being seen, heard and valued for what individuals have contributed through their work.

Another way in which servant leaders cultivate leadership qualities in others, is through empowering others. Servant leaders do not "micromanage" or hold on to the controls of their direct report, but allow the members to have the opportunity to develop their leadership capabilities within them. For example, when Jesus sent out his disciples He did not do everything for them, but rather trained, empowered and trusted them to pass along His teachings.

Another common example of servant leadership is visible service to the people they support. Servant leaders do not ask their direct reports to do anything they themselves would not do. The foot washing performed by Jesus on His disciples is an excellent example of how servanthood is expressed through actual struggle and humiliation, not simply an abstract idea.

Many of us struggle when it comes to serving others because we often feel that helping others goes against our natural tendencies. When we embrace servant leadership, we choose to put our pride and ego aside and rely on the validation of others in order to succeed in serving them.

Many individuals who demonstrate humility can find themselves being viewed as weak or passive.Those who are kind to you often take advantage of your kindness. When you think of yourself as giving out of love and goodwill, it can be disheartening to discover that others may not feel the same way. As a servant leader, you are called to serve others rather than to be viewed as a failure. This is much more important.

Also, servant leaders experience fatigue while serving others constantly. So much of ourselves can become exhausted from serving others. This is especially true when servant leadership relies so heavily on our relationship with God. Jesus was often seen going off to pray and spend time alone where He could rest before serving others again. For Him, it was a necessity before He could go out to serve others.

When servant leaders lead a team, they have a tremendous amount of influence based on their servant leadership style. Servant leader teams tend to have more trust and engagement from their employees than do non-servant leader teams. Servant leaders also experience greater commitment and loyalty to the organizations they lead than do non-servant leaders. However, the greatest impact of servant leaders is that they exemplify serving others ahead of seeking after the status, power, and/or recognition associated with being a leader.

There is a difference in leading as Jesus would lead compared to leadership styles in the workplace or community. Leading as Jesus did requires us to demonstrate humility, while leadership styles that focus solely on what has been accomplished by themselves or by whom we know, or accomplished through ourselves. It also requires us to show love when others are motivated by self-interest. Leading as Jesus leads involves pointing others toward a higher calling than we could ever do without Him.

For the next week, I encourage you to serve others and perform acts of service for those you lead, as well as anyone else around you. There does not have to be any authority or title associated with you to perform this. Acts of service may be as simple as giving someone encouragement, helping someone with their project, or simply listening without distractions. Do these acts in secret, without expecting anything in return.

After the week, reflect on your experience and evaluate both your service towards others, how others perceived you as a result of your actions, and what perception you have of yourself based on your acts of service.

References

Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Paulist Press.

Maxwell, J. C. (2007). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership: Follow them and people will follow you. Thomas Nelson.

van Dierendonck, D. (2011). Servant leadership: A review and synthesis. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1228-1261. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310380462

The Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). 1 Peter 5:7. Biblica, Inc. (Original work published 1973)