How Do You Apply Servant Leadership: Moving from Theory to Practice

This chapter examines five common servant leadership competencies and how to implement them. Three of these competencies (Putting Others First, Creating Value for Stakeholders, and Emotional Healing) are unique to servant leadership, and two others (Helping Others Grow & Succeed and Championing Empowerment) are ones that servant-leaders implement differently than other leaders. This chapter compares and contrasts the scholarly and practical perspectives on servant leadership and shares real-life examples of how servant leadership has been effectively practiced in prominent organizations. Using several infographics, this chapter provides practical ideas on how individuals, regardless of their role or level within the organization, can put into practice each of the competencies discussed. These practical suggestions offer a guide to implementing servant leadership incrementally for lasting impact. Lastly, the chapter encourages academics and practitioners to collaborate to strengthen and develop servant leadership and servant leaders.