Leader as Servant Leadership Model

By Sylvanus N Wosu

The Leader As Servant Leadership Model The Laws of Integrative, Transformative Leadership In today's global world, there is no better time for servant's heart of service to reach people seeking authentic leadership. The Leader as Servant Leadership Model is for anybody who aspires to be a leader in service of others and organizations. The book guides you through four integrated dimensions of transformative leadership processes: personal, spiritual (relational), empowerment, and service. With this foundation and for the leadership process to be effective for growth of others and organization, the leader must be more centered on people than organization. Whether you're serving your church, business, institution, organization, or community, this book will guide you in a far-reaching, biblically-based dialogue on the role of the leader as servant. If you're serious about making a lasting and positive impact on others' lives, The Leader as Servant Leadership Model is for you. You are not ready to lead until you are willing to selflessly serve others. Sylvanus N. Wosu has served higher education for more than 25 years and is deeply devoted in leadership ministry, mentoring, discipleship, and global diversity. He is currently an Associate Dean for Diversity Affairs and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. He earned his PhD in engineering physics. A founding member and enduring leader of the African Christian Fellowship, USA, Professor Wosu has fulfilled ministerial duties in multiple churches of differing denominations. He is a commissioned Stephen Minister dedicated to the compassion caring ministry of families. Professor Wosu is the founder of Kanmas Leadership Institute (KLI), and the author of other books on leadership, including: The Authentic Leader as Servant Part I: The Outward Leadership Attributes...; The Authentic Leader as Servant Part II: The Inner Strength Leadership Attributes...and Compassion for Wholeness, and Discovery Guide to Compassion for Wholeness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Proisle Publishing Services
• Release date: Apr 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781959449980

Book preview

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to Mama Jessie Palik for reasons too many to list here. Mama Palik is a major inspiration for embarking on completing this book at this time. Her acts of servant-motherhood, compassion to take intentional actions to bring wholeness to me and my family, and her readiness to listen to and follow God’s agenda in service to others inspired me. Her empathetic attitude walked me out of my wilderness valley and showed me the divine nature of God’s providence and why we are all created to serve others. We are indebted to this mother in her act of servant-womanhood. With all humility and a heart of gratitude to her and God who used her to serve us, I am dedicating the book to her. I want her name inscribed in the heart of everyone who reads this book. Mama Jessie Palik is a woman who practiced being a servant, mother, and a leader to the most vulnerable of people. She is a servant-mother with more than the compassionate heart of the biblical Good Samaritan. She saw equality, even though we were from the extreme ends of socioeconomic classes. She was the grandma my children knew. We love her from the depth, height, and breadth of our hearts, forever!

FOREWORD

Iam honored and privileged to write this foreword so that you might know intimately the author of this book in a deeper way. Sylvanus was born in Nigeria and came to the United States in 1976, where he lived in four different states. In 1979, he married Enefaa, a mighty woman of God and intercessory prayer warrior. Sylvanus has had many wilderness experiences, but through them all, he has remained a man of great faith. His personal prayer life and his compassion to pray for others were born out of these experiences.

More than five years ago, we became close friends and laborers in the Kingdom of God. As a Stephen Leader, I had the privilege to help train Sylvanus as a Stephen Minister to help others deal with life crises. We didn’t allow cultural differences to hinder our relationship. Almost immediately, we had a common bond, Jesus Christ, which allowed our lives to be intertwined. His success as a lay minister in the body of Christ is due to a very important concept. His ministry is not culturally based; instead, it is based on the Word of God.

Sylvanus is the Leader-Servant that he describes in his own book; one who leads by example. Having a servant’s heart, he ministers in several areas of church outreach. I believe that Christ has placed him in the church body as a teacher, and now as author, so that according to Ephesians 4:11-13, Sylvanus might prepare others for works of service, especially in the area of leadership.

