Servant leadership

Of all the essential traits, the single most important leadership characteristic is to serve. To be an effective social, political, economic and spiritual leader, one must be a good servant first. One doesn't lose leadership qualities when one serves; on the contrary, one naturally becomes a leader. It's because humanity is always inspired by the ideals and the empathy that they see in the lives of servant-leaders, and wish to follow them. A servant-leader, who makes service a top priority, automatically embodies all the required qualities that we look for in a leader. In other words, service attitude is the thread that runs through all the effective and virtuous leadership qualities.

Great leaders such as M K Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela and others like them, always endeavoured to serve others, which resulted in their leading humanity successfully towards life, liberty and happiness. A servant-leader being aware that work is not merely a matter of achieving results, but also growing up, facilitates others' development and encourages their growth... A servant leader leads through example: We learn best when we observe the behaviours of others and are driven to act accordingly. A servant leader, be it of a team, company, or nation, sets a good example, inspiring others with impeccable thoughts, words and deeds. In short, while serving selflessly, one becomes the torchbearer, inspiring others toward noble goals.