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“Leadership is a process that involves a significant degree of complexity through interactive and relational operations in order to meet the goals of individuals or groups” (Dunbar-Smalley, 2022). There are a variety of leadership styles, each shaped by different combinations of personality traits, life experiences, and one’s own values. However, despite the differences between each leadership style, collectively, they all aim to motivate others and achieve a common goal.

Robert K. Greenleaf founded the term servant leader in his 1970 essay “The Servant as a Leader”. Greenleaf believed that the roles of a servant and that of a leader could be fused into one person (Gonzaga University, 2023). This style of leadership stems from that natural desire to serve, and the conscious choice to lead. These individuals focus on the growth and well being of the people and the communities that they belong to. While they may hold power, it is shared, putting the needs of others before their own, helping them to develop and perform in the highest way possible (Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, 2021).

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Servant Leadership “Provides an understanding and practice of leadership that places the good of those led over the self-interest of the leader” (Dunbar & Winston, 57). It is understood as the mindset of leading that looks differently at the role of the leader—the needs of those being led and the overall purpose of leadership. Robert Greenleaf coined and popularized the concept. It views health as a positive factor supporting healthy servant-oriented organizations, which comes from the open-minded practice of effective servant-minded leadership. Servant leaders value people! A conceptual model that supports servant leadership is Laub’s model of servant leadership, which is supported by providing a framework that includes the following: valuing people, developing people, building community, displaying authenticity, providing leadership, and sharing leadership (Dunbar & Winston, 2024).

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Altruism: unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others

Authenticity: true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character

(Merriam-Webster, n.d.)

PEO Model: Person Environment and Occupation Model, in which environments influence behaviors and people respond to the environment regarding their skills and desire to participate in meaningful activities.

Valuing people: achieved by trusting and believing in people, others need above your own and listening attentively.

Developing people: achieved by providing growth opportunities, setting an example, and using encouragement to build others up.

Building community: This is achieved by building strong relationships, working collaboratively, and acknowledging and valuing others' differences.

Display authenticity: achieved by being open/accountable, willing to learn from others, and maintaining trust.

Provide leadership: Achieved by envisioning future goals, taking initiative, and clarifying goals and direction.

Share leadership: Is achieved by facilitating a shared vision, power, and status.

(Dunbar & Winston, 2024)

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A real-life example of servant leadership can be observed in the case of Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. Cook's leadership style encompasses serving others, empowering employees, and building a strong foundation among employees (DeAngelis, 2024). Through communication, Cook values his employees' perspectives and collaborates with them to achieve growth development positively. This leads to better productivity and great morale among his employees. As a servant leader, Tim focuses on training, mentoring, and supporting his workforce without an ego-driven attitude or ulterior intentions by focusing on the people (DeAngelis, 2024).

https://www.instagram.com/cutheseties/reel/DE-ejLYumkp/

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Moana exemplifies what it means to be a servant leader. Throughout the film, she aims to save the people of her island, by restoring balance and life to the dying Motunui. In doing so, she sails across the ocean, fights monsters, and defies all obstacles that were stacked against her. In addition to voyaging to save her island, she frequently makes decisions that are for the good of the people, rather than decisions that would only benefit herself. In the attached clip, you see her fixing the roof of a house, supporting a man getting a tattoo, teaching children of the island to do their traditional style of hula dance, and making the executive decision of where to plant the new coconut harvest. Moana consistently prioritizes serving others above her own needs. She empowers and supports others, fosters growth and development of her island, and aims to make others feel valued and capable, just as a servant leader does.

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This style of leadership aligns well with the healthcare industry as health care providers' professional calling is to serve others.These providers utilize empathy, awareness, healing, and the ability to listen to create a positive relationship between themselves and their clients (Trastek, et al., 2014). Each of these interpersonal skills is closely aligned with patient centered communication, which allows for greater patient satisfaction and positive health outcomes (Trastek, et al., 2014). In addition, interprofessional collaboration is essential when treating a patient. Servant leaders can build communities in which each professional discipline is committed to putting their client’s needs before their own.

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Setting: Zambia, Africa

Participants: Nine occupational therapy students that attend an international occupational therapy course in Zambia, Africa.

Findings: This was a study of 9 occupational therapy students who had a three-week-long service experience in Zambia, Africa. The learning experience was drafted on principles from a servant leadership perspective. This allowed the students to obtain knowledge and expertise outside a Westernized curriculum. The learning experience was constructed by having three one-on-one interviews for up to 1 hour, with 27 interviews in total. The outcomes were astounding, as was the professional development of these students and the amount of growth accomplished in such a short amount of time. This was achieved through gaining skill sets such as cultural and critical thinking by collaborating effectively with others in their own culturally rich environment. This is an excellent example of servant leadership because the occupational therapy students were in a new place they knew little about, so effective communication and collaboration were necessary for survival (Brown & Stav, 2023).

