Living and Teaching
Tangible Servant
Leadership
“People do not care how much you know,
until they know how much you care.”
— John C. Maxwell
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Some
Definitions of ‘Leader’:

A person or thing that leads.

A guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement,
or political group.

One that leads or guides.

One who is in charge or in command of others.

2
One who has influence or power,
especially of a political nature.

A person who rules or guides or inspires others.

A person who is in front or goes first.

A person who is the head of, organizes or is in charge (of
something).

The head …of any body… as of a tribe, clan, or family; a person in
authority who directs the work of others…
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What is a Leadership Style?
The patterns of a leader’s interaction
with his/her followers!
Why is Leadership Style Important?

Leadership style impacts the motivations of
employees, either positive or negative.

Studies show that roughly 70% of a group’s
effectiveness is a direct reflection of a leader’s
perceived understanding of them and the use
of a leadership style that is comfortable to
them.
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Measuring a Leader’s Impact!


David McClelland conducted a
study at Harvard & found that
leaders, with strengths in the
emotional intelligence areas,
were far more effective than
those who lacked strengths.
McClelland was researching the
linkages between leadership,
emotional intelligence, climate,
& performance.
Leadership Style
Classifications
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Authoritative
Coercive
Affiliative
Democratic
Pacesetting
Coaching
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Leadership Style
Characteristics
The Coercive Style
Intent
The Authoritative Style
Intent
The Affirmative Style
Intent
The Democratic Style
Intent
The Pacesetting Style
Intent
The Coaching Style
Intent
on obtaining immediate employee compliance
Tight control over situations & emphasizes the negative
over the positive when providing feedback
on mobilizing people toward a vision
Applies a long-term thinking strategy & clearly stated
direction to the organization & relies on the skillful use
of influence to gain employee buy-in to decisions
on promoting harmony, cooperation, & good
feelings among employees
Will put people first & tasks second
on building group consensus & commitment
through group-management in making decisions
Tightly controls situations & emphasizes the negative
over the positive when providing feedback
on setting high performance standards
Wants quick results from a highly motivated &
competent team
on developing people for future performance
Focuses on employee strengths & weaknesses &
develops action plans to support career goals
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A Harvard study examining leadership in the work
place (done by McClelland) found that:

All 6 leadership styles have a measurable effect on
each aspect of climate.

There was a direct correlation of the impact of
climate on financial results – such as return on
sales, revenue growth, efficiency, & profitability.

Leaders who used styles that positively affected the
climate had decidedly better results than those who
did not.
His bottom line…
 Leaders need to make use of many styles in
order to be effective.

The more styles a leader uses, the better.
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Definitions of Servant:
 One who serves, or does services, voluntarily or on compulsion; a person who is
employed by another for menial offices, or for other labor, and is subject to his command;
a person who labors or exerts himself for the benefit of another, his master or
employer; a subordinate helper…

A person in the service of another.

One who expresses submission, recognizance, or debt to another.

A person working in the service of another…

In a subordinate position…

A person who is hired to work for another…
Definitions of Service:

An act of assistance or benefit; a favor.

An act of helpful activity; help; aid.

Work done by one person or group that benefits another.

The performance of work or duties for a superior or as a servant.

Be of service, to be helpful or useful.
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Being the leader in a church is earning respect
through love, care and genuine concern.
(1 Kings 3:9; Luke 22:25-28; Matthew 25:21; Mark
9:33-37; John 5:19; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy
3:1-5; 2 Timothy 2:24; Hebrews 13:17)
S.E.R.V.E.
Source: “Leading at a Higher Level”,
Ken Blanchard
S…See the Future
E…Engage and Develop People
R…Reinvent Continuously
V…Value Results and Relationships
E…Embody the Values
It is serving others unselfishly while influencing and empowering
them to grow in a Christ-directed, purposeful direction.
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Are you a Servant Leader?
Can you answer affirmatively to these questions?
Do the members of your church believe that you are willing to
sacrifice your own self-interest for the good church?
Do the members of your church believe that you want to hear
their ideas and that you will value them?
Do the members of your church believe that you remember
what is happening in their lives and how it affects them?
Do the members come to you when the chips are down or
when something traumatic has happened in their lives?
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A Calling to Serve…
 Servant leaders have a natural desire to serve others.
 Servant leaders have a desire to make a difference for other people
and will pursue opportunities to impact others’ lives.
 This characteristic cannot be taught, so unless a person has a
natural calling to serve, servant leadership is not a realistic or
compatible style.
“Servant” and “Leader” are often thought of
as opposites
both logical and intuitive
The process of balancing the two concepts
is not ‘either/or’, but ‘both/and’
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The power of servant-leadership