This book is not for the lukewarm, complacent leader. Instead, it is mandatory reading for the leader who is serious about service to others and the things of God. This is an excellent text, useful for both personal study and small or large group instruction. It is comprehensive, highly detailed, practical, and filled with wisdom based on experience, faith, and prayer. May God richly bless you as you endeavor to go deeper in your leadership role, whether it’s in your church, your business, or in your community?

_____________________________ Wayne Holt

Lord, establish the work of my Brother’s hands. Let it be fruitful and effective in every situation and in the life of every reader.

Let this work find its way into the hands of those with humble hearts and open minds

Who will apply its principles to the great visions You have placed in their hearts! Our eyes are on You!

_____________________________ Pastor Lance Lecocq

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Iam very thankful for God’s divine inspiration and guidance in initiating and completing this book.

Of course, a project on Servant Leadership would not have been humanly possible without the inspirations of many other leaders. For these, I am very grateful. I especially want to thank Mr. Wayne Holt, who first introduced me to the subject of servanthood in one of our Stephen Ministry Training classes. I am grateful for his hours of reviewing the rough draft of the manuscript and for all his comment to improve the work.

I remember Dr. Abayomi Ajayi-Majebi, who to me exemplified the several leader-servant attributes discussed in this book. He served with me as the Chairman of Board of Directors of ACFUSA. In the years we served, I saw a brother that selflessly sacrificed all he had to serve others well. In the very small budget with which we worked, he sacrificed not only his time and resources by his finances in supporting some of the major program Initiatives. He was humble, diligently goal driven, and compassionate.

Over my years in leadership, I also have learned from the servant hearts of leaders such as Professor Harvey Borovetz, Dr. James Prestige, Dr. Clifford Obih, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi Majebi and others who in so many measures exemplified practical examples of what it means to be a leader-servant. To these individuals, I say thank you for teaching me more than you know..

In my many years of ministry, I have been taught by several pastors what it means to lead by example. I am particularly grateful to a leader-servant such as Pastor Lance Lecocq, Lead Pastor of Monroeville Assembly of God, for his excellent model of servant leadership to the congregation. I am thankful for his motivation and encouragement throughout the hours spent discussing this subject and for his understanding on the days I had to excuse myself from ministerial support duties.

I am also very indebted to others:

To my administrative assistant, Ms. Terri Cook, for her assistance in reviewing the manuscript and for her support to get the project completed.

To Solomon Aiyeru, Former Chairman, Board of Directors, African Christian Fellowship (ACF), USA, for his motivation that launched this project.

To Professor Hyacinth Ezeka, Former President of ACF, Baltimore Chapter for his assistance with the Servant Leadership survey. To all the organizations and institutions for which I have worked in senior leadership positions that afforded me the opportunity to grow as a leader. I am especially grateful to my colleagues in University of Pittsburgh bioengineering department for their supports. To other great authors such as John C. Maxwell, whose works on leadership inspired me to always think as a leader; Robert Greenleaf, whose original essay on Servant as Leader inspired my curiosity and motivated my search for answers to questions raised in his book; Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life which helped me to understand what it was that God wanted me to do in this project; and to all other authors whose works remain part of the great movement on Servant Leadership. To my beautiful and virtuous wife of 34 years, Dr. Enefaa Wosu, without whose support, forbearance, wisdom, and encouragement, this project would not have been completed, I say thank you. And, to God alone, be all the glory and honor for the inspiration, wisdom, and energy!

PREFACE

What is new in this second edition needs to be noted. This book is an inspired writing and attempt was made to keep the content in its original form with minor edits. However, in my personal leadership style and adopting the LSL model, I have observed some unintended challenges in leader-servant leadership style. Hence, Chapter 12, Challenges for Leader-Servants have been added with some suggestions on how to navigate through those challenges. The Summary and Practice in chapter 13 has been expanded to include summaries and key learning and teaching guideline of each chapter that were missing in the first edition.

