Right off I will admit that I have no clue just what servant leadership means in practice.
Christian business leaders sometimes like to talk about servant leadership. I recently listened to an interview with a woman who was CEO of a turnaround business effort. She mentioned servant leadership but never really explained it. But I also heard how she built teams within the company focused on the essential factors that would lead to business success.
I also knew a man who was CEO of a small technology company. He gave people statues for their bookcases of Jesus kneeling before Peter while washing his feet. That, of course, is the hallmark of servant leadership. Jesus then taught a lesson that his followers had to learn the hard way about “if you want to be a leader, you must first be a servant.”
That man in the end showed no courage and disappeared when the investors forced a sale. That is an image that will always stay with me. And color my impressions when I hear someone say they are a servant leader. It’s not in the words. It’s in the actions.
Drawing on the stories of Jesus and reflecting on these two brief examples, I offer some thoughts:
- Have a vision of the end—changing people’s lives, what a successful business/organization looks like
- Inculcate a measure of humility in your life—recognize you don’t know everything and you just may not be king
- Build teams that work with a focus on what’s important
- Support and guide people
- Don’t be the person who “Lords it over people”, but be a fellow traveler on the journey
- Have the courage to tell people the bad along with the good
There is probably more. I will give it some more thought.
Faith Venture 
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