Servant leadership examples in business aren’t easy to find, at first. But with a little exploration there are examples all around us. They’re just not shouting “I’m a servant leader!”.
Servant leadership meaning
To help us recognize the meaning of servant leadership Robert Greenleaf gave us a test for servant-leaders in business.
He called it the Best Test:
Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived? Robert Greenleaf
Some of the best servant leadership examples probably come from your own experiences. Managers, colleagues, team leaders who quietly serve others without asking for recognition or reward.
This quiet, meaningful service by those close to you (and your own service too) is just as important as our examples of servant leadership in the workplace.
Servant leadership principles
Many leading business thinkers and writers recognize the fundamental principles of servant leadership:
Organizations exist to serve. Period. Leaders live to serve. Period. Tom Peters
The key to greatness is to look for people’s potential and spend time developing it. Peter Drucker
Leadership is about taking people from one place to another. One of a leader’s top priorities must be to assure that the team knows where you are headed. Ken Blanchard
These ‘service first’ principles: to develop others, to create a compelling vision, to show people a better future and how to get there, they are all increasingly relevant to the challenges that leaders face today.
More servant leadership quotes to inspire and guide you.
Watch Simon Sinek being interviewed about leadership and the principle that “Leader’s Eat Last” on CBS:
You can better understand the origins of these servant leadership principles by exploring the original servant leadership essay.
Servant leadership examples in business
It’s easy to be a little cynical about servant leadership examples in business (partly because the phrase itself evokes such profound expectations). However, there are many servant leadership organizations that strive towards these ideals.
1. FedEx: Servant leadership as ‘People – Service -Profit’
FedEx was founded in 1971 by Fred Smith who still leads the company as CEO. He believes “when people are placed first they will provide the highest possible service, and profits will follow“. What emerged from this thinking is a distinctive company culture. The ‘People – Service – Profit’ philosophy which has helped the company grow rapidly and remain competitive.
2. Marriott: another example of ‘people first’ philosophy
Marriott is another company founded on a ‘people first’ philosophy. As another service company the thinking is very similar: “Take care of associates and they will take care of the customers”. Here are the Marriot core values and heritage.
3. Starbucks: serving a higher purpose?
Starbucks may not be an obvious choice of servant leadership organization, but the culture of inclusion and social responsibility is deeply rooted in servant leadership.
Howard Schultz is described here as a true servant leader.
4. SAS: the founder as servant leader
SAS is a leader in data analytics and Artificial Intelligence, based in North Carolina. SAS believes: “… in empowering our employees to change the way the world works”.
SAS is another organization that has a servant leader as the founder of the business.
Jim Goodnight, the Founder and CEO says, “Treat employees like they make a difference and they will”. The company has recently been named a ‘Best Workplace for Innovators” by Fast Company.
5. The Container Store: building a unique culture
The Container Store is the leading specialty retailer of storage and organization products in the United States. The Container Store fosters an employee-first culture built around their Foundation Principles.
These principles were formalized by the Chairman Kip Tindell together with all the employees of their Houston store, when it first opened in 1988.
Read more about the benefits of their unique culture.
6. TDIndustries: an unexpected example of servant leadership
“At TDIndustries, we have a diverse, people-centered culture built on a foundation of trust. We accomplish this through a Servant Leadership philosophy that puts others first.”
Listen to this Podcast with Harold MacDowell, the CEO of TDIndustries, to better understand his philosophy.
The core values of the company are:
- Build and Maintain Trusting Relationships
- Fiercely Protect the Safety of All Partners
- Lead With a Servant’s Heart
- Passionately Pursue Excellence
- Celebrate the Power of Individual Differences
There focus on living these values is one of the reasons that TDIndustries has made Fortune magazine’s prestigious 100 Best Companies list for 20 straight years.
7. WD-40: a unique servant leadership example
Garry Ridge, the Chairman and CEO of WD-40, believes that “Leadership is about learning and teaching”. He co-authored a book called ‘Helping People Win at Work’ with Ken Blanchard.
He’s also an advocate of Simon Sinek and the ‘leaders eat last’ mentality.
At WD-40 he has successfully created a culture of servant leadership based around the idea of the team as a tribe. Take a moment to learn more about his approach to servant leadership.
Servant-leadership made more accessible
In addition to these examples of servant leadership in the workplace, there is also plenty of research and writing that makes servant leadership more accessible to today’s emerging leaders.
For example Marcel Schwantes writing for INC, describes how servant leaders do these 6 things every day:
- Be authentic
- Value others as human beings
- Grow their people
- Provide direction
- Share leadership
- Build community
And experts in specific fields, in this case a scrum master as servant leader.
Servant leadership examples: in conclusion
Examples of servant leadership in business are common, but not immediately obvious.
A little exploration quickly finds many examples of servant leadership in the workplace: in business thinking, the leadership philosophies of today’s CEOs, the company cultures they aim to build, and in fresh interpretations of Robert Greenleaf’s work.
Servant leadership is alive and well!
More on the pros and cons of servant leadership in today’s market place.
Dive deeper
Explore the 10 characteristics of servant leadership.