Who in my life was a good example of a Leader-Servant was one question I asked as I contemplated writing this book. I thought of Enefaa, my wife of 34 years. She served the family well,giving up so much of herself to make the family great. But she ismy wife, and one would expect such from the virtuous spouse shehas always been. But, there is one person that sacrificed so muchto serve us greatly, even though she did not have to do so. She didnot have to do any of the things she did for me and my family. Thatperson was Mama Jessie Palik. This preface is dedicated to her andis written to contextualize why this book honors her. It is a storyof my wilderness walk with love and compassion of this Servant-Mother. Every part of the story is true and real to the Glory of God. It is recounted here (extracted from my essay, His Divine Purpose inmy Wilderness Walk') as a starting case example to demonstrate the inspiration and motivations behind the book.

Servant-Mother’s empathy

When Eliada (who God loves), our first child, was three months old, Jim Tracy, a Christian brother and a true friend that we met in 1979 (early in my transition to Norman, Oklahoma) invited us to go to Tulsa to visit his family and some friends. When we got to Tulsa, he introduced us to Mama Palik, her husband Papa Dr. Emil Palik, and her mother Grandma Josephine Maxwell. I remember the love and care in the eyes of this daughter and her mother as they tried to make these international alien strangers from a completely different culture and race feel welcomed in their presence. The following morning, we went with the family to worship at Christ Church, where Pastor Peterson was the senior pastor.

We arrived in Tulsa with only $20, which we planned to use for gas going home. But during the service, as the offering plate came to us, the Spirit prompted me to give all I had. I resisted, but felt I had to obey. I told my wife, but we could not make change to give at least a fraction of it. In faith, I just believed that God was worth obeying. I needed to just obey, because I knew He must have a better plan. I dropped the $20 dollar bill into the plate. I remember my wife looking at me and asking what I did. I told her I didn’t know but that I had peace in what I did, because I had to obey. I was not confused, because I knew the Spirit voice I heard. Disobedience was a risk I was not willing to take.

After worship concluded, Grandma asked to hold baby Eliada. As we were about to leave, Grandma opened my hand and dropped something in, closed my hand, and whispered into my ears, The Lord said I should give it to you. When I opened my hand, it was a $100 bill. I showed it to my wife. Surprised and amazed how God works, we thanked her. I remember saying, God, You are faithful to Your word.

Think about this! I cannot stop weeping each time I remember this, even as I write this story of more than thirty-three years. Suppose I did not obey. Do you think I would have received this miracle? I do not think so! I sincerely believe that if you do not give up what you think you have, you will not be able to receive the greater thing God has planned for you. God gives you a free will, but your destiny often depends on your obedience and the choices you make in life with what you have.

We went home rejoicing and fuller in faith. As we returned to Norman, Mama Palik called to make sure we arrived safely. They knew the nature and mechanical condition of the car we were driving.

Mama Palik started to judiciously send us $25 each month initially, which she increased to $75, a few months later. When Grandma Maxwell died, Mama Palik continued the support. She kept increasing the support for each of our four children until she gave us $200 for more than eight years without missing a month and never being a day late.

The encounter with Mama and Grandma and the Lord’s faithfulness transformed me forever. There is much I can say in this wilderness experience and the empathy of these women of God. But their acts of compassion in service showed me that indeed we are all created to serve God by serving each other and the least among us.

The story did not end here. God used Mama Palik to meet other different major needs of the family in God’s own time and plan. We never asked her for assistance. We never called her to complain about our needs. The Lord sent her the message, and she just did as the Spirit of God directed her. And each time, she heard right! She was never late to answer the call to serve.

When our second child, HeCareth (he that God cares for) was bom, we had just received a letter from the apartment manager for late payment and were threatened with eviction. By this time, I was working two jobs and was now a full-time graduate student as required for international students. We were also at this time providing housing in our two-bedroom apartment, to a friend and relative who needed a place to stay. We hardly had enough to pay for rent and food yet were willing to house and feed at our own cost, these people who needed help. We chose to walk in their needs even though we desperately needed help ourselves. My wife and I had just finished praying and trusting God. As I was about to leave the room for work, the telephone rang. I asked my wife to pick up the phone, because I wanted to make sure all was well before leaving home. On the other end of the line was a voice. "

I felt in my spirit to call and ask you if you had a need." It was Mama Palik.

