Servant Leadership: An Effective Leadership Style for the Twenty-First Century

The Twenty-first century is becoming disruptive in many ways; the natural and the man-made world is changing rapidly. Over the past decade, both governmental and business leaders have struggled to earn the trust, commitment and support of followers and society at large, and business “ethics” has repeatedly been labeled an “oxymoron.” Leaders may influence their followers using questionable tactics that can be unethical and pursue goals that are not right, not for shareholders, employees, customers, communities, nor for themselves. Therefore, the aim of a leader must be to engage in leadership practices that are not only effective but also ethical and moral. In this chapter, we highlight that without ethics, moral character, ability to listen with the intent to understand and empathize with others, trust, and the ability to assess the consequences that lead to a greater good, leadership becomes ineffective. In that regard, servant leadership offers a unique perspective and a solution to shift our current thinking and converge our worldview into a universal value system that can serve humanity and the natural world. Servant leadership qualifies as a holistic leadership approach which focuses on stakeholder development in rational, relational, ethical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions.