IN THE NAME OF GOD
Title: The characteristics (Attributes) of servant leadership in public
sector from the Islamic value system perspective (with emphasis on
Nahjul Balaghah)
Author: Mohsen Allameh, Assistant professor, Management Department,
Administrative Sciences and economics faculty, Isfahan University
Abstract
Servant leadership is a relevant model for the 21st century where people and
relationship skills take priority over the task and product especially in the
public section. This concept was primarily introduced in the western society.
Doing a thorough investigation in the literature and philosophy of Islam
religion and specifically in Nahjul Balaghah which consists of the letters and
sermons of Imam Ali to his followers and officers, demonstrates that this
concept had been developed and nurtured in Islamic instructions to leaders
specifically public administrators. In addition it could be mentioned that
Islam has gone beyond the concept of servant leadership and has presented
some additional features according to this concept.
In this paper, a review of the literature in the area of servant leadership has
been done. In addition some aspects of Islamic servant leadership which are
drawn from Nahjul Balaghah are presented. Finally, the conclusion is given.
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Introduction
Since Greenleaf’s (1970) thought-provoking essay, several scholars and
practitioners have embraced the concept of servant leadership. Although this
concept is elusive, there appears a practical credibility that has spawned
increased attention to servant leadership. (Barbuto, Wheeler, 2007)
Although the notion of servant leadership has been recognized in the
leadership literature since Bum's (1978) and Greenleaf’s (1977)
publications, the movement has gained momentum only recently. It may be
difficult to think and act both as leader and servant at the same time - a
leader who serves and a servant who leads. Nevertheless, the dynamic
conceptual relationships and complementary roles between servant hood and
leadership have recently attracted the attention of leadership scholars and
practitioners. (Sendjaya, 2002)
Many scholars have written about similar concepts, using terms such as selfsacrifice, egalitarianism, altruism, spiritual leadership, authentic leadership,
and stewardship. Notions of service, selflessness, and positive intentions are
tantamount to each of these concepts. (Barbuto, Wheeler, 2007)
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Regarding Islamic value system, it is apparent that rendering service by
leaders specifically public administrators to their followers has been deeply
emphasized. In fact Islamic instructions according to servant leadership
especially in Nahgul Balagheh are quite rich and fruitful and in most cases
goes beyond the western concept of leadership.
Servant leadership: Literature review
Robert K. Greenleaf (1904-1990) inspired the servant leadership concept
among modern organizational theorists.
Leadership, according to Greenleaf, must first and foremost meet the needs
of others. In addition to Greenleaf, various other writers espouse servant
leadership as a valid, modern theory for organizational leadership.
For example, Covey (1998) said, ``the servant leadership concept is a
principle, a natural law, and getting our social value systems and personal
habits aligned with this ennobling principle is one of the great challenges of
our lives'.( Russell, 2001)
An examination of the variety of concepts used to describe servant
leadership could suggest that what appears to be a relatively straight-forward
concept is either quite complicated or lends itself to elaboration with a wide
variety of terms. For example, scholars describe servant leadership as
behaviors or leader characteristics including humility, relational power,
service-orientation, follower development, and encouragement of follower
autonomy, altruistic calling, emotional healing, persuasive mapping, wisdom
and organizational stewardship (Barbuto and Wheeler, 2006).
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Other formulations of servant leadership include the following aspects:
moral love (also termed ‘agape’), altruism, vision, trust, service, humility
and follower empowerment (Dennis and Bocarnea, 2005; Patterson, 2003);
vision, influence, trust, service and credibility (Farling et al., 1999);
voluntary subordination and authentic self (humility); covenantal
relationship (service to followers), responsible morality, transcendental
spirituality and transforming influence and emotional healing, creating
value for the community, conceptual skills, empowering, helping
subordinates grow and succeed, putting subordinates first and behaving
ethically.
