Servant Leadership

The mission of Baylor University is to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.

Baylor is not only concerned with questions in service to the needs of the world — it also is committed to developing leaders to engage with these needs. 

Matt Quade, Ph.D., the Kimberly and Aaron P. Graft Professor in Christian Leadership in Business, has researched and taught students about servant leadership for nearly 15 years. Following the example of Jesus, the ultimate servant leader, he challenges students to think intentionally about how they approach leadership. Quade shares five defining traits of a servant leader here:

Stewards the resources entrusted to them

In the biblical parable of the talents, servants are held accountable for how they steward or squander the resources entrusted to them. In today’s workplace, a servant leader feels similarly accountable for how they care for their organization’s people, time and treasure. Instead of viewing employees as cogs in a machine, servant leaders view people as image bearers of God with infinite worth and potential. When an employee knows that their leader cares about them as a person, not just as an input, they are inspired to grow and achieve. 

Views success as an opportunity for more impact

A servant leader is not afraid of success. In fact, they strive to achieve even greater success, because they know that impact will follow. The world is full of leaders who chase money and power for the sake of accumulating these things and feeding their egos. In contrast, servant leaders embrace bigger budgets, teams and opportunities in order to touch more lives, solve problems and create prosperity. 

Focuses on the self-interest of those they are leading

It is evident when someone’s leadership style is rooted firmly in their own self-interest. In their eyes, their employees exist to help them look good, earn more and advance. A servant leader, on the other hand, looks to the self-interest of their employees, always looking for ways to help them grow and reach their own career goals. Rather than taking credit for someone else’s effort, they publicly praise and promote their employees. 

Gives everyone a voice

A servant leader pays special attention to those who feel pushed to the margins by acknowledging them in a group and soliciting their input. In some situations, they act as a referee to prevent more confident, outspoken employees from inadvertently running roughshod over those who shrink from the spotlight. For an employee to maximize their potential, they need to feel seen and appreciated.  

Maintains healthy boundaries

Jesus could have spent all his time delivering sermons and performing miracles, but He frequently retreated to quiet places to pray and rest. There is no valor in overworking and becoming too burned out to serve anyone. A servant leader draws clear boundaries and expectations around performance and behavior, and in doing so, honors the people and the organization they serve.