Lately I’ve been revisiting a tried-but-true leadership concept that took shape in the 1970’s-80’s–servant leadership. Robert K. Greenleaf is known as the father of modern servant leadership and founder of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.

The concepts of servant and leader, naturally, bring thoughts of tension between the two concepts. Why? Because, frankly, most of us have not worked with servant leaders; instead, we have worked for drum majors. You know, the manager that likes to be out front leading the parade in a shining uniform tooting his/her own horn. Funny, how drum major managers often don’t realize that their bands dwindle in number and effectiveness over time. Let me not digress though.

Recently, I have noted that unhealthy management behavior is slowly creeping into our organizations and businesses. So, I thought it would be a good idea on learning how we can hone our leadership skills by serving others. I have compiled a few articles to help us understand this leadership style.

Let’s begin by defining this management approach and describing managers who are servant leaders.

10 Characteristics of a Servant Leader

The following is a list of 10 Qualities that Servant Leaders (and the organizations they serve) possess.Read more…

Servant Leadership Begins With A Vision

A servant-leader has a desire to serve others so that they can develop themselves and in so doing perform to meet organisational needs. Read more…

After understanding the qualities of a servant leader and the benefits of this management approach one can wonder why this style is uncommon in today’s workplace. The following article from Harvard Business Review gives some interesting points. Well, actually, I found the comments from other readers to be even more enlightening than the original article.

Why Isn’t Servant Leadership More Prevalent?

Servant leadership (SL) is a concept that triggers a great deal of interest, judging by my e-mail inbox and the number of responses to this month’s column. Many comments suggested that: (1) servant leadership is practiced by many respondents, (2) it works, and (3) there are a number of reasons why others don’t or can’t practice it. Original Article Servant leadership is an age-old concept, a term loosely used to suggest that a leader’s primary role is to serve others, especially employees. Read more…

The  two closing articles gives accounts of how two leaders evolved and applied servant leadership traits to their jobs. One, U.S. Air Force Maj. Timothy Grebs, evolved into a servant leader while being an executive in the military. The other, Cheryl Bachelder, CEO of Popeyes, describes how her leadership style helped her turn her struggling company around.

Run to the Sound of the Guns…Be a Servant Leader

Usually we can think of two names, one good and one bad, that personify each bound of the leadership spectrum. This reality leads to the fact that even though we are called to be leaders in military service, not all of us have shown that capability. However, leaders are NOT born, but rather developed through a combination of training, mentorship, and opportunity. Read more…

Popeyes CEO on servant leadership traits

When Cheryl Bachelder started at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, the struggling restaurant chain needed help. Its stock had sunk from a peak of $34 per share in 2002 to just $13 when she took over as CEO in 2007. By executing an aggressive growth plan and aiming to serve the interests of the franchise owners, average restaurant sales jumped 25%, profitability improved, market share increased, and the stock is now trading in the $60 range. Read more…

As Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. said in his drum major sermon, we are all naturally wired to want to be drum majors. But, I think, the truly great and successful managers are those that can harness the natural inclination of me-first and, thus, create profitable and successful businesses and organizations.