A concept of leadership that focuses on the welfare of followers rather than َ
glorification of the leader, and that emphasizes social contribution, has
proven to be very appealing.
Consequently, increased attention has been directed at, and value placed on
an approach termed ‘servant leadership’. (Hale & field, 2007)
According to Patterson, the definition of servant leadership is as follows:
Servant leaders are those who serve followers with a focus on them,
whereby the followers are the primary concern and the organizational
concerns are peripheral.
The servant leader constructs are virtues, which are defined as the good
moral quality in a person or the general quality of goodness or moral
excellence.
The literature regarding servant leadership reveals many distinguishable
attributes of such leaders. These include:
. Vision;
. Credibility;
. Trust;
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. Service;
. Modeling;
. Pioneering;
. Appreciation of others; and
. Empowerment
According to Aggarwal and Simkins (2001), the function of servant leaders
who are senior managers is to support frontline employees in their efforts to
serve customers, (2001).
They do this by discovering each employee’s uniqueness and by unleashing
(also a function of empowerment) the creativity within each other. (Waddell,
2006)
Some of these characteristics are mentioned below.
- Listen first and talk less: Listen to what the organization is saying and then
dynamically articulate it.
- Develop one's skills in empathy in order to build a strong servant leader.
- Use the power of healing as a way to repair their own and other's sense or
lack of wholeness: people carry out old emotional baggage and hurt from
their past. The servant leader helps create an opportunity to influence other’s
emotional and spiritual healing process that supports the healing of those
hurts.
- Awareness: A servant leader makes commitment to develop awareness and
awakens our understanding of ethics and values.
- Skillful persuasion: Persuasion does not come from a position of power but
rather by seeking to listen and convince others. This process allows leaders
and followers to influence one another mutually.
- Nurture his/her ability to dream great dreams: The servant leader also
attempts to see a larger picture of what is possible for the organization.
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- Foresight: Understanding the lessons from the past, the realities of the
present and the consequences for the future.
- Stewardship: Commitment to serving the needs of others first while
holding the values of the organization for the greater good of the society.
- Commitment to the growth of people: Commitment to the personal,
professional and spiritual growth of each and every individual within the
organization.
- Building community: Seeking to create community within his/her
organization. (Lubin, 2001)
According to Patterson (2003), the servant leader (a) leads and serves with
love, (b) acts with humility, (c) is altruistic, (d) is visionary for the followers,
(e ) is trusting, (f) is serving, and (g) empowers followers. These are the
seven constructs that comprise the servant leader in Patterson’s model.
(Baldoni, 2004)
Values: The sole and essence of Public administration
Virtually all public services feel compelled to respond with initiatives to
promote leadership. It is obvious that the environment is turbulent and
leadership is an urgent requirement to drive necessary changes. Leaders of
public services organizations may enact practically limitless permutations
and combinations of leadership. (Currie, Lockett, 2007)
Public sector managers routinely do their jobs, solve problems, and even
work some miracles. And they practice ethics besides. Personal,
professional, and public expectations converge to challenge managers who
voice and resolve both routine and emergency ethical problems. Ethical
action is another part of the job. Ethics involves thinking systematically
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about morals and conducting and making moral choices about right and
wrong (making moral judgments) when faced with ethical dilemmas.
What makes ethics so important to public service is that it goes beyond
thought and walks to performance and action. Ethics implies the willingness
to accept the consequences of one’s actions.
Ethics also refers to principles of action that implement or promote moral
values.
Moral character means having appropriate ethical values and is associated
with attributes such as honesty and fidelity.
In sum, the subject of ethics is an action based on judgments of right and
wrong.
Three questions summarize the subject’s pragmatic underpinnings: (1) what
counts in public service? (2) What is at stake? and (3) how can managers
ensure professional success and ethical survival?