Mama, whatever the Lord has put in your heart to do, do it, Enefaa responded.

The next day we received a money order for the exact amount we owed the landlord. How could this be? Why did she call at the time she called? How could she know the exact amount to send? Why did she use a money order? Was all this a coincidence? No, it was no coincidence but divine timing and synchronization of God’s providence. The money order made the funds available immediately to meet the deadline. It was God who touched this servant woman to empathize with compassion, to walk through our wilderness valley. Again!

When our third child, Tamuno-Emi (meaning have hope there is God) was bom, we had arranged a medical payment plan with the doctor’s office. Because we had not paid off the $1,500 balance, the doctor refused to care for my wife. So, when my wife was seven months pregnant with our last child, Kelechi Chidinma (Thank God, for God is good)—for seven months, she had no prenatal visit to any doctor. But God kept my wife safe with absolutely no problems— for seven months. I just have to repeat that! The hospital would not serve us, because we did not have medical insurance, and we could not go back to Emi’s doctor because of the $1,500 balance. We were really confused without an option. But we had a choice!

We chose to delight in our situation such that one could hardly read any need or sadness on our faces. On our knees, we just cast our burden on the good God that we served. We were full of faith. I was called Brother happy and my wife Sister happy. I remember sitting at the dining table, looking at my wife and my three other children. I remember thinking, Lord, You have always come through for us, and You must again because we have no other. But God already sent a message to His submissive servant-mother Mama Palik to burden her heart to answer the call of service. Right as I finished that thought, the phone rang. It was Mama Palik.

Enefaa, how are you and the children doing? She asked, with her usual very caring heartfelt compassionate spirit.

Mama, we are doing well. Thank you for asking. I have not told you, but I am seven months pregnant, Enefaa replied. Really! Is everything okay? Mama inquired with a little surprise. It was as if we were out of our minds to have another child after all we were going through. But Mama did not feel that way for one second.

We believe everything is okay, Enefaa replied, trying to reassure her.

What did the doctor say? Mama continued.

Well Mama, the truth is that we have not seen any doctor yet, Enefaa said.

At this point, Mama Palik was becoming really concerned. What do you mean you haven’t seen a doctor yet? she asked.

Well mama, we owed the doctor $1,500, and he would not see me until that was paid up. Enefaa finally let the whole truth out.

As a woman and a mother, Mama Palik simply could not believe this. She was more worried than we were ignorant of the risk we took. Often, your fears are magnified by the information you have about your state of danger. Two days later, we received a check for $1,500 for the overdue medical bill.

From 1980 to 2005, Mama Palik made sure she sent us Christmas presents and love letters to express her love for us. While we loved her just as deeply, we could never provide anything in return for the gifts. She would call to give me motherly advice and encourage me in my research. Mama Palik was the mother we never had in the United States. She adopted us as her own, and we were very proud to adopt her, and call her our mother. Without her support and love as a mother, my wilderness walk in the United States would have been too difficult and rough to walk through. She accepted and loved us when others suggested we should go back to our country. She stood for us as parents, even when we were threatened by the US immigration office. She sacrificed all that she could to help us complete our American dream of a obtaining a sound education with four degrees, including a PhD in Engineering Physics.

God’s Divine Plan

For the reader of this story to appreciate the hand of God in this relationship, read on to see how this story concluded, though not ended. Papa and Mama Palik attended my graduation and my PhD hooding ceremony in May of 1988, just as good parents would do. Without them, I would not have accomplished my dream of earning a PhD in Engineering.

