Exploring Servant Leadership in Education

Those of us that serve as public education leaders can be thought of as servant leaders. I have always considered my work in schools to be a form of public service. Interestingly, the term servant leadership was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970. Since then, it has been used to describe those who serve their community in some capacity, whether a teacher, mayor, pastor … etc. Simply, the definition of servant leadership is a person who leads by serving others. What is interesting is that the word servant comes before leadership (leader). This is intentional since this type of leader has the desire to serve first and then lead to solve the issue, not just motivate others to get better results. When it comes to education, servant leadership has deep roots.

Whether a principal or superintendent, a servant leader puts the needs of the school or school system before his or her own. As I have thought more about the idea of servant leader, it caused me to pause and consider the characteristics of a servant leader (listed below), which in turn, make them effective in their service work:

1. An active listener – Requires full concentration and incorporates what is understood to be true when solving problems or offering guidance.
2. Acute Awareness of Self and Others — The servant leader is aware of the self (others) and its relation to the issues he/she is actively trying to resolve.
3. An Influencer – Servant leaders have the ability to persuade others by way of personal authority versus positional authority.
4. Commitment to Cause – Remaining steadfast to the cause for which one serves.
5. A Visionary — Servant leaders conceptualize their vision (or the mission) to create strategies for achieving milestones (e.g. increasing the percentage of students going to college).

Originally posted at frankcostanzo.co on March 5, 2019.