Burns (1978) also argued that the concept of values is crucial to leadership
(p. 74). He further explained three separate types of values at the
leader’s disposal: a) “end values goals and standards;” b) “modes of
conduct, such as honor, fairness, honesty;” and c) “‘dual’ values that operate
as both intrinsic and extrinsic values, e.g., a person who goes to university to
get a job but values the education for its own sake”.
Many scholars emphasize that leaders must practice management initiatives
that does not violate moral principles. Focusing on values and moral
premises can provide the method through which we will be able to better
understand what a servant leader is. According to DePree (2002), values
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provide “defining thoughts” that give leaders a clear moral purpose.
“Without moral purpose, competence has no measure, and trust has no goal."
Patterson (2003) has developed a working theory of servant leadership that
creates a platform for more specific research by defining the values on
which servant leadership is based—values that she calls the component
constructs of servant leadership.( Waddell, 2006)
In Patterson’s (2003) view, popular leadership theories such as
transformational leadership have not adequately explained the values—for
example, altruism—that are sometimes demonstrated by leaders. According
to Patterson, “Transformational leadership shows leaders focused on the
organization, and is insufficient to explain behavior that is altruistic in nature
or follower-focused; thus servant leadership theory, which is follower
focused, explains such behavior. (Patterson, Russell, Stone, 2004)
Values are the “soul” of public administration. As Goodsell (1989) states:
“As public administrators, we are more than technical experts. We are also
dealers in values. In the work we do, we continuously make value
choices. . . . Moreover, since we are public administrators, our value choices
carry a special importance: They affect the lives of citizens and represent to
citizens what their government really stands for.” (Government- public
Sector Symposium)
Public administrations are a vehicle for expressing the values and
preferences of citizens, communities, and society as a whole. Some of these
values and preferences are constant; others change as societies evolve.
Periodically, one set of values comes to the fore, and its energy transforms
the role of government and the practice of public administration.
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According to Winston (2002), the leader’s behavior helps the followers’
attitudes, which, in turn, effects how followers behave. He wrote, “A
leader’s foundational values yield beliefs and their beliefs yields intentions
to behave and their intentions spring actual behavior”.
In fact, the person who studies administration studies values and who
practices administration practices the allocation of values.
Gortner (1994) also presents a five-fold distinction: social values,
bureaucratic values, economic values, democratic values, and professional
values. A final example can be found in Goodsell’s work. Goodsell (1989)
distinguishes among five value-orientations: means, morality, multitude,
market and mission. (Government- public sector Symposium)
Servant leadership is not the special domain of any religious group or any
profit or non-profit group. It is the domain of those who are caught up in the
spirit of service.
Sun Tzu, the fifth century B.C. Chinese warlord told his commanders, “Treat
your soldiers like your own beloved son and they will walk through the
valley of death with you.” (Nueschel, 2005)
Servant leadership is a relevant model for the 21st century where people and
relationship skills take priority over the task and product. It taps into a deep
and unique understanding of the human person. (Currie, 2007)
Russell and Stone (2002) concurred that service is the core of servant
leadership and further that this service is a choice of the interests of others
over self interest. Servant leaders know that they are servants first.
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So values are regarded as the core of servant leadership. In fact in order to
apply servant leadership concepts, deep attention must be paid to values.
The Values of servant leadership from Nahj al-balaghah perspective
From its emergence in the seventh century as a tradition in which a prophet
is sent as a lawgiver and an organizer of the community to lead it to its ideal
existence, Islam has provided its followers with a vision. (The role of Islam
in the public square, 7)
The Qur’an does not teach that humanity has fallen through the commission
of original sin. But it constantly warns human beings about the egocentric
corruption that can weaken the determination to carry out divine purposes
for humankind.
In Islamic ideology, the issue of rendering service to public is an
introduction to divine esteem and in fact is regarded as a kind of worship.
On the other hand to the extent that man evolves in the direction of God
recognition, he will be more willing to love people because one who loves
God, does not consider rendering service to people apart from devotion to
God.
