15 Best Books on Servant Leadership

During the last decade, we have witnessed an unparalleled explosion of interest in the practice of “servant-leadership”, as today’s business leaders search for a new leadership model for the 21st century. Based on the seminal work of Robert K. Greenleaf, a former AT&T executive who coined the term almost 30 years ago, servant-leadership emphasizes an emerging approach to leadership – one which puts serving others, including employees, customers, and community, first. In fact, Greenleaf’s work, including his best-selling Servant-Leadership, has become increasingly popular since his death in 1990 and continues to inspire a growing movement of people and organizations concerned with issues of leadership, management, service, and spirit.

The Power of Servant Leadership is a collection of nine of Greenleaf’s most compelling essays on servant-leadership. These essays, published together in one volume for the first time, contain many of Greenleaf’s best insights into the nature and practice of servant-leadership and show his continual refinement of the servant-as-leader concept. In addition, several of the essays focus on the related issues of spirit, commitment to vision, and wholeness.

The Revolution Has Only Just Begun Twenty-five years ago Robert Greenleaf published these prophetic essays on what he coined servant leadership, a practical philosophy that replaces traditional autocratic leadership with a holistic, ethical approach. This highly influential book has been embraced by cutting edge management everywhere. Yet in these days of Enron and what VISA CEO Dee Hock calls our “era of massive institutional failure,” Greenleaf’s seminal work must reach the mainstream now more than ever. Servant Leadership― · helps leaders find their true power and moral authority to lead. · helps those served become healthier, wiser, freer, and more autonomous. · encourages collaboration, trust, listening, and empowerment. · offers long-lasting change, not a temporary fix. · extends beyond business for leaders of all types of groups.

Leadership is a calling. And servant leadership—the idea that managing with respect, honesty, love, and spirituality empowers employees—helps individuals answer that calling. Bestselling author and former Fortune 500 executive James A. Autry reveals the servant leader’s tools, a set of skills and ideals that will transform the way business is done. It helps leaders nurture the needs and goals of those who look to them for leadership. The result is a more productive, successful, and happier organization, and a more meaningful life for the leader.

Autry reveals how to remain true to the servant leadership model when handling day-to-day and long-term management situations, including how to:

•Provide guidance during conflict and crisis
•Assure your continued growth and progress as a leader
•Train managers in the principles of servant leadership
•Transform a company with morale problems into a great place to work

Practiced by one-third of the companies on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list, servant leadership is a thriving philosophy. Ultimately, Autry explores how it can be a valuable, refreshing, and rewarding approach to leading others in business life.

Best-selling author of The One-Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard, along with Phil Hodges, offers guidance for how to become a successful modern-day servant leader modeled after Jesus Christ. Based on years of leadership study and proven leadership styles, Blanchard gives established and up-and-coming business leaders solid examples, tools, and methods for life-changing results in their leadership of others.

Servant Leader summarizes the Four Dimensions of Leadership:

• leadership assumptions and methods
• application and leadership behavior
• using the heart to overcome selfish motives and barriers
• the habits of leaders

Readers looking to expand their effective leadership skills, to experience the transforming power of Blanchard’s unconventional teachings, and to grow as leaders and as business executives will benefit greatly from Servant Leader.

This book is an introduction to servant leadership. The author argues that servant leadership is ethical, practical, and meaningful. He cites the universal importance of service, defines servant leadership, compares the power model of leadership with the service model, describes some key practices of servant-leaders, explores the meaningful lives of servant-leaders, and offers questions for reflection and discussion. The new second edition of the book provides additional quotations and examples; summaries of scholarly definitions of servant leadership and research on the impacts of servant leadership in the workplace; an appendix on servant leadership compared with other ideas or theories of leadership; and a list of sources for those who wish to explore servant leadership further.

In this absorbing tale, you watch the timeless principles of servant leadership unfold through the story of John Daily, a businessman whose outwardly successful life is spiraling out of control. He is failing miserably in each of his leadership roles as boss, husband, father, and coach. To get his life back on track, he reluctantly attends a weeklong leadership retreat at a remote Benedictine monastery.

To John’s surprise, the monk leading the seminar is a former business executive and Wall Street legend. Taking John under his wing, the monk guides him to a realization that is simple yet profound: The true foundation of leadership is not power, but authority, which is built upon relationships, love, service, and sacrifice.