Lies in one’s ability to combine the best of being
a leader with the best of being a servant.

Is not something you do, but something you are.

Is about creating both culture and environment
which fosters the best in people and helps them
unleash their true potential.
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Paradoxes
Servant-Leadership, itself a paradox, requires a constant balance…
Great
Be Without Pride
Planned
Be Spontaneous
Discipline
Compassionate
Right
Serious
Say, “I’m Wrong”
Enough To
Laugh
Wise
Admit You Don’t Know
Busy
Listen
Strong
Be Open To Change
Leading
Serve
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Robert K. Greenleaf
Largely considered the father of modern Servant-Leadership
Career:
 38
Years at AT&T, largely in management training and
development
 25 Years consulting on Servant Leadership thereafter
 Coined the term Servant-Leader in 1970’s
 Founded Center for Applied Ethics (now Greenleaf Center for
Servant-Leadership)
Inspiration:
 Hermann Hesse’s short novel Journey to the East in 1960’s
◦ Account of a mythical journey by a group of people on a spiritual quest
 True leadership stems first from a desire to serve
Essays:
 The Servant as Leader (1970)
 The Institution as Servant (1972)
 Trustees as Servants (1972)
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According to Greenleaf…
Adapted from “The Servant as Leader”:
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…
…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?"
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Ten Key Characteristics
Larry Spears
was the President/CEO of the Greenleaf Center
for 25 years.
Spears extracted 10 characteristics from Greenleaf’s work