Our prophet Mohammed (s) believed that rendering service to people in
addition to belief in God is the criteria of human usefulness and has stated
that:
“Belief in God and being utile for his servants are two good characteristics
that no other characteristics superior that them could be find. “( Imam Ali)
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In fact in Islamic thoughts, the introduction to all rational practices is
altruism whether these people are good and honest or sinful and libertine.
From the Qu oran`s point of view, being utile for people is one of the factors
that reinforces your faith and has regarded the supporters of God as being
ethnic and immortal due to their profitability for others.(Holy Qu oran,
Ra’ad surah, verse 11)
Imam Ali(s) has also considered practicing well with others as the most
important part of every one`s faith.( Ghowr-al-hekam)
Nahjul-balaghah comprises various issues that cover major problems of
metaphysics, theology, fiqh, tafsir, hadith, prophetology, imamate, ethics,
social philosophy, history, politics, administration, civics, science, rhetoric,
poetry, literature, etc. Most of the discussions about various theological
issues and philosophical notions in Islam have their origin in this very book.
Similarly, all the controversies regarding socio-political problems in the
Muslim society and state left their echo in Nahj al-balaghah or rather those
were inspired from the utterances of al-lmam 'Ali (as).
Amir al-Mu'minin used lofty words of research-objectivity with a hefty-pose
of a dispassionate seeker of truth.
In this section, some parts of his letters to one of his officers- Malik Ashtar
are provided so that they could be compared with the concept of servant
leadership which is one of the hottest issues in management literature that
was introduced in the western society. In comparing the concept of servant
leadership of western society and Nahj al-balaghah, it is clear that some
characteristics for governing the society have been introduced in Nahj albalaghah that lack in the literature of servant leadership.
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Maalik al-Ashtar was a famous companion of Imam Ali (a). He was the
head of the Bani Nakha'i clan.
He was a faithful disciple of Imam Ali (a) and also a brave warrior who had
acted as a Commander-in-Chief of the armies of Imam Ali (a). Imam Ali (a)
had specially taught him the principles of administration and jurisprudence.
The following Characteristics are drawn from a letter that was written to him
by Imam Ali (a) who appointed him as the governor of Egypt in place of
Muhammad bin Abi Bakr.
1- Humility
Be kind to people and behave everybody even in looking at them and talking
to them equally.
You must create in your mind kindness, compassion and love for your
subjects. Do not behave towards them as if you are a voracious and ravenous
beast and as if your success lies in devouring them.
Try carefully to realize that a ruler can create goodwill in the minds of his
subjects and can make them faithful and sincere to him only when he is kind
and considerate to them, when he reduces their troubles, when he does not
oppress them and when he never asks for things which are beyond their
power.
2- Controlling your desires
Make your mind the source and fountain-head of good thoughts, good
intentions and good deeds. This can only be attained by keeping a strict
control on your desires and yearnings, however much they may try to incite
and coerce you. Remember that the best way to do justice to your inner self
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and to keep it out of harm is to restrain it from vice and from things which
the 'self' inordinately and irrationally desires.
3- Forgiving and forgetting
Do not feel ashamed to forgive and forget. Do not hurry over punishments
and do not be pleased and do not be proud of your power to punish. Do not
get angry and lose your temper quickly over the mistakes and failures of
those over whom you rule.
Anger and desire of vengeance are not going to be of much help to you in
your administration.
Consider scandal-mongers as the enemies of the State who try to find fault
with others and carry on propaganda against them because everywhere
people have weaknesses and failings and it is the duty of the government to
overlook (minor) shortcomings. You must not try to go in search of those
weaknesses which are hidden from you, leave them to Allah, and regarding
those weaknesses which come to your notice, you must try to teach them
how to overcome them. Try not to expose the weaknesses of the people and
Allah will conceal your own weaknesses which you do not want anybody to
know.
