143:
persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community (pp. 3–6). It is important to note that these characteristics are not simply traits or skills possessed by the leader; a century of research has rejected what Bass and
Stogdill (1990) referred to as an "approach tended to treat personality variables in an atomistic fashion, suggesting that each trait acts singly to determine the effects of leadership" (p. 87). Rather, servant-leadership is an ethical perspective on leadership that identifies key moral behaviors that leaders must continuously demonstrate in order to make progress on Greenleaf's (1977/2002) "best test". The "best test", which gives us the ethical ends for action, combined with Spears' distillation of traits that identified the means, create a powerful framework for a review of the literature that furthers the conceptual framework for servant-leadership.
166:
allegiance is that which is freely and knowingly granted by the led to the leader in response to, and in proportion to, the clearly evident servant stature of the leader. Those who choose to follow this principle will not casually accept the authority of existing institutions. Rather, they will freely respond only to individuals who are chosen as leaders because they are proven and trusted as servants. To the extent that this principle prevails in the future, the only truly viable institutions will be those that are predominantly servant led.
36:
196:, Inc. He continued writing, refining and focusing his ideas on several different areas of leadership. For example, to apply Servant Leadership to an organizational level, he wrote "The Institution as Servant". For educators, he wrote "The Leadership Crisis: A Message for College and University Faculty" and "Teacher as Servant". Other writings targeted seminaries, personal growth, religious leaders, and trustees.
138:
disappears. Then the group falls into disarray and the journey is abandoned. They cannot make it without the servant Leo. The narrator, one of the party, after some years of wandering, finds Leo and is taken into the Order that had sponsored the journey. There he discovers that Leo, whom he had known first as servant, was in fact the titular head of the Order, its guiding spirit, a great and noble leader.
114:. For the next 40 years he researched management, development, and education. He became suspicious that the power-centered authoritarian leadership style so prominent in U.S. institutions was not working, and in 1964, he took an early retirement to found the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership (initially called the Center for Applied Ethics).
160:
taken by the servant first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and the most difficult to administer, is this: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?
179:
Implementing
Greenleaf's ideas in modern American institutions is anathema to many leaders and followers, who desire a different paradigm that is based on coercive power and control rather than legitimate power based on mutual agreements. Greenleaf's book, however, is the text for anyone interested
151:
Greenleaf was captivated by the idea of a servant being the leader. In "Essentials" he wrote "As it was, the idea lay dormant for 11 years during which I came to believe that we in this country were in a leadership crisis and that I should do what I could about it." In 1970 Greenleaf published his
165:
A fresh critical look is being taken at the issues of power and authority, and people are beginning to learn, however haltingly, to relate to one another in less coercive and more creatively supporting ways. A new moral principle is emerging, which holds that the only authority deserving of one's
204:
In 1985, the Center for
Applied Ethics changed its name to Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. Greenleaf died in 1990, and the center continued his work. In 1996, it published two posthumous essay collections. Many colleges and universities include Servant Leadership in their curricula, and
159:
The servant-leader is servant first...Becoming a servant-leader 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...The difference manifests itself in the care
142:
A conceptual framework that is helpful for understanding servant-leadership is found in the "Ten
Characteristics of the Servant-Leader" described by Larry Spears (1998). Spears distills Greenleaf's (1977/2002) instrumental means into ten characteristics: listening, empathy, healing, awareness,
137:
In this story, we see a band of men on a mythical journey...The central figure of the story is Leo, who accompanies the party as the servant who does their menial chores, but who also sustains them with his spirit and his song. He is a person of extraordinary presence. All goes well until Leo
174:
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
152:
first essay, titled "The
Servant as Leader", which introduced the term "servant leadership". Later, the essay was expanded into a book, which is perhaps one of the more influential management texts yet written. The Servant Leadership movement was born.
205:
hundreds of companies embrace
Greenleaf's philosophy. Greenleaf is buried in Terre Haute; the epitaph on his tombstone reads, "Potentially a good plumber; ruined by a sophisticated education."
180:
in connecting the two often disparate terms, servant and leader. His work addressed these two questions in particular: How can leaders serve people? What is the source of legitimate power?
170:
Greenleaf (2002) felt strongly that his "best test" should apply to all of our institutions. His "best test", which he knew would be hard to grade, is stated:
373:
111:
57:
122:
According to his essay, "Essentials of
Servant Leadership", Greenleaf's philosophy had its roots from reading a work of fiction in 1958:
79:
378:
393:
383:
222:
50:
44:
388:
61:
368:
363:
103:
132:
96:
188:
Through the next 25 years, Greenleaf served as a consultant to such notable institutions as
107:
294:
Bass & Stogdill's
Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications
264:
193:
357:
127:
336:
Black Belt Leader, Peaceful Leader: An
Introduction to Catholic Servant Leadership.