In the fall of 1988, I had just accepted a faculty position and moved to New Orleans. As the month was ending and the period we usually received Mama Palik’s support was few days away, Mama Palik called to inquire how we were settling in. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she asked, Sylvanus, I wanted to find out if you still had need for this support. That was a surprise to me, and I paused. I replied, No, Mama. The Lord has used you and has provided a job. I do not need it anymore. You have done so much. Others might need it more. We thanked her and thanked God for using her.

A few years later, as we visited her in Tulsa, she told us about her mother’s wish and how she had set this up to help us and after her death she saw the need to continue as God provided through that source. We agreed that my graduation and securing the faculty position was divinely planned, as the fund ran out immediately after I got the job and after that last check.

Mama Palik yielded to the will of God, from her mother to herself, to serve the needs of a vulnerable family she never knew and without expecting anything in return. Why, and for what? Mama Palik would say, Just for the love of God. It was all about the Lord and for Him to receive all the glory! Without Mama Palik, this book would not have been possible. We are blessed to have her as a mother. And, even if this book is the main reason for this wilderness or His divine purpose the wilderness suffering is all worth it!

When you think about the story above, what motivated a person like Mama Palik, to serve our needs the way she did? Why did she remain alongside us until the end of the wilderness walk? When was the last time you walked with someone in that person’s wilderness state of suffering or danger? What motivated you? These personal questions and much more will be explored in this and three others books in relation to the heart of a leader as servant.

Have you ever wondered why some leaders become disengaged from the fellowship or church organization they helped to build? Why do they become disengaged and leave the organizations before or after their terms of office end? Among the many common reasons these leaders give include feeling unappreciated or disagreeing with others about the direction of the organization under new leadership. Some became so completely burned-out that they went into permanent retirement. Others felt hurt by someone, so they left first for a moment, then permanently. Some had a personal agenda that was not achieved; thus, they saw nothing for themselves, no incentives or programs to honor them, so they became too big to remain.

But what are the real reasons behind these actions? One could argue that the most likely real reason could be that most of these leaders needed to re-think what it means to be a leader. Simply put, they could be missing a servant’s selfless heart of service. Until one thinks with selfless mindset, he will continue to be trapped in selfishness—‘what is there for me’ value system. A sound other-centered Leadership Inner Value System is at the core of effective leadership, which builds a thriving Christian community from the level of the followers, to a legacy to which they can return. Indeed, appreciation through some form of award is often a good tool to motivate someone. But leaders who look for appreciation or honor from the followers or persons being served are shortsighted, almost self-centered. Appreciation and honor come from He that sent them to serve.

Some great organizations have failed because of corporate greed; the leaders become so self -centered that they use the employees and organization to serve their interests more than the well -being of others, the organization, or the public. The mindset or attitude needs to be that the service of a Leader Servant, even to the little follower, is really unto the Lord or the Master that sent him to serve.

I have pondered these questions deeply over the years as I reflected on great people with whom I have served that are no longer active in the service, though they are still in the Lord. I have worked through several wilderness experiences and have met people who exemplified servant leadership by the lives they touched. During this period, I also watched my personal life as a leader, father, and husband decline to the level of passivity.

Why would the answers to these questions be found in a complex topic that appears to be well known and has been addressed by the best authors on the subject of servant leadership? As I searched for answers, I came across the essay, Servant as Leader, one of four essays by Robert Greenleaf on the role of a servant and the extension of the work and philosophies of Greenleaf by several others. These early works provided an excellent place to start. Greenleaf s thesis on Servant as Leader, however, and the source of the concept of servantleader troubled me. It took me back to the Bible for more answers. What I found was a disconnect from what I considered to be the real core of servant leadership and a practical model that captures the true biblical basis of servanthood as Jesus demonstrated. Through close work with other LeaderServants in religious organizations for more than thirty years, I knew there could be an alternative perspective that could perhaps add to the discourse. In some instances, I have come to appreciate certain attributes that made some leaders very effective. I have also been disappointed by the servitude and self-centered actions of some well-positioned Christian leaders. Some of these leaders had very good intentions, but their leadership produced few positive fruits in the lives of their followers. I have also wondered if servitude powercontrolled leadership can have a place in today’s Christian organizations. Most important, I wondered if a new integrated model of servant leadership is needed in today’s changing culture and humanity’s expanding needs. In my life as a leader, I have also seen areas where lack of certain attributes have clouded the effectiveness of my own leadership and have appreciated the presence of some attributes that have made me a better leader.

My conclusion on this search is that there is no better time in this generation than now for an authentic servant’s selfless heart of service with today’s global needs and vision to reach people of all races and cultures. This vision, and the leadership process that must be effective, must be centered on people, just as Jesus did. This is the time for the Lord’s Great Commission to reach out the whole world to come alive. For that to happen, we need more—or perhaps a different—integrated mindset on the subject of Leader as Servant: one who is humble and selfless enough to see himself as servant of others and is able to put others above himself.

Thus, my primary purpose is somewhat personal—to influence desired change through a conversation I can initiate! My hope for this project is to serve as a retreat for spiritual revival. In some cases in my presentation, my approach may appear technical. After all, I am a physicist anLd engineer and cannot help my science and engineering backgrounds getting ahead of me. My aim, however, is to communicate key leadership concepts effectively with a different practical perspective in the best way possible for the reader to retain and use. My hope is that the text will converse with you, talk to you, and challenge you to become a better version of yourself based on sound biblical principles. The purpose of this book is to create some teaching moments and help you understand the key foundations and pillars to frame your attitude, relationships, skills, and success as a leader-servant.

My goal is not to displace the excellent works by others in the past but to add a different perspective and conversation on an integrated model of Leader as Servant Leadership (LSL). The project is also not an extension of other leadership theories, although expansions and commonalities do exist and will be identified. My goal is to introduce the concept of leader as servant or Leader-Servant and generate independent thoughts for new dialogue on the subject. Where these thoughts disagree with current leadership theories, this text should only serve as the points of conversation we will continue to have on the subject and should not divide us or distract us from the significance of the subject.

My method of research is to identify key leadership principles from Jesus examples and other leaders in the Bible and analyze their relevance in the context of leadership qualities addressed in terms of the role of a leader as servant. Wherever and whenever possible, I will overlay the biblically-based leadership principles discussed in the text over the secular research on leadership models and principles. I will also use my personal stories and the stories of others to illustrate points. Having spent several years in senior academic leadership positions, mentoring and developing students and faculty, I will align, in some cases, my experiences, good or bad, to some aspects of servant leadership and show what worked or did not work, and why. This project also involves an empirical case analysis of data from a servant leadership audit survey administered to, and collected from, leaders from a nondenominational fellowship with memberships from diverse denominations.

My search for authentic biblically-based leadership model has yielded four books on the subject of leader-servant leadership. The first volume of this project, Leader as Servant Leadership Model (this book), focuses on the four interacting dimensions and the foundational layers for secured servant leadership. The second and third volumes, The Authentic Leader as Servant (Parts I and II), focus on Outward (Part I) and Inner Strength (Part II) leadership attributes, practices and principles, and provide detailed strategies for developing the key attributes that define an effective Leader- Servant in service to others. And the fourth volume, Compassion for Wholeness addresses specific practices of a leader-servant to bring wholeness to others.

About this Book

This book, Leader as Servant Leadership Model, is divided into five parts with twelve chapters. Part I covers Chapter 1, and presents the Leader as Servant Leadership

Model and contrasts that with other models and theories on Servant Leadership. Part II consists of Chapters 2-5, focusing on the four dimensions of Leader as Servant Leadership Model: Personal, Service, Spiritual, and Empowerment leadership processes. Part III describes the Foundational Layers of Leaders as Servant Leadership in Chapters 6-10. In Part IV (Chapter 11), the results of a case study on servant leadership and its implication on a specific organization, is presented and discussed in terms of the first 10 chapters. The book concludes with Part V (Chapter 12) as a summary with applications of the concept. The four volumes (this book and three additional volumes) provide a comprehensive guide on the key foundation, practices, and principles of Leader as Servant Leadership and recommended must-have books for all leaders, students of leadership, and ministers.

