Introduction
Servant leadership has become a common topic of research in modern societies. It is rapidly growing and becoming an essential aspect of leadership. Servant leadership has been discussed across disciplines, including human resource management, the Bible, and other religions.
Modern research on servant leadership was pioneered by Robert Greenleaf’s 1977 work (Eva et al., 2019). Servant leadership is a leadership approach that focuses on serving others. Leaders who adopt this style prioritize their team’s needs and support their development and success.
Therefore, servant leadership can be defined as a philosophy and practice that focuses on serving others, prioritizing their needs, and ensuring they grow and succeed(Davis, 2017). This leadership style is not new and can be dated back to traditional contexts. This approach to leadership can also be traced in many religious and cultural contexts.
For instance, leaders are expected to be humble and compassionate in the religious context. Some religions where servant leadership is freely expressed include Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. This paper investigates the application of the principles of servant leadership in both the African cultural and the Islamic religious contexts.
Principles of Servant Leadership
Servant leadership, as defined earlier, emphasizes serving others by focusing on their prevailing conditions and helping them meet their needs and achieve growth. Some key principles of servant leadership include empathy, which holds that the servant leader should be able to put themselves in others’ positions to understand their needs, desires, and motivations (Kritz & Speranza, 2022). By doing this, the leaders can build a strong relationship with the people they serve.
Apart from empathy, servant leadership considers listening a key skill of a leader. Servant leaders pay close attention to their people’s needs and prioritize open and honest communication (Western Governors University, 2020). By listening carefully to their followers’ needs and responding thoughtfully, servant leaders can build trust and foster collaboration with their teams.
Servant leaders are also known to be persuasive, persuading rather than coercing to gain control over their followers. They acknowledge the importance of consensus-building and collaboration among the teams they lead. They often use their influence to inspire others to work towards achieving the common goal.
Apart from persuasion, conceptualization is also a vital principle of servant leadership. Servant leadership acknowledges the importance of strategic thinking in leadership. Servant leaders, therefore, should be able to think strategically to identify opportunities for growth and development for a better future for others.
Finally, servant leaders view their societal roles as stewards rather than owners (Western Governors University, 2020). They need to recognize that they are responsible for the wellness of the people they serve and the resources they manage, and ensure they are used for the benefit of the community. Overall, the principles of servant leadership emphasize putting the needs of others first, building strong relationships, and promoting growth and development.
Servant Leadership in Islam
In the Islamic context, servant leadership can be understood by examining the concept of Khidmat. In the Muslim world, Khidmat refers to service. Therefore, the idea of Khidmat implies that Muslim leaders should be humble, compassionate, and committed to serving their people and others, especially those in need.
In many cases, Prophet Muhammad has been quoted as the perfect example of a servant leader. He demonstrated his willingness to prioritize the needs of the people he served above his own and worked relentlessly to serve others. According to Hadith, the collection of sayings and actions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad is written, “The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others” (Elias, 2019). This statement indicates that Islam emphasizes the significance of serving others and working for their benefit, a core principle of servant leadership.
Islam also emphasizes serving Allah by serving others, which is closely related to the Islamic idea of Zakat. Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam. It encourages Muslims to give to the needy and the poor. Thus, this idea is based on the belief that serving Allah involves offering to others.
As previously explained, consultation and consensus-building are the principles of servant leadership. Islamic leadership also emphasizes the importance of consultation and consensus-building in decision-making. This principle of servant leadership in Islam is based on the Quranic verse, which states, “And those who have responded to their lord and established prayer and whose affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves, and from what We have provided them, they spend”(Surah Ash-Shuraa 42:30). This Qur’anic verse encourages those who are in a position of leadership to seek the opinions and advice of others and to make decisions through a process of consensus-building. Like other religions, Islam also strongly emphasizes the principles of servant leadership, centered on serving others and promoting their well-being.
Servant Leadership in African Cultures
Besides religion, cultural practitioners also value and emphasize servant leadership. For instance, in African cultures, leaders are viewed as servants of the community and are expected to work for the benefit of the people they serve. They work to meet their people’s greater needs and promote society’s prosperity. They must be humble, compassionate, and committed to serving others.