Along with John, you will learn that the principles in this book are neither new nor complex. They don’t demand special talents; they are simply based on strengthening the bonds of respect, responsibility, and caring with the people around you. The Servant‘s message can be applied by anyone, anywhere—at home or at work.

If you are tired of books that lecture instead of teach; if you are searching for ways to improve your leadership skills; if you want to understand the timeless virtues that lead to lasting and meaningful success, then this book is one you cannot afford to miss.

In The World’s Most Powerful Leadership Principle, Hunter demonstrates that leadership and character development are one and the same. But the work, even the pain, of changing one’s self –  breaking old, worn-out habits – is difficult. Hunter provides an uncomplicated, straightforward, three-step change process he has seen successfully employed by literally thousands of leaders to effect change in their lives and organizations and fulfill beneficial goals.

This groundbreaking book will open the eyes of frustrated, disheartened leaders at every level and foster change for good at the personal, organizational, and societal level.

Effective leadership—whether on the job, in the community, at church or in the home—starts on the inside. Before you can hope to lead anyone else, you have to know who you are. Every leader must answer two critical questions:

1. Whose are you going to be?
2. Who are you going to be?

One deals with your relationship to Christ. The other with your life purpose.

In this newly revised classic, renowned leadership expert Ken Blanchard along guides readers through the process of discovering how to lead like Jesus. It really could be described as the process of aligning two internal domains-the heart and the head; and two external domains—the hands and the habits. These four dimensions of leadership form the outline for this very practical and transformational book. With simple yet profound principles from the life of Jesus, and dozens of stories and leadership examples from his own life, Ken Blanchard will once again show us the way effective leaders lead.

Are you ready to TAKE CHARGE of your leadership?  Are you NEW to management or looking for a quick refresher?

Do you wonder how some managers lead ROCK-STAR teams and rise above expectations?

Imagine leading individuals through inspiration instead of just by being the boss.  Your team is INSPIRED to come to work every day.  You and your team feel VALUED at the end of every day.   Your team gives you heads-up of known failures or challenges.  They take initiative and manage their own problems; thus leaving you FREE for your daily tasks.

Imagine creating an environment where everyone rises to their highest potential.  YOU lead the ROCK-STAR team and rise above expectations.  YOU have a devoted team of followers who follow you.  YOU have less worry over the tasks being performed by your team.

Is this your world?  Sound like a dream world?

This is not a crazy, idealized notion.

Servant leadership is the answer.  It is the most powerful and influential style of leadership.

Self-awareness is the ability to represent and know your true self, openness to suggestion and knowing your impact on the team.  Through knowing YOUR OWN leadership style and qualities, you can guide your employees into a high performing team!

Are you tired of struggling with leading individuals you don’t directly manage?  Are you ready to take people with you and have other follow your lead?

Learn how to know you are meeting the needs of your employees and ensure your employees are feeling VALUED!

Learn the answer behind the question “can servant leadership be taught?”

It’s people who make organizations great, so how can leaders best help their people achieve that greatness? As Ken Jennings and John Stahl-Wert show in this new edition of their bestseller, you can’t just demand greatness—you have to inspire it. The most effective leaders don’t just stand in front of their people, they stand behind them too. As one of the characters in the book notes, “You qualify to be first by putting other people first.” This concept sounds paradoxical, but it leads to extraordinary outcomes—and The Serving Leader shows precisely how and why.

While Jennings and Stahl-Wert use a compelling fictional story to outline the basics of Serving Leadership, all the characters in it are based on real people, the organizations depicted are based on real organizations—and the results they achieved are what really happened. This edition features a new foreword by Ken Blanchard, a new introduction, and a new chapter checking back in with Mike, the main character, to see what he has learned in the twelve years since he embraced Serving Leadership

On one level this is the most practical guide available to implementing Serving Leadership; on a deeper level, it is a book about the personal journey of growth that real leadership requires. Great organizations are great because they’re filled with people who freely choose to do their very best. It’s a maddeningly simple concept yet stunningly hard to execute. Jennings and Stahl-Wert show leaders how to earn that kind of commitment.

Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled. This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders create environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.

In his work with organizations around the world, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives are offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?

The answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general. “Officers eat last,” he said. Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line. What’s symbolic in the chow hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: Great leaders sacrifice their own comfort–even their own survival–for the good of those in their care.
    
Too many workplaces are driven by cynicism, paranoia, and self-interest. But the best ones foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a “Circle of Safety” that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.

Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories that range from the military to big business, from government to investment banking.