1970 – Servant Leadership (Greenleaf)
Announcement Date: July 27, 2024
Robert Greenleaf (1970 and 1977) published a set of essays proposing a new type of leadership focused on the follower. That leadership type is servant leadership. Greenleaf’s ideas on this new type of leadership did not truly catch on however until the mid-1990s when Larry Spears dissected Greenleaf’s ideas. Spears gleaned from Greenleaf’s writings 10 proposed characteristics of servant leaders:
- Listening
- Empathy
- Healing
- Awareness
- Persuasion
- Conceptualization
- Foresight
- Stewardship
- Commitment to the growth of the people
- Building community