17:
315:
Servant
Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness
252:
Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness
236:
Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness
329:
Insights on Leadership: Service, stewardship, spirit, and servant-leadership.
324:(H. Rosner, Trans.). New York: Picador (original work published in 1932).
189:
29:
155:
Of his philosophy, Robert Greenleaf wrote in "Essentials",
99:
movement and the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.
348:
192:, the American Foundation for Management Research, and
126:
The idea of the servant as leader came out of reading
110:
in Minnesota, he went to work for AT&T, then the
254:(25th anniversary ed.). New York: Paulist Press, 27.
238:(25th anniversary ed.). New York: Paulist Press, 24.
301:Robert K. Greenleaf: A Life of Servant Leadership.
308:The Servant-Leader Within: A Transformative Path.
223:Robert K. Greenleaf: A LIFE OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP
317:(25th anniversary ed.). New York: Paulist Press.
246:
244:
172:
163:
157:
124:
8:
303:San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
95:(1904–1990) was the founder of the modern
27:Founder of the Servant Leadership movement
265:"Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership"
80:Learn how and when to remove this message
292:Bass, B. M., and Stogdill, R.M. (1990).
112:American Telephone and Telegraph Company
43:This article includes a list of general
214:
7:
296:(3rd ed.). New York: Free Press.***
49:it lacks sufficient corresponding
25:
374:People from Terre Haute, Indiana
225:, excerpt, accessed 9 March 2023
34:
106:in 1904. After graduating from
1:
410:
349:Robert K. Greenleaf Center
327:Spears, L.C., ed (1998).
234:Greenleaf, R. K. (2002).
313:Greenleaf, R.K. (2002).
310:New York: Paulist Press.
306:Greenleaf, R.K. (2003).
250:Greenleaf, R.K. (2002).
93:Robert Kiefner Greenleaf
379:Carleton College alumni
334:Warneka, T.H., (2008).
322:The Journey to the East
64:more precise citations.
177:
168:
162:
140:
102:Greenleaf was born in
299:Frick, Don M. (2004).
221:Frick, D. M. (2004),
394:20th-century Quakers
384:American consultants
104:Terre Haute, Indiana
133:Journey to the East
320:Hesse, H. (2003).
97:servant leadership
90:
89:
82:
16:(Redirected from
401:
389:American Quakers
331:New York: Wiley.
280:
279:
277:
275:
261:
255:
248:
239:
232:
226:
219:
108:Carleton College
85:
78:
74:
71:
65:
60:this article by
51:inline citations
38:
37:
30:
21:
18:Robert Greenleaf
409:
408:
404:
403:
402:
400:
399:
398:
354:
353:
345:
289:
287:Further reading
284:
283:
273:
271:
263:
262:
258:
249:
242:
233:
229:
220:
216:
211:
202:
194:Lilly Endowment
186:
184:Consulting work
149:
120:
86:
75:
69:
66:
56:Please help to
55:
39:
35:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
407:
405:
397:
396:
391:
386:
381:
376:
371:
366:
356:
355:
352:
351:
344:
343:External links
341:
340:
339:
338:Ohio: Asogomi.
332:
325:
318:
311:
304:
297:
288:
285:
282:
281:
256:
240:
227:
213:
212:
210:
207:
201:
198:
185:
182:
148:
145:
119:
116:
88:
87:
42:
40:
33:
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
406:
395:
392:
390:
387:
385:
382:
380:
377:
375:
372:
370:
367:
365:
362:
361:
359:
350:
347:
346:
342:
337:
333:
330:
326:
323:
319:
316:
312:
309:
305:
302:
298:
295:
291:
290:
286:
270:
269:greenleaf.org
266:
260:
257:
253:
247:
245:
241:
237:
231:
228:
224:
218:
215:
208:
206:
199:
197:
195:
191:
183:
181:
176:
171:
167:
161:
156:
153:
146:
144:
139:
136:
134:
129:
128:Hermann Hesse
123:
117:
115:
113:
109:
105:
100:
98:
94:
84:
81:
73:
63:
59:
53:
52:
46:
41:
32:
31:
19:
335:
328:
321:
314:
307:
300:
293:
272:. Retrieved
268:
259:
251:
235:
230:
217:
203:
187:
178:
173:
169:
164:
158:
154:
150:
141:
131:
125:
121:
101:
92:
91:
76:
70:October 2008
67:
48:
369:1990 deaths
364:1904 births
274:14 November
62:introducing
358:Categories
209:References
118:Philosophy
45:references
175:deprived?
58:improve
200:Legacy
47:, but
147:Works
276:2023
190:MIT
130:'s
360::
267:.
243:^
278:.
135:.
83:)
77:(
72:)
68:(
54:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.