For ease of reading, and unless otherwise specified for clarity, the pronoun ‘he’ refers to both male and female genders. Personal references to God and Jesus are capitalized and other standard references to biblical terms are maintained for conformity. Similarly, for clarity of meaning, although this book is on the subject of Servant Leadership, it is only with respect to Leader as Servant Leadership concepts purely based on biblical teaching. Any association with Leader as Servant concept to the idea of servant as leader is a misrepresentation of the concepts and purpose of this book. Unless otherwise stated, wherever Servant Leadership is used needs to be understood in the context of Leader as Servant Leadership.

A variety of Bible translations from the over 11,200 original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words to about 6,000 English words do exist, with a variety of shades of meanings and emphases. I person- ally prefer New King James Version (NKJV). However, in this book I have intentionally included other translations to allow for increased impact and alignment of words to the subject being discussed, and also for personal discovery of new meanings from translations with which I have not been familiar. The variation in translations is also used for the benefit of others who may prefer translations other than NKJV. Hence, in addition to NKJV, other translations used include: New International Version (NIV); New Living Translation (NLT); King James Version (KJV); English Standard Version (ESV); and Good News Translation (GNT). Unless otherwise specified, NKJV should be assumed.

Sylvanus Nwakanma Wosu

PART I

LEADER AS SERVANT

LEADERSHIP MODEL

Chapter 1

LEADER AS SERVANT

LEADERSHIP MODEL

The concepts of leadership in general are as vast as the theories developed to explain them. According to Uhl-Bien et al. (2007), in their Complexity Leadership Theory, Leadership is not merely the influential act of an individual or individuals, but rather is embedded in a complex interplay of numerous interacting forces.1 The three components of leadership framework in most organizations include the structure, which defines the form, mission, direction, and interaction among other parts; the leaders, who influence the process of achieving desired outcomes and model the character and skills that determine whether the organization rises or falls; and the followers, who respond to the structure, and the directions and influence of the leaders. With respect to the concept of leader as servant leadership, a functional definition is outlined below.

Leadership is an integrative process in which a person applies appropriate leadership attributes to guide and influence the desired attitudinal changes in others toward accomplishing a particular goal.

It is important to keep this definition in mind as we navigate this book. This definition assumes that leadership is a process that can occur even when a person leading the process is not necessarily in a formal leadership position. It involves the integration and interactions of human relational factors (of leaders and followers) and organizational policies, structure, values, cultural norms, and so on to achieve desired goals. In this regard, leadership is an integrative, multi-dimensional process and very different from management (the act of managing people and resources to achieve desired goals).

LEADERSHIP THEORIES AND MODELS

At the core of most leadership theories is the support for or explanation of how and why the leadership process works, which is based on a certain set of philosophies (thoughts or beliefs) that guide the explanation. Research has grouped leadership theories into three basic categories: Leadership Models, Leadership Philosophies, and Leadership Styles. Leadership models provide practical structure or the what used to represent how the leadership process works or how the leader leads based on these theories. A theory can also be used to explain a model. Leadership philosophies are the basic ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions of how the leadership process works. They represent approaches to leading that are driven by a set of values and beliefs. These values govern the aims that a leader pursues and how he or she acts. Leadership Style describes the behavior, attitude, or approach used by leaders in a leadership process. I have identified seven key leadership theories or models and their associated philosophies:

Trait-based models support the idea that leaders are born, not made, and focus on finding a group of heritable attributes that differentiate leaders from non-leaders.2 According to trait theories, successful leaders differ from other people, and possess certain core personality traits that significantly contribute to their success. Trait theory is most useful in selecting leaders rather than in developing leaders.

