t n e m ll Leveraging the fi l u F Power of Servant d n a y Leadership t li a u t ri pi Building High S e Performing Organizations c a l p k r o W n s i e di James Laub u t S e v a r g l a P Palgrave Studies in Workplace Spirituality and Fulfillment Series Editors Satinder Dhiman School of Business Woodbury University Burbank, CA, USA Gary Roberts Regent University Virginia Beach, VA, USA Joanna Crossman University of South Australia Adelaide, SA, Australia Satinder Dhiman Editor-in-Chief Gary Roberts and Joanna Crossman Associate Editors By way of primary go-to-platform, this Series precisely maps the terrain of the twin fields of Workplace Spirituality and Fulfillment in the disciplines of business, psychology, health care, education, and various other allied fields. It reclaims the sacredness of work—work that is mind- enriching, heart- fulfilling, soul-satisfying and financially-rewarding. It fills the gap in schol- arship in the allied disciplines of Workplace Spirituality and Flourishing. Using a comprehensive schema, it invites contributions from foremost scholars and practitioners that reflect insightful research, practices, and lat- est trends on the theme of workplace spirituality and fulfillment. The uniqueness of this Series lies in its anchorage in the moral and spiritual dimension of various positive forms of leadership—such as Authentic Leadership, Servant Leadership, Transformational Leadership, and Values- Based Leadership. We welcome research monographs and multi-authored edited volumes representing myriad thought-positions on topics such as: Past, Present and Future Directions in Workplace Spirituality; Workplace Spirituality and World Wisdom/Spiritual Traditions; Culture Studies and Workplace Spirituality; Spiritual, Social and Emotional intelligence; Nature of Work; Mindfulness at Work; Personal Fulfillment and Workplace Flourishing; Workplace Spirituality and Organizational Performance; Inner Identity, Interconnectedness, Community and Transcendence; Managing Spiritual and Religious Diversity at Work; Spirituality and World Peace Imperative; Sustainability and Spirituality; Spirituality and Creativity; and Applied Workplace Spirituality in Health Care, Education, Faith-based Organizations, et al. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/15746 James Laub Leveraging the Power of Servant Leadership Building High Performing Organizations James Laub Palm Beach Atlantic University West Palm Beach, FL, USA Palgrave Studies in Workplace Spirituality and Fulfillment ISBN 978-3-319-77142-7 ISBN 978-3-319-77143-4 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77143-4 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018944424 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover credit: PhotoAlto / Alamy Stock Photo Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Praise Page “Dr. Jim Laub’s book Leveraging the Power of Servant-Leadership is wise, stun- ning, and incisive. His contributions to define and help leaders be aware of the grave differences between autocratic, paternalistic, and servant-leadership are among the most radiant research findings in contemporary leadership studies. Dr. Laub’s experience and understanding of leadership are vital and immutable, shown in the ancient truth he uncovers: that leadership is not only dangerous and therefore requires uncommon discernment and self-responsibility, but that leadership also evokes in leaders the responsibility to lead with great love and devoted sacrificial service to others and the world.” —Shann Ray Ferch, Professor of Leadership Studies, Gonzaga University, USA “Dr. Laub has given us a magnificent synthesis of leadership stories, studies, metaphors, and history that often reads like a page-turning novel. This book is the place to start for a comprehensive and readable introduction to servant- leadership and leadership studies in general. While reading Dr. Laub’s magisterial volume, I filled my own small notebook with quotes and insights new to me. While deeply rooted in Greenleaf’s writ- ings, Leveraging the Power of Servant Leadership goes further to begin answer- ing the questions: “So what?” “What does research say?” “How do I implement and measure the effects of servant leadership?” and finally, “What are the deepest roots of servant leadership in my own experience?” v vi Praise Page Bravo to Jim Laub! He has shown that when fine writing joins deep scholar- ship and infectious passion for the topic, the result is a high gift for readers and learners—a textbook replete with fresh, thoughtful, wisdom-filled pages.” —Don M. Frick, PhD, Greenleaf Academy, Viterbo University, USA “This book provides an excellent introduction to servant leadership, including a rich historical perspective on how servant leadership fits among an array of approaches to leadership. Laub clearly distinguishes servant leadership from other approaches, and does a great job of addressing many of the key criticisms of servant leadership. I highly recommend this book!” —Robert C. Liden, Professor of Management, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA “Grounded in the seminal work of Robert K. Greenleaf, Jim Laub’s book dis- cusses a quarter century of servant leadership research. He expands on existing scholarship and uses his Organizational Leadership Assessment model to explore the fundamental disciplines of servant leadership. Laub presents findings that support the bottom-line benefits to organizations pursuing this approach. And, importantly, he offers a practical how-to guide to leveraging the power of servant leadership tenets and values within organizations and institutions.” —Lea E. Williams, Adjunct Instructor, ESOL, Guilford Technical Community College, USA “In the midst of all worklife turbulence, servant leadership is more timely than ever, and without a doubt, James Laub has written the book about servant lead- ership. It’s thorough, it’s engaging, it’s practical and what’s best, it’s also theory- driven and research-based. I warmly recommend this book to anyone who wants to develop a servant leader mindset and thus become a good leader.” —Jari Hakanen, Research Professor, University of Helsinki, Finland “Jim Laub’s approach to servant leadership is unique and his model is well grounded in research and practice. This book is important and most useful for those interested in learning about successful leadership for creating a healthy work environment.” —Sigrún Gunnarsdóttir, Associate Professor of Leadership at University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland “An invaluable resource to anyone interested in servant leadership. Laub pro- vides a comprehensive summary of the origins of servant leadership as well as Praise Pag e vii contemporary research findings. Through the use of metaphor and practical examples, he demonstrates how servant leaders can reshape their organizations to become more ethical and effective.” —Craig Johnson, Emeritus Professor of Leadership Studies, George Fox University, USA “The Servant Leadership community reveres Jim as one of the top thinkers and, for as long as I’ve known him, he’s shown the ability to paint a picture of what Servant Leadership looks like in a compelling manner. This book proves that! If you want to understand Servant Leadership, this book will start your journey by showing you the joy of serving others, the challenges of doing so, and then con- vincing you it is worthwhile.” —Kathleen Patterson, Professor and Director of the Doctorate of Strategic Leadership Program, Regent University, UK “Jim Laub’s latest book on servant leadership is a ‘must read’ book, that students as well as practitioners will find invaluable. I love the way the book starts by addressing the ‘purpose of leadership.’ The unanswered question is ‘leadership for what?’ This aspect is well addressed. The book draws out the historical development of leader- ship, situates servant leadership in its proper context, and makes the valuable con- nection that servant leadership behaviors emanate from a true identity of a servant. Practitioners will find the latter half of the book particularly valuable. These chapters show how a servant leadership mindset is developed, how systems and structures support a servant leadership culture, and various models and tools that will help develop servant led organizations. I highly recommend this book …. well done Jim.” —Dr. Peter Sun, Associate Professor, University of Waikato, New Zealand “Jim Laub is indisputably an expert on servant leadership. His new book goes more than one mile further. By reminding the fundamentals of all leadership and differentiating servant leadership from paternalistic leadership, Jim addresses a fundamental issue. This book offers profound insights that readers will want not only to reflect, but to act on.” —Vincent Giolito, Lead researcher, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium “Leveraging the Power of Servant Leadership is an indispensable resource and a well- researched tool for any student, practitioner or organization with a compelling resolve to serve and steward healthy, high performing servant led organizations.” —Sally Chew, Chairman of The Greenleaf Centre for Servant Leadership, Singapore viii Praise Page “Jim Laub provides a compelling case for the priority of servant leadership. Laub calls us to see servant leadership not simply as another theory, but rather a mind- set that places the good of the led over the self-interest of the leader. In Leveraging the Power of Servant Leadership, Laub presents research-based insights for lead- ers. Take time to discover servant leadership’s capacity to positively transform teams and organizations in this important and timely resource.” —Justin A. Irving, Interim Co-Vice President and Dean, Bethel University, USA “A high performing organization is successfully built from its roots in order to ensure the foundation is solid for growth. The OLA instrument has proven to be a great tool for tracking the organization’s health in areas that are critical for it to reach the type of cruising altitude that supports sustainability. What is delightful about this book is learning from an author who lives servant leadership that is a precursor of high performance.” —Dale Dan, President, Kaieteur Falls University, Guyana “Jim Laub is a servant leadership pioneer, bridging academic rigor with practical relevance. His model is both comprehensive and easy to understand. This book will sharpen your thinking on servant leadership, provide a deeper understand- ing where it comes from and how it relates to other leadership theories; it will help introduce servant leadership in your organizational practice.” —Dirk van Dierendonck, Professor in Human Resource Management, Erasmus University, The Netherlands “The structure of this book is excellent and takes the reader from theory to prac- tice to understand and apply servant leadership in organizations to ultimately transform a company into a servant organization. It also provides valuable insights to understand how to measure a servant organization or the progress to become a servant organization. I can highly recommend this book to any leader, organization, practitioner, or individual wanting to make a long-lasting positive impact in the world.” —Charl Coetzer, CEO of Wisdomy, South Africa For Barbara, Wanda, Joy, and Jenny four servants who lead by example faithfully following the One who modeled it first and best