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Setting: Southwestern United States academic university

Participants: 19 upper level college students (13 males and 6 females) were recruited for this study. Each of these students was enrolled in a sports management course at the unnamed university in the SouthWestern United States.

Findings: A 2024 article by Robinson, Matthew, et al., titled "Developing Servant Leadership through Experience and Practice: A Case Study in Service Learning" focused on the effects of servant leadership within a service project. The participants of the study served as mentors for at-risk elementary school students. These were students who were at a greater risk for failing classes or dropping out of school due to the families socioeconomic status or domestic challenges. Prior to the service project, students were briefed on mentoring guidelines and how to be an effective leader. However, servant leadership was not specifically addressed so students remained impartial in their reflections. Research participants dedicated 12 hours of volunteer time across 6 weeks with the elementary students, keeping daily logs of their activities with the children as well as completing a 300-400 word reflection upon completion of the mentorship. Students were prompted with questions such as “Focus on how this service project impacted you. What have you learned from this experience?” to guide them in writing the reflection. Reflections were thoroughly analyzed and categorized into the predetermined themes of altruistic calling, genuine caring, humility, and empathy. After further analysis of participant statements, it was evident that the service learning project had a positive impact on the development of servant leadership (Robinson, Matthew, et al., 2024).

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Setting: This research was conducted at an Italian firm based in Milan.

Participants: 250 individuals were recruited, however, only 159 of these individuals completed the survey as well as the questionnaire. 8 of these responses were disregarded due to a lack of content validity, making the final number of participants 151. This final count consisted of 73 females and 78 males, all of whom are junior employees within the company.

Findings: In the 2021 article “Servant Leadership and Employee Engagement: A Qualitative Study” by Canavesi and Minelli, researchers aimed to qualitatively study how servant leadership has impacted employee engagement through lived experiences. Researchers first began by distributing a questionnaire, identifying the demographics of each participant. Additionally, they required answers to 7 questions on a seven point Likert scale, identifying the degree of leadership within their firm. The researchers then implemented a second portion of the study in which participants answered three open-ended questions to determine how servant leadership abilities have fostered or hindered their engagement within the firm. Results of the survey indicated that junior employees within the company feel encouraged and motivated by their leaders on a daily basis. Some of the open-ended survey results stated that “My leader always pushes me to do my best” and “my leader is really inspirational (…) encouraging the entire team to perform well”. Overall, this study demonstrates that there is a strong tie between leadership approach and organizational success (Canavesi & Mineli, 2021).

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Application of Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership is a leadership style that considers the needs of those being served and prioritizes them. In the occupational therapy educational experience, students are pushed to embody servant leadership by understanding the effects of giving and having a life of service. Occupational therapists must follow the code of ethics (Dunbar & Winston, 2024, p. 62).

It is essential to consider servant leadership as a strategy that intentionally supports occupational therapy in an ever-changing healthcare landscape. Changes in politics, coverage of insurance, evidence-based practice, needs, research, and more

Servant leadership supports occupational therapy by encouraging a practice that benefits clients, practitioners, and the community (Dunbar & Winston, 2024, p. 65).

Examples of individuals that we identified that utilize servant leadership may include those working in healthcare, such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, nurses, doctors, etc. if they tend to place the needs of those they serve and those they work with above their own.

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Canavesi, A., & Minelli, E. (2021). Servant leadership and employee engagement: A qualitative study. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 34(4), 413–435. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-021-09389-9

DeAngelis, E. (2024, May 21). Who Is a Servant Leader and What Does It Take to Be One?. Forbes. https://images.forbes.com/business/

Dunbar, S., & Winston, K. (2024). An Occupational Perspective on Leadership: Theoretical and Practical Dimensions (3rd ed., pp. 56-68). Routledge- Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003525240

Jill Brown, Wendy B. Stav; Empowered & Resilient OT Students: Becoming Agents of Change After a Servant Leadership Experience in Zambia, Africa. Am J Occup Ther July/August 2023, Vol. 77(Supplement_2), 7711505193p1. doi: https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2023.77S2-PO19.

Merriam-Webster (n.d.). https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altruism

Robert Greenleaf on servant-leadership. Gonzaga University. (2023, September 26). https://www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/stories/2023/9/26/robert-greenleaf-servant-leadership#:~:text=of%20Servant%2DLeadership.-,Robert%20K.,modern%20leadership%20ideas%20and%20practices

Robinson, G. M., & Magnusen, M. J. (2024). Developing servant leadership through experience and practice: A case study in service learning. Behavioral Sciences, 14(9), 801. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14090801

Trastek, V. F., Hamilton, N. W., & Niles, E. E. (2014, March). Leadership models in health care—a case for servant ... Mayo Clinic Proceedings. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/s0025-6196(13)00889-6/fulltext

What is servant leadership?. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. (2021). https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/