Servant Leadership

Servant leadership largely centers on the notion of leaders being servants first—of leaders fostering the growth and development of those served. Since the term servant leadership was coined in the 1970s by Robert Greenleaf, many scholars have wrestled with its definitions and application in a variety of settings. Specifically, for higher education, servant leadership is an important concept because it calls attention to the inherent potential of all higher education institutions to serve society in a variety of ways. This entry examines the definition and importance of servant leadership, the history of servant leadership, and ways of practicing servant leadership in higher education.