Review Questions

  1. Be able to summarize the ideas of Robert Greenleaf and the historical basis of servant leadership. What are the unique, underlying values of his perspective?
  2. How can a person be a leader and a servant at the same time?
  3. In what ways is servant leadership like a trait?
  4. How does a person become altruistic? Is this an inborn trait or a learned behavior?
  5. Distinguish between the following terms: leadership principles, leadership philosophies, leadership approaches, leadership models, and leadership theories.
  6. How are servant leaders different from other types of leaders?
  7. What are the three antecedent conditions for servant leadership in the Liden et al. (2008) model? What other conditions might you add to the list?
  8. What are the five servant leader behaviors in the Liden et al. (2008) model?
  9. How might contingency theory (a leader-match theory) explain follower receptivity in the servant leadership model?
  10. According to the most recent research, what specific leader traits are important to servant leadership?
  11. How does servant leadership affect workers’ performance on the job?
  12. Explain how servant leader behaviors can create a ripple effect in followers.
  13. How is awareness in the servant leadership approach different from emotional intelligence, or self-awareness in the psychodynamic approach? Can you identify a person who exemplifies this component of the model?
  14. How does servant leadership fit with the influence component of leadership?
  15. What are the strengths and criticisms of the servant leadership approach?