Johns Hopkins University School of Professional Studies in Business and Education

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The Key Elements of Servant Leadership
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Servant LeadershipQuest for Caring
LeadershipLarry SpearsStewardship Choosing
Service Over Self-interestPeter BlockIdeas of
Robert Greenleaf
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Listen Receptively

• A leader listens to what others have to say.
• The leader strives to truly understand what
  others have to say.
• Listening is a skill that requires the leader to
  understand on a deeper level.
• Listening
• Involves getting in touch with ones inner voice
  - a true ability to reflect
• Encourages thoughtful silence
• Sometimes what we dont say is of equal
  importance.

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Acceptance of Others

• People need to be accepted and recognized for
  their special and unique spirits.
• Hear what others have to say without adding any
  judgments.
• Always keep an open mind.
• The servant leader seeks to understand and
  empathize with others.

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Foresight and Intuition

• The leader always sees the entire picture.
• Leaders frame questions from a genuine place of
  not knowing all the answers.
• Leaders sense relationships.
• We can tell a lot about the leader by the
  questions s/he asks.
• Servant leaders understand the lessons of the
  past, the realities of the present, and the
  likely consequences of a decision for the future.

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Awareness and Perception

• General awareness, particularly self-awareness,
  is essential.
• Servant leaders
• Possess the ability to see probable outcomes of
  situations
• Understand the issues of ethics and values
• Honor all sides on complex issues
• Can see issues through the eyes of staff

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Powers of Persuasion

• Servant leaders
• Use persuasion rather than positional power to
  make organizational decisions
• Possess a deep belief in the unlimited potential
  of staff
• Build consensus
• Tap the entheos (authentic spirit) rather than
  enthusiasm (sometimes fake)
• Convince rather than coerce others

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Conceptualize and Communicate

• Servant leaders
• Nurture the ability to dream great dreams
• Think beyond the day-to-day realities in problem
  solving.
• Have clear goals and the ability to explain them
  to others
• Say lets go, instead of saying get going
• Project a think beyond today reality

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Exerts a Healing Influence

• Servant leaders
• Recognize they have an opportunity to help make
  whole the broken spirits of those with whom they
  come in contact
• Honor the potential of staff to solve their own
  problems
• Connect by listening deeply

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Builds Community

• A servant, helper, teacher firstleader second
• Commitment to personal and professional growth of
  staff and self
• Belief that people have an intrinsic value beyond
  teaching
• Clear recognition of the importance of community,
  particularly in school environments

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Art of Contemplation

• Servant leaders choose their words very
  carefully.
• Leaders always take time to think (reflect),
  rather than react.
• Just do it is not part of their vocabulary.

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The Desire to Change Oneself

• Servant leaders
• Participate in the process of change willingly,
  including personal change
• Want to bring value to the organization by
  lifting up others
• Value intellectual capital
• Want to provide support to all for the greater
  good of all

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The Reversed Pyramid of Leadership
The principal