Listening
Empathy
Healing
Awareness
Persuasion
Conceptualization
Foresight
Stewardship
Commitment to the Growth of People
Building Community
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Characteristic Breakout
Breaking out Spears’ characteristics into 3 dimensions…
SERVANT-LEADER
Servant
Leader
Listening
Stewardship
Awareness
Empathy
Commitment to
People
Persuasion
Healing
Conceptualization
Building Community
Foresight
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Characteristic Breakout
Breaking out Spears’ characteristics into 3 dimensions…
SERVANT-LEADER
Servant
Leader
Listening
Stewardship
Awareness
Empathy
Commitment to
People
Persuasion
Healing
Conceptualization
Building Community
Foresight
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Listening
Servant leaders are excellent listeners.
People understand that servant leaders want them to share their ideas and
that these ideas will be valued.
Listening is a skill that can be learned and is essential for those who desire
to be a servant leader.
Empathy Servant leaders can “walk in others’ shoes”.
Leaders who are empathetic have earned confidence from others
by understanding whatever situation is being faced.
This characteristic is a skill that comes more naturally to some
than others, but is pertinent for all who aspire to be a servant leader.
Healing
Servant leaders are people who others want to approach
when something traumatic has happened.
They are good at facilitating the healing process and others gravitate
toward them when emotional needs arise.
The ability to create an environment that encourages emotional mending
is crucial for those who want to become great servant leaders.
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Characteristic Breakout
Breaking out Spears’ characteristics into 3 dimensions…
SERVANT-LEADER
Servant
Leader
Listening
Stewardship
Awareness
Empathy
Commitment to
People
Persuasion
Healing
Conceptualization
Building Community
Foresight
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Awareness
Servant leaders have a keen sense for what is happening around them.
They are always looking for cues from the environment to inform
their opinions and decisions. They hone their perceptions.
They know what’s going on and will rarely be fooled by appearances.
Knowledge of others perspectives is a curcial skill for development.
Persuasion
Servant leaders seek to convince others to do things rather than relying
on formal authority.
They are naturally very motivating and offer compelling reasons when
they make requests.
They never force others to do things. They provide opportunity and incentive.
They recognize what motivates and what opportunities are valued.
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Conceptualization
Servant leaders nurture the ability to conceptualize the world, events
and possibilities.
They encourage others to dream great dreams and avoid getting
bogged down by mundane realities and operations.
They foster an environment that encourages thinking big and valuing
the creative process.
Those who want to be great servant leaders develop an environment
that focuses on the conceptualization of divine goals.
Foresight
Servant leaders minimize ‘reaction’ through proactive methods of gauging
trends and being open to change.
They establish mechanisms to develop plans and keep them in motion.
They encourage engagement and facilitate shared visioning.
Servant leaders are prepared and proactive. They visualize goals which
connect and advance “doing the right things for the right reasons”.
They are conscience of the consequences of present decisions on future
outcomes.
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Characteristic Breakout
Breaking out Spears’ characteristics into 3 dimensions…
SERVANT-LEADER
Servant
Listening
Empathy
Healing
Leader
Awareness
Stewardship
Commitment to
People
Persuasion
Conceptualization
Building Community
Foresight
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Stewardship
Servant leaders often are characterized by a strong sense of
stewardship.
Stewardship stems from medieval times when a steward
would be assigned to hone the skills and development of
the young prince to prepare him for his reign.
A steward in an organization is responsible for preparing it
for its destiny, usually for the betterment of society.
When we describe a leaders as having a strong sense of
stewardship, we refer to a desire to prepare the
organization to contribute to the greater good of society.
Making a positive difference in the future is characteristic
of the stewardship mentality.
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Building Community
Servant leaders have a strong sense of community responsibility both
within and outside their church. They work hard to foster this in an
organization.
They believe that an organization needs to function as an active active
participant of the community at large (local, national, global).
A servant leader instills a sense of community pride in all things relating to
the mission and vision of the church.
Commitment to People
Servant leaders commit in investment in people.
They develop church members and staff.
They express clear goals and work to help others understand. They dedicate
time and self in continuous assessment and measured performance.
They are coaches and mentors who value learning and varied methods and
opportunities for all to learn.
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Servant Characteristics
There is a focus to serving others through these characteristics…
Over the
course of
our time
together
we will
investigate
and work
to perfect
these skills!
Listening
 Active, not just passive
 360°, top to bottom
 Listen completely before deciding
Empathy
 Separate person from their actions
 Walk a mile in their shoes
 Personable with appropriate individuals
Healing
 Help your church become whole
 Remember their history
 Build a future together
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References
Publications referenced, paraphrased or extracted from include the
following:
Autry, James A.; The Servant Leader: How to Build a Creative Team, Develop Great
Morale, And Improve Bottom-Line Performance. Three Rivers Press, New York, NY
2001.
DeGraaf, Don; Tilley, Colin; Neal, Larry; Servant-Leadership Characteristics in
Organizational Life. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership. Westfield, Indiana.
2001.
Greenleaf, Robert K.; Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power
& Greatness. Paulist Press, Mawah, NJ. 1977, 1991, 2002.
Hansel, T. ; Holy Sweat. Word. Dallas, TX. 1987.
Hunter, James C.; The World’s Most Powerful Leadership Principle: How to Become a
Servant Leader. Crown Business, New York, NY. 2004.
Spears, Larry C., Lawrence, Michelle (et al); Practicing Servant Leadership: Succeeding
Through Trust, Bravery, And Forgiveness. Jossey-Bass, San Fransisco, CA . 2004
Spears, Larry C.; Diary of Alpha Kappa Psi (article: Servant-Leadership). Gary L.
Epperson, CAE. Spring 2008.
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