Leo Salvador

The Power of the Ordinary: the Servant Principle Leo Salvador

Publisher Marketing: Servant leadership, both in biblical example and in today's practice, gives evidence that being a servant does come first. "Servant" does not merely modify leadership, it is the very way to leadership. Serving those you choose to lead is an expression of leadership, not the position you hold, or the title you bear. We'll develop this in several ways, beginning with the concept of Robert Greenleaf: The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. 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. Think of servant leadership as a two-layered image. On the bottom--the foundation--is the rich presentation of service as described on the previous pages. Laid over the top, in perfect harmony with servanthood, is an almost equally rich portrait of "leadership." Together, they form the servant-leadership principle: a vision of leadership in the pattern of Christ. Without the element of service, leadership would forfeit its Christian mooring. Without the perspective of leadership, servitude loses its direction, its ability to imprint followership, and its potential to fulfill the Christian mission.