4- Respecting the good practices of the past
Do not give up those practices and do not break those rules which good
Muslims have evolved or introduced before you, which have created unity
and amity among the various sections of the society and which have
benefited the masses.
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5- Considering the needs and necessities of your subjects
Under the impression that you have paid enough attention to their major
necessities and wants, do not close your eyes to their minor requirements
and needs because small favors often bear better fruits though careful
attention to major necessities is very important.
If your followers are satisfied and free from anxieties then they will bravely
and wholeheartedly face the conflicts. Your constant attention towards them
will make them love you more and more.
6- Nurturing Justice
The thing which should most gladden the heart of a ruler is the fact that his
State is being ruled on the principles of equity and justice and that his
subjects love him. Your subjects will only love you when they have no
grievance against you. Their sincerity and loyalty will be proved if they
gather around you to support your government, when they accept your
authority without considering it an unbearable burden on their heads and
when they do not secretly wish your rule to come to an end.
The correct and timely publicity of noble actions and golden deeds creates
more zeal in the minds of the brave and emboldens the cowards and the
weaklings. Do not underestimate and underpay the good work done.
Similarly do not overpay a work simply because it has been done by a very
important person and do not let his position and prestige be the cause of
overvaluation of the merit of his work and at the same time do not
undervalue a great deed if it is done by a very ordinary person or a
commoner. Let equity, justice and fair play be your motto.
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You should not treat good and bad people alike. Everyone should receive the
treatment which his deeds make him deserve.
Punish those who deserve punishment even though he may be your near
relative or a close friend and even if such an action may give you pangs of
sorrow and grief.
7- Having spiritual tendencies
When you are faced with problems which you cannot solve or with a
difficult situation from which you cannot escape or when uncertain and
doubtful circumstances confuse and perplex you, then turn to Allah and the
Holy Prophet (s) because Allah has thus ordered those whom He wants to
guide. The way to turn to Allah is to act diligently according to the clear and
explicit orders given in His Holy Book and to the turn to the Holy Prophet
(s) means to follow those of his orders about which there is no doubt and
ambiguity and which have been generally accepted to be correctly recorded.
8- Thoughtful Staffing
You must select people of excellent character and high caliber and with
meritorious records. They must possess the following qualifications:
Abundance of litigations and complexity of cases should not make them lose
their temper.
9- Educating your followers about the truth
When your followers realize that they have committed a mistake they should
not insist on it by trying to justify it. When truth is made clear to them or
when the right path opens up before them, they should not consider it below
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their dignity to correct the mistake made or to undo the wrong done by them.
They should not be corrupt, covetous or greedy. They should not be satisfied
with ordinary enquiry or scrutiny of a case, but should scrupulously go
through all the pros and cons, they must examine every aspect of the
problem carefully, and whenever and wherever they find doubtful and
ambiguous points, they must stop, go through further details, clear the
points, and only then proceed with their decisions. They must attach the
greatest importance to reasoning, arguments and proofs. They must exhibit
patience and perseverance in scanning the details, in testing the points
presented as true and when truth is revealed to them they must pass their
judgments without fear, favor or prejudice.
They should not develop vanity and conceit when compliments and praises
are showered upon them. They should not be misled by flattery and cajolery.
10- Preventing the corruption
Pay them handsomely so that their needs are fully satisfied and they are not
required to beg or borrow or resort to corruption. Give them such a prestige
and position in your State that none of your courtiers or officers can overlord
them or bring harm to them. Let judiciary be above every kind of executive
pressure or influence, above fear or favor, intrigue or corruption.
11- Helping your followers
The best investment for a ruler is to help his subjects at the time of their
Differences.
Your benign rule and humane treatment will so affect them that they will
come to your help at the time of your difficulties and you will be able to rely
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on their support. Your kindness, your clemency and your justice will be a
kind of moral training to them, and the contented, happy and prosperous life,
for which they will be grateful to you, will be the best support, strongest
protection and the greatest treasury for you.
