{"id":110443,"date":"2023-08-15T11:09:11","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T15:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=110443"},"modified":"2026-01-22T14:36:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T18:36:28","slug":"servant-leadership-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/servant-leadership-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"Servant Leadership: Examples and Advice to Live By"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are the best servant leadership examples? How can churches and businesses be socially responsible?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Servant Leadership<\/em> by Robert K. Greenleaf gives advice about how different kinds of institutions can fulfill their unique social responsibilities. He also discusses what you can do as an individual to fulfill your social responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading for servant leadership examples in churches, universities, foundations, and individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Advice for Churches<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first of four servant leadership examples is the social responsibility of churches. According to Greenleaf, the social responsibility of churches is to unite spiritual seekers with spiritual visionaries who can help them grapple with relevant moral issues. <\/strong>He uses the Quaker leader George Fox as an exemplar, arguing that Fox successfully convinced other Quakers of the spiritual importance of treating people lovingly in all parts of life\u2014which contributed to the Quakers\u2019 push for gender equality, the abolition of slavery, and fair business dealings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fulfill this social responsibility, Greenleaf argues that churches must accomplish three things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Materially and spiritually improve churchgoers\u2019 quality of life<\/strong>. He argues that churches lose their ability to influence people\u2019s behavior when they merely preach about religious rules without actually meeting the needs of those they claim to serve. For example, if a church teaches that you should care for the sick but doesn\u2019t help its own congregants when they get sick, they\u2019re likely to be seen as hypocritical and lose followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Train spiritual visionaries to tap into their intuition and lead the way forward. <\/strong>Greenleaf believes that there always have been and always will be a number of spiritual visionaries in the world\u2014these are people who have intuitive wisdom about what needs to happen for the world to heal. If churches proactively teach future visionaries to trust their own intuition and equip them with leadership skills, they\u2019ll become more effective spiritual leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teach spiritual seekers to become servants. <\/strong>Greenleaf says that serving others<\/a> fulfills an innate spiritual need\u2014uniting you with others in the work of healing the world\u2014and that\u2019s what people are looking for when they join a religion. Teaching seekers to serve also fulfills the church\u2019s larger purpose: When churchgoers go about their day-to-day life with the intention of serving others, they carry out the healing work of the religion outside of the church\u2019s walls\u2014for example, in their business dealings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advice for Universities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Greenleaf, the social responsibility of universities is to prepare students to become servant leaders. <\/strong>He believes that the fundamental purpose of an education is to help students discover how to use their unique strengths to make a positive contribution to society, and that job-specific training should be secondary to that goal. This is especially important for disadvantaged students\u2014he argues that they have a responsibility to return to their communities and use their education to lead them out of poverty and marginalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: While Greenleaf argues that universities have a social responsibility to prepare future servant leaders, others take issue with the idea that college students should take responsibility<\/a> for social problems. In The Coddling of the American Mind<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt argue that universities\u2019 sole purpose is to help students discover truth\u2014and that when students are more concerned with social justice than the truth, they become fragile and susceptible to groupthink<\/a>, making campuses more polarized. On the other hand, many experts say that students benefit from social justice efforts by becoming more active citizens<\/a>, which may inspire marginalized students to become community leaders<\/a> after graduation.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fulfill this social responsibility, Greenleaf argues that universities should implement a pilot program in servant leadership for promising freshmen.<\/strong> Students enrolled in this program would be expected to learn the fundamentals of leadership, make an effort to improve life on campus, and come up with a rudimentary plan for their future as servant leaders. This program would run similarly to college athletic programs, with faculty proactively seeking out and coaching students with leadership potential<\/a>, just as a college football coach might recruit and train new talent. Additionally, visiting scholars and professionals should also be made available to these students as resources whom students can consult as they develop their leadership skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Value of College Leadership Programs<\/strong>

Leadership programs for college students are becoming more popular, and some research suggests that they may help students develop concrete leadership skills<\/a>\u2014like greater integrity, a heightened sense of civic responsibility, improved multicultural competence, and better ability to handle differences of opinion. However, other research suggests that while students may test <\/em>better with regard to these competencies, they don\u2019t actually behave <\/em>differently after undergoing leadership training<\/a>\u2014which undercuts the value of such programs.)