Overall, servant leadership is closely tied to many religious and cultural traditions, reflecting a shared belief in the importance of putting others’ needs first and serving the greater good. In most African cultures, leadership is not seen as a position of privilege but a position of responsibility where service to society is expected. This concept aligns with the principle of servant leadership, which prioritizes the needs of others and works towards meeting them for their benefit. Servant leadership in the African culture is grounded in the principle of servant leadership.
The concept of Ubuntu, which originates from various African cultures, is a good example of servant leadership. The idea focuses primarily on human connectedness and interdependence. It explains that a person only becomes a person through others, and individual action collectively affects society.
Servant leadership in African cultures embodies the spirit of Ubuntu by prioritizing the well-being of society (The Ubuntu Approach to Relationships and Leadership, 2022). In most African cultures, humility is considered a key characteristic of effective leadership and is highly valued. Therefore, servant leaders in African cultures are expected to be humble, ready to listen, and to provide solutions to the problems faced by their followers, and to prioritize their followers’ needs above their own. They recognize that their positions are meant for serving others rather than positions for power or privilege.
African cultures also recognize the importance of communalism in leadership. Communalism requires that the community’s needs be prioritized over individual needs. Servant leaders are therefore expected to forego their needs first, prioritize communal needs, and work tirelessly to ensure that the community’s needs are first met. Servant leaders in the African context are skilled at empathizing with their followers, understanding their needs, and responding to them with compassion and understanding. They recognize that effective leadership requires a deep understanding of the needs and desires of the community, and they work to build strong relationships with their followers based on mutual respect and trust.
In many African cultures, wisdom is a key trait of effective leadership. Servant leaders in this context are expected to be wise and to use their knowledge and experience to guide and support their followers. They recognize that leadership requires a deep understanding of the community’s challenges and opportunities, and they work to develop innovative and practical solutions to address these issues.
Similarities and Differences of Leadership in African Cultures and Islam
Some similarities and differences exist in servant leadership between African culture and the Islamic point of view. The African cultures and Islam as a religion emphasize humility as an essential principle of servant leadership. They both explain that servant leaders should be humble and prioritize the needs of others they serve over their ambition or desires. Islam and African cultures also acknowledge the importance of empathy in leadership. In the African or Islamic context, servant leaders are expected to be skillful in understanding the needs of their people and compassionately respond to them.
Finally, the selected cultural context and religious viewpoint both prioritize serving others. Servant leaders in Africa and Islam are expected to work tirelessly to ensure their followers are satisfied and meet their needs. In the process, they both promote connectedness and social harmony.
Despite the similarities between Islam and African cultures regarding servants, they have some differences. For instance, the Islamic viewpoints on servant leadership are deeply rooted in religious obligations, such as serving Allah through service to others and Zakat. At the same time, African culture is solely based on its cultural underpinnings. The Islamic perspective of servant leadership is to achieve the five pillars of Islamic practice: righteousness, promise-keeping, justice, trust, and improvement. In contrast, the African cultural viewpoint of servant leadership is based on communalism, Ubuntu, and equality.
Conclusion
Servant leadership emphasizes serving people. Servant leaders prioritize their people’s needs and assist them in growing and succeeding. Key servant leadership principles include empathy, conceptualization, persuasion, listening, and consensus building. Servant leadership’s cultural and religious context is similar, especially in Islam and African culture.
References
Davis, N. (2017). Review of Followership Theory and servant leadership theory: Understanding how servant leadership informs followership. Servant Leadership and Followership, 207–223.
Kritz, D. J., & Speranza, C. (2022). Servant leadership in government institutions. The Palgrave Handbook of Servant Leadership, 1–29.
Islamic Foundation UK. (n.d.). Surah Ash-Shuraa 42:30-53 – towards understanding the Quran – Quran translation commentary – Tafheem Ul Quran.
The ubuntu approach to relationships and leadership. (2022). Learning to Lead for Transformation.
Eva, N., Robin, M., Sendjaya, S., van Dierendonck, D., & Liden, R. C. (2019). Servant leadership: A systematic review and call for future research. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1), 111–132.
Elias, A. A. (2019). Hadith on friendliness: Best people are kind, benefit others. Daily Hadith Online.
Western Governors University. (2020). The principles of servant leadership. Western Governors University.