The Week in Review

Servant Leadership – Purpose for Today, Impact for Tomorrow (part 3)

Written by Minister Jewel D. Williams

Written December 2009

Characteristics of a Servant Leader

After examination of what the Bible contributes to the understanding of servant leadership, it logically leads to the next step, which is to ask how does the biblical example of servant leadership present itself today in the leadership of an organization?


Woolfe mentioned that there are cynics that believe the “Golden Rules” have no place in business. In fact Woolfe writes, “They argue that the real ‘Golden Rules’ of business are ‘Them that has the gold makes the rules,’ and ‘Do unto others before they can do unto you.’”[1] He further affirms that a number of modern business leaders have found that without compassion and kindness to their employees, customers and suppliers, that short-term results do not last for the long-term. The workplace becomes a mechanistic environment where the employees become discouraged, performance lags, many “retire on the job” or become bitter and others go looking for a more human environment (Woolfe 2002, 50).


One can ascertain from Woolfe’s writing that while there are some that are not comfortable looking at leadership from the “servant leader” perspective, the results are undeniable when these Christ-like characteristics are lived out in the life of the leader. Where then does the leader start in developing a servant leadership style? Caruso and Salovey posit, “Developing others forces leaders to ask, ‘Who does a leader serve?’ Does the leader serve him- or herself first, or the needs of his or her team, shareholders and customers?”[2]

James M. George, one of the contributing writers to John MacArthur’s book, Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically writers about the character of a leader. “The Bible says much about what a leader is to be than it does about what he is to do…if he does not meet qualifications of biblical morality, he is unfit to be a leader in God’s church.”[3] George argues that the minister is far more important than what he is able to do. In the long run it is more about who one is, more so that what one can do (MacArthur 2005, 90).


Joseph M. Stowell in his book, Shepherding the Church: Effective Spiritual Leadership in a Changing Culture agrees with George’s stand about the character of the person in leadership. “…we who are called to spiritual leadership need to expect more of ourselves and hold ourselves accountable to scriptural standards rather than societal opinions. The biblical perspective on effectiveness in leadership consistently regards character as the essential prerequisite.”[4] Stowell encourages spiritual leaders (but this wisdom can be used by all leaders) to be more concerned with their character. Additionally he states, “This is a world where it’s not what you are as a person that counts, but it’s what title you hold, what floor your office is on, and what your business card looks like.”[5] Segil, Goldsmith and Belasco add additional insight when they state, “Getting things done is important for manger performance, but doesn’t doing mundane things need to be in balance with our private lives? As a leader, you also need to be able to be yourself.”[6] They concluded from their research that leaders are not different from what they do. In their research they found that successful leaders do things in harmony with who they feel they are. They reconcile private and work life. “This is not easy, but the ‘servant leader’ doesn’t use his or her ascribed status only to help people achieve, he or she also uses it to balance family life and business.”[7]


What has been discussed thus far? A servant leader does not hold to the standard that it is every man for himself as positioned by Woolfe. The Servant leader’s character is not one that only affects his work, but it also is part of his every day life. The character of a servant leader is bigger than what he does, it is also who he is as stated by Stowell and George. This leadership style has a moral application that can be seen throughout the pages of the Bible. The servant leader influences others by his character and this is true both in the church as well as in the work environment. If a leader is uncaring, her or she cannot expect to have employees that care. Stowell states it this way, “A critical shepherd will foster a critical flock.”[8]

What are the characteristics of a servant leader and how are they developed? Burke and Cooper pose that leadership development and character development are one and the same. Character can be developed leading to habits and behaviors that result in one being a servant leader (Burke and Cooper, 2006, 14). “Servant leaders make a commitment to be the best they can be…Servant leaders gain their influence over others through their authority not their power.”[9]

Spears submits a list of ten characteristics and how they appear in the life of the servant leader. Spears list was extracted from Greenleaf’s original writings. These characteristics are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people and building community (Spears 2004, 8-9).


Listening. A servant leader listens intently to others. The servant leader seeks to identify the will of the group and helps clarify that will. Empathy. The servant leader strives to understand and empathize with others. People need to be accepted and a servant leader does that. Healing. One of the great strengths of the servant leader is the potential for healing one’s self as well as others. Servant leaders recognize they have the opportunity to help others reach wholeness. Awareness. General awareness, as well as self-awareness helps to strengthen the servant leader. Awareness also helps the leader understand issues involving ethics and value. Persuasion. A servant leader’s primary reliance is on persuasion rather than positional authority in making decision. He seeks to convince others rather than coerce compliance. Conceptualization. Servant leaders seek to nurture their ability to dream. The ability to look at a problem from a conceptualizing perspective means the leader must think beyond the day-to-day realities. Foresight. This characteristic allows the servant leader to understand the lessons from the past, the realities of the present and the likely consequences of a decision for the future. Stewardship. Servant leadership, like stewardship, assumes a commitment to serving the needs of others. It also uses openness and persuasion rather than control. Commitment to the growth of people. Servant leaders believe people have an intrinsic value beyond their tangible contributions to work. The servant leader recognizes the tremendous responsibility to do everything possible to nurture the growth of employees. Building community. Servant leaders realize that much has been lost in recent human history as a result of the shift from local communities to large institutions as the primary source where lives are shaped.

Manz remarks about the humility of the servant leader when he states, “No longer are they the king or queen of the hill, or do they dominate the spotlight…Being a humble servant is the path to greatness that Jesus points to.”[10] These few sources show an overarching theme that a servant leader is a one that seeks to serve others through a humbling of ones on self. After examination of the character of a servant leader, the next step is to examine the goals of a servant leader and that is what this writing now addresses (come back next week for the next installment, FUTURE GOALS OF A SERVANT LEADER).

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[1] Woolfe, The Bible on Leadership: From Moses to Matthew: Management Lessons for Contemporary Leaders, 50.

[2] Caruso and Salovey, The Emotionally Intelligent Manger: How to Develop and Use the Four Key Emotional Skills of Leadership, 203.

[3] John MacArthur, Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005), 90.

[4] Joseph M. Stowell, Shepherding the Church: Effective Spiritual Leadership in a Changing Culture (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 148.

[5] Ibid, 149.

[6] Segil, Goldsmith and Belasco, Partnering: The New Face of Leadership, 213.

[7] Ibid, 214.

[8] Stowell, Shepherding the Church: Effective Spiritual Leadership in a Changing Culture, 164.

[9] Burke and Cooper, Inspiring Leaders, 14.

[10] Manz, Leadership Wisdom of Jesus: Practical Lesson for Today, 119.