Being a servant leader is not a new concept it has been around and goes back to 33 A.D.(thank you Linda Fitzgerald, for correcting me) The phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in “The Servant as Leader”, an essay that he first published in 1970.

Organizations as well as individuals can be servant-leaders. When you are a servant-leader you focus mainly on the growth and well-being of others and the communities to which they belong too. Traditional leaders generally involve the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top”.

As a servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as to their best abilities.

For Butler University, Robert K. Greenleaf put the Ten Principles of Servant Leadership together.

Some of the qualities a servant leader holds are:

• Listening to others and values diverse opinions
• Regularly seeks out opinions of others
• Has Empathy for others and willing to help others with life issues not only work
• Commitment to the Growth of People into leadership rolls
• Build’s a community of trust
• Encourages others
• Has selfless qualities

Compare to principals of a traditional leader whose principals are guided by the accumulation of power and money servant leader is guided by the need and opinions of others and the community the servant leader serves.