He orders Malik to use his head, heart, hands and tongue to help the
creatures of Allah because the Almighty Allah holds Himself responsible to
help those who sincerely try their best to help Him.
12- Avoiding your sensual desires
The poverty of the people is the actual cause of the devastation and ruination
of a country and the main cause of the poverty of the people is the desire of
its ruler and officers to amass wealth and possessions whether by fair or foul
means. They are afraid of losing their posts or positions and sway or rule and
want to make the most during the shortest time at their disposal. They never
learn any lesson from the history of nations and never pay any attention to
the commands of Allah.
As he stated that the best of you is the man whose soul is in trouble but
makes no trouble for others.
13- Being faithful to secrets
Especially the affairs which are of confidential nature and which deal with
secrets, and the security of the State should be entrusted only to men of
noble character.
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14- Considering the overall welfare
Particular care should be taken that when the officers make contracts on
behalf of the government or sign agreements, these contracts and agreements
are not defective or harmful to the State, if they are negotiating any treaties
and alliances they do not overlook or forsake the interests of the State or if
they find the State in a weak and embarrassing position on account of
unfavorable terms of treaties or due to intrigues, they should be able to find
sensible ways out of them. See that they know and realize their proper place
and rank, because he who does not realize his place and position will never
understand those of others.
You must always appreciate and adopt a policy which is neither too severe
nor too lenient; a policy which is based upon equity will be largely
appreciated. Remember that the displeasure of common men, the have-nots
and the depressed persons overbalances more than the approval of important
persons, while the displeasure of a few big people will be excused by the
Lord if the general public and the masses of your subjects are happy with
you.
The people over whom you rule are divided into classes and grades and the
prosperity and welfare of each class of the society individually and
collectively are so interdependent upon the well-being of the other classes
that the whole set-up represents a closely woven net and reciprocal aspect.
One class cannot exist peacefully, cannot live happily and cannot work
without the support and good wishes of the other.
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15- Avoiding flatterers in your service
Do not select your subjects for very important posts and not to trust them
completely simply because you have found them honest, diligent,
trustworthy and intelligent and have formed a good opinion about them
because there are some people who, when it suits them, pretend honesty,
diligence and fidelity and can put on the garb of piety and virtue and thus
find their ways in the hearts of the rulers, though actually they are neither
honest nor diligent nor wise nor sagacious. Therefore, you must always look
to the record or reputation of the services of such men during previous
regimes; more importance should be attached to their good reputation.
Around the rulers there usually are certain privileged persons (relatives and
friends). They may often try to take advantage of their status and may resort
to selfishness, intrigues, fraud, corruption and oppression. If you find such
people around you then do away with them (however closely connected they
may be with you), immediately bring an end to the scandal and clear your
surroundings of all such moral and spiritual filth.
Remember that backbiters and scandal-mongers belong to a mean and
cunning group, though they pretend to be sincere advisers. Do not make
haste to believe the news they bring and do not heed to their advice.
16- Hearing the voice of your followers
Out of your hours of work, fix a time for the complainants and for those who
want to approach you with their grievances. During this time you should do
no other work but hear them and pay attention to their complaints and
grievances. For this purpose you must arrange public audience for them
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during this audience, for the sake of Allah, treat them with kindness,
courtesy and respect. You must provide a condition under which those who
have grievances against your regime may speak to you freely, unreservedly
and without fear.
You must take care not to cut yourself off from the public. Do not place a
curtain of false prestige between you and those over whom you rule. Such
pretensions and show of pomp and pride are in reality manifestations of
inferiority complex and vanity. The result of such an attitude is that you
remain ignorant of the conditions of your subjects and of the actual cases of
the events occurring in the State.
17- Tolerance
if you find some people misbehaving, becoming unmannerly or if you feel
that their talk is irrelevant, tolerate them; do not be rude and do not insult
them. Treat them courteously, hear their grievances patiently and if you are
forced to reject their demands then reject them in such a way that your
rejection may please them as much as your grants.