Behavioral/Contingency models support the philosophy of leadership as a set of leadership behaviors and styles, including the idea that leadership takes a strong personality with a well-developed positive ego.3 This theory posits there are three styles: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire, based on the concern of leaders for people, and their concern for achieving goals.4

Situational models state that what an individual actually does when acting as a leader is in large part dependent upon characteristics of the situation in which he functions.5 The situational leadership model suggests four leadership styles or behaviors—Telling: by instruction, direction, autocratic; Selling: by persuasion, encouragement, incentive; Participating: by involvement, consultation; and Delegating: by teamwork, trust, empowerment, responsibility. There are also four levels of follower development—Follower is unable due to low competence, and unwilling due to low confidence; Follower unable due to low experience, but willing; Follower able, but unwilling due to low confidence and commitment; and Follower able and willing.6 In this model, leadership behavior becomes a function not only of the characteristics of the leader, but of the characteristics of followers as well,7 and must match the appropriate level of follower development.

Functional models support the notion that the leader’s primary function is to take care of the needs of the group; the leaders are said to have performed their functions well when they have contributed to the unity and effectiveness of the group they serve.8 According to these theories,9 the leader also monitors the work environment, organizes the activities of the subordinates, teaches and coaches the subordinates while also motivating them, and actively oversees the activities of the group.

Transformative models support the idea of transforming leadership as a process in which leaders and followers help each other to advance to a higher level of morale and motivation by creating significant change in the lives of people and organizations.10 The extent to which a leader is transformational is measured in terms of his or her influence (idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration), on a follower’s sense of trust, admiration, loyalty, and respect for the leader, as well as his or her level of motivation and willingness to work harder. These outcomes occur because the transformational leader offers followers something more than just working for self-gain; they provide followers with an inspiring mission and vision and give them an identity.11, 12

Complexity Leadership Theories (CLT) introduce the organization context, and the internal and external factors that influence the leader’s performance effect outcomes, based on the belief that these factors need be considered in order to understand the role of leadership.13-15 CLT positions leadership differently from a leader, as an emergent, interactive dynamic —a complex interplay from which a collective impetus for action and change emerges when heterogeneous agents interact in networks in ways that produce new patterns of behavior or new modes of operating.15 CLT encourages collaboration, flexibility, systems-thinking, reflection, innovative solutions, and adaptability of organizational structures.

Servant as leader philosophy. The phrase Servant as Leader was used originally by Robert Greenleaf in one of his four essays on the role of servant, with Servant as Leader first published in 1970.16 Other works, such as The Institution as Servants, Trustees as Servants, and Teacher as Servant, followed later. It was never intended to be an official theory on servant leadership, but rather Greenleaf’s explanation of or philosophy on the role of the servant.

SERVANT LEADERSHIP MODELS

Servant as Leader Model

The concept of servant leadership existed long before the phrase was coined in modem times based on the Greenleaf’s Servant as Leader essay.16 No other author has pursued modem servant leadership as a movement like Robert Greenleaf. His framework was that 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. He is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions.18 He noted that 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.18

Several models of servant leadership have emerged over the years. Most of these models position servant leadership around the fundamental philosophy of Greenleaf’s essays. The success of this concept and its implication in a new kind of modern leadership resulted in creating the Leader As Servant Leadership Model 35 Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. Larry Spears described it as a new kind of leadership model—a model which puts serving others as the number one priority. Servant leadership emphasizes increased service to others; a holistic approach to work; promoting a sense of community; and the sharing of power in decision-making.20

Some leaders, such as Ken Keith,21 in his book The Case for Servant Leadership, espoused Greenleaf’s philosophy and identified seven key practices of servant leaders. Sipe and Frick,22 in their book Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership, as the title suggests, identified seven pillars of servant leadership as: (1) person of character; (2) puts people first; (3) skilled communicator; (4) compassionate collaborator; (5) foresight; (6) system thinker; and (7) moral authority.