While colleges typically don\u2019t proactively draft potential leaders into training programs, they do <\/em>weigh demonstrable leadership skills heavily in the college application process<\/a>. Some experts are concerned that this dilutes the concept of leadership\u2014instead of emerging as leaders of causes they genuinely care about, students are incentivized to vie for top positions just to pad their applications. <\/em>As an alternative to this approach, some experts believe we should recognize the equal importance of being a good follower <\/em>and offer followership training programs<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Advice for Foundations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Greenleaf, the social responsibility of foundations is to disperse money to grant applicants who will actually improve the world<\/a> in some meaningful way. <\/strong>He explains that for a variety of reasons\u2014including bureaucratization and a relative lack of accountability\u2014foundations often seem to invest their funds in unproductive ventures, which makes people question their legitimacy. He believes that in fact, foundations are only legitimate when they succeed in serving people\u2019s unmet needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Foundations share their social responsibility with public charities, another kind of organization whose purpose is to give money to others in society-improving ways. But foundations differ from charities in terms of where they get their funds:<\/a> Foundations are typically funded by a singular entity (person or business) that gives the foundation a one-time endowment; the endowment is then invested to produce a constant income stream. In contrast, charities must be publicly funded by continuous donations.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fulfill this social responsibility, Greenleaf argues that foundations must accomplish two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safeguard against corruptive giving. <\/strong>Corruptive giving is giving that appears altruistic but is actually self-serving\u2014for example, a foundation may give money to an organization because it hopes to exert control over that organization\u2019s operations, rather than because it hopes to enable that organization to help people. Greenleaf says that it\u2019s the responsibility of foundation trustees to ensure that the foundation\u2019s heart\u2014and grant money\u2014is in the right place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Some experts say that foundations haven\u2019t made much progress on this front since the publication of Greenleaf\u2019s book: Foundations are still charged with squandering their resources and investing primarily in causes that will serve their own interests<\/a>, like the arts, instead of tackling tough problems like poverty. According to some experts, one way to counteract this is to consult and\/or employ community members<\/a> to ensure that funds are being invested in the right ways and places.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balance common sense<\/a> with innovation. <\/strong>Greenleaf explains that common sense is a good place to start when it comes to deciding who should receive grant funds\u2014if you invest in a solution that obviously won\u2019t work (for example, an effort to end world hunger by giving everyone in the world a microwave), you waste money that could\u2019ve been contributed toward social progress. But conventional wisdom isn\u2019t always enough\u2014innovation is needed to solve tough, long-lasting problems. To balance these considerations, Greenleaf says foundations should have two separate staffs: one that researches creative applications of existing technologies to difficult problems, and one that concerns itself with common-sense grant applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Foundations don\u2019t typically carry out their own solutions-oriented research, but they do fund research ventures<\/a>. A well-known example of this is the Ford Foundation<\/a>, which awards 1,500 grants per year to researchers investigating solutions to inequality. Here\u2019s how it works: Foundations put out a call for research proposals, usually centered on a particular research topic. Researchers put in their proposals, and then foundations determine which proposals are the most promising. Foundations then grant funding to the most competitive research projects.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advice for Businesses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Greenleaf, the social responsibility of businesses is to provide fulfilling jobs for employees and fulfilling services for consumers. <\/strong>He explains that fulfilling jobs are those in which employees can use their unique strengths to provide an important service for others. For example, media companies provide fulfilling jobs for journalists\u2014journalists are good researchers and writers, and they enjoy using those strengths to help subscribers learn. As for fulfilling services, Greenleaf believes that as society improves, people will become less concerned with material goods and more concerned with their psychological needs\u2014so companies should strive to provide services that meet those psychological needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fulfill this social responsibility, Greenleaf argues that businesses must accomplish two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commit to helping employees grow. <\/strong>This requires that businesses embrace continuing education in the workplace and equip aspiring leaders with the skills they need to progress. Greenleaf also argues that labor unions are an important aspect of this process\u2014they represent the interests of employees and negotiate with company leadership to ensure that work conditions are healthy and sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proactively work to contribute to the greater social good. <\/strong>First, companies should evaluate how they\u2019re currently faring on this front by collecting data and the opinions of everyone whose life is touched by the company, from consumers to employees to shareholders. Based on that information, company leaders should then come up with a plan for improvement. Greenleaf notes that it\u2019s not good enough for a company to follow the letter of the law\u2014it must stay ahead of the curve when it comes to social issues. For example, this could mean striving for true inclusion of people with disabilities instead of simply meeting the minimum legal requirements for accessibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advice for Individuals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Greenleaf, the social responsibility of any individual is to serve others. <\/strong>Some people are cut out to be servant leaders; others are best suited for following servant leaders and can serve others as they do so. In any case, serving others can be broken down into two parts: seeing others\u2019 potential for greatness, and helping them turn that potential into a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Philosophers have expressed opposing viewpoints as to whether everyone has a moral obligation to serve others<\/a>. On one hand, some believe that suffering isn\u2019t caused by injustice but by bad luck\u2014and since luck falls on everyone equally, you\u2019re under no obligation to help those who are less fortunate than you. On the other hand, others believe that inequality is fundamentally unjust, so you do <\/em>have a responsibility to help those who are suffering.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fulfill this social responsibility, Greenleaf argues that you should try to do the following throughout your life, in whatever capacities you serve:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resist bureaucracies.<\/strong> Greenleaf argues that since bureaucratization is one of the reasons modern institutions are failing, we all have a duty to try to overturn bureaucracies and do our part to build and promote ideal institutions instead. He says that you can resist bureaucracies by prioritizing creativity and wonderment, making the most of each day, listening to visionaries, staying humble, and gracefully enduring and learning from hardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Greenleaf doesn\u2019t explain how these measures can help you resist bureaucracy, but we can surmise that they help in at least two ways: They incentivize you to push back against harmful ideas and to treat people with human dignity, which experts say are essential steps toward undermining bureaucracy<\/a>. Other ways to overturn bureaucracy include sharing power, taking smart risks, and prioritizing ethics over productivity.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make the best choices you can make. <\/strong>For Greenleaf, this means trying to understand the moral issues of your time, weighing the pros and cons of every possible solution, and endeavoring to pick the one that has the greatest potential to improve society<\/a>. If you make a wrong choice, try to learn from it and move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Experts believe that one effective way to make ethical decisions is by universalizing<\/em><\/a>\u2014asking yourself what the world would be like if everyone <\/em>made a similar decision to yours. For example, it might not seem like a big deal for you to lie to someone once\u2014but if everyone lied all the time, it would be much harder for people to know the truth about anything, generally\u2014which might have chaotic and dangerous consequences. If the outcome of universalizing seems bad, you may want to make a different decision. Then, after relying on universalizing to make a decision<\/a>, reflect on whether your choice had the outcome you\u2019d predicted\u2014and if not, learn from your mistake.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are the best servant leadership examples? How can churches and businesses be socially responsible? Servant Leadership by Robert K. Greenleaf gives advice about how different kinds of institutions can fulfill their unique social responsibilities. He also discusses what you can do as an individual to fulfill your social responsibility. 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