18- Clarification of policies for the public
If on account of your strict measures people get suspicious of your behaving
like a tyrant and oppressor, then come out openly before them and explain to
them the reasons of your actions and let them see the facts for themselves
and realize the truth. This will give training to your mind, will be an act of
kindness to the subjects and the confidence thus reposed in them will make
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them support justice and truth while you will achieve the end you have in
view of obtaining their support in the cause of truth.
19- Keeping promises
Never break your promise even with your enemy, never forsake the
protection or support that you have offered to him and never go back upon
your words. You must even risk your life to fulfill the promises given and
the terms settled because of all the obligations laid by Almighty Allah upon
man (in respect to other men) there is none so important as to keep one's
promises when made.
Discussion
Herb Kelleher, chairman, president, and CEO of Southwest Airlines,
who has been called perhaps the best CEO in America by Fortune magazine
once said:
“I have always believed that the best leader is the best server.” ( leader to
leader , 1999)
Imam Khomeini, the leader and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran has
also stated that:
“If you call me a servant it is better than calling me a leader”.
Although these two sentences seem to be similar, their origins are quite
different.
Taking an instrumental approach to ethical values in the western thoughts
has caused them to be directed towards the domination of ethical values
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because paying attention to these issues lead to the increase in profit and
neglecting them decrease it.
Our first customer is our employees," acknowledges Barrett, one of the
South West Airlines’ managers. "Second are our passengers and third are
our stockholders. If employees are happy, then the passengers are happy. If
the passengers are happy, they come back and that makes our stockholders
happy." (Baldoni,2005, p:22)
In the Islamic value system, rendering service to people is regarded as a kind
of trade with God.
Imam Ali(s) has stated in Nahjul-Balaghah that No business is as profitable
as good practices and the introduction to good practices is presenting service
to people.
The profit of this trade is the divine reward that in the views of Imam Ali no
profit is higher than the divine rewards.
It has also been noted in Quran that the divine bless is better than the things
you gather in this world. ( Holy Quran, Raad Surah)
Based on this ideology, rendering service to people is similar to a match in
which people compete with each other.
It has been stated that: “Compete with each other in gaining the Devine
apology and in the paradise which is extended in the sky and on the earth.
( Holy Quran, Maedeh Surah).
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Conclusion
Based on the increasing importance of rendering service to followers in the
field of leadership, Servant leadership as a management concept has
attracted so much attention in recent years. In addition, in the area of servant
leadership many lessons could be learned from the holy book of Qur'an and
Nahjul Balaghah which include the letters and sermons of Imam Ali that
were given to the public and his officers. By comparing these items, it is
obvious that not only Imam ali`s instructions have some overlaps with the
western concept of servant leadership but also it has many additional
features that servant leadership lacks. (www.al_shia.com)
From the Islamic view, the essence of leadership is modeling so in case the
Islamic system managers specifically in the Public section become a
comprehensive model of ethical values for others, they could create the
context for institutionalization of the servant leadership culture with a
religion-centered approach.
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9- Holy Qu oran, Maedeh surah, verse 48.
10- Holy Quran, Ra’ad surah, verse 11.
11- Bihar_ Al_Anvar, Vol. 7, p. 39.
12- Lubin, K. (2001). Visionary leadership behaviors and their congruency
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13 - Nahjul Balaghah. (Access date: November 10, 2007). Retrieved from:
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14- Neuschel, R. P. (2005). The servant leadership: Unleashing the Power of
Your People. Kellogg publication.
15- Russell, R.F. (2001). The role of values in servant leadership.
Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 22(2), 76-83.
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development and application in organizations. Journal of Leadership &
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17 - Waddell, J.(2006).Development of the Servant Leadership Assessment
Instrument, Regent University.
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