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A REVIEW OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES
Servant leadership is manifested when leaders avoid elevating themselves to positions
higher than those of fellow workers. In the practice of servant leadership, leaders are guided
by the desire to achieve what is good for the firm or group in the society. In effect, servant
leaders might forego personal interest for the sake of the broader objectives. The following is
a discussion of three attributes of servant leaders as articulated by Russell, & Stone (2002).
Persuasion
Persuasive communication is essential to the effective practice of servant leadership.
Although leaders have the alternatives of coercion, manipulation, and persuasion in the
process of trying to rally people behind an idea, empirical evidence point to the effect that
persuasion has the virtue to win substantial support for an idea. This requires leaders to derive
their power from principles which are premised on the organizational culture and values.
Thus, servant leaders use power to pursue strategies that are beneficial to the mission of an
organization as oppose to those that bring personal success.
Influence
Influence is a primary ingredient of successful practice of servant leadership because it
enhances the efficiency of the administration and management process. Influence involves
initiating psychological change to motivate staff behind an idea. Servant leaders understand
the different tactics of influence including personal appeals, persuasion, inspiration and
consultation (Russell, & Stone, 2002).
Competence
Servant leaders subject themselves to the same standards of competency like everyone
else in an organization. Such leaders exemplify competency to establish trust and demonstrate
to the staff that they have the necessary skills, experience, and qualifications to spearhead the
implementation of an organization’s vision and strategic goals (Russell, & Stone, 2002).
