This is the essay that started it all. The Servant as Leader is the classic essay by Robert K. Greenleaf that coined the phrases “servant-leader” and “servant leadership.” His essay is a profound work that should be read a few pages at a time — and then re-read. It has influenced hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

Powerful, poetic and practical. The Servant as Leader describes some of the characteristics and activities of servant-leaders, providing examples which show that individual efforts, inspired by vision and a servant ethic, can make a substantial difference in the quality of society.

Greenleaf discusses the skills necessary to be a servant-leader; the importance of awareness, foresight and listening; and the contrasts between coercive, manipulative, and persuasive power. A must-read.