A cry for genuine servant leaders

Where are the servant leaders?

According to the Article, “Essentials of Servant Leadership,” by Robert Greenleaf, a servant leader is portrayed as one who puts the aspirations of other above their own.

I was once faced with a question of giving examples of servant leaders, in our society today. I honestly struggled to point out a good number of servant leaders. 

I kept on thinking through leaders, and had a difficulty in answering within me if they meet the threshold of servant leadership. The Bible in Philippians 2:3 paints a formidable picture of what would be expected of a leader. 

It states, “Do nothing out of selfish ambitions or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” According to the quoted scripture, I look at servant leadership as a high calling. It is the kind of leadership where one lifts the needs of others beyond self. 

As I write this, I recall reading a book,  For the record,  by Kenya’s Defence Secretary,  Aden Duale. He has an experience of leadership, first serving as a Member of Parliament, and later serving in Parliament as the first leader of the majority party, a position created by the 2010 Constitution of the Republic of Kenya. 

It is worth noting that in each of the terms he served, he was elected through different political parties. That shows that the electorate chose him on the merit of service, not basing on the political party he was using. 

In his book that is written within the context of Kenya, he portrays events that shaped the modern political history of Kenya. The book also shows how the writer’s region was discriminated against and marginalised for a long time from the days of colonial rule, by the leaders.

The suffering of the people prompted him to seek election as a member of Parliament, so as to represent his people, and be part of the solution that the people of that part of Kenya were looking for. 

In great ways he has achieved that. However, in the chronicles of the happenings within the legislative assembly, he portrayed how some leaders would only get into positions, to make money, forgetting the people who elected them.

Similarly to what Aden points out in the above book, I have come to realise that the reason we have many of the challenges today, is because of leaders who choose self over the people they lead. They make decisions or are involved in actions that are contrary to what would transform or uplift  the people they lead. 

This is the reason we have a disease burden, corruption, bad roads, alarming levels of poverty, a discouraged civil service, challenged aspects of the education sector, broken parts of the health system, worrying judicial system, among others. 

All these problems or challenges point to a leader somewhere who does not put him/ herself in the shoes of those served, but chooses to serve self interests. 

According to John Maxwell, everything rises and falls on leaders.  

I urge each person at any level of leadership, to use this day to do a soul searching. You have the discretion to choose between being a servant leader and a self-serving leader. Please choose to be a servant leader; all creation is waiting for the manifestation of the servant leader in you. 

Mr Emmanuel Solomon Opolot, School of Community Leadership. [email protected]