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The_Servant_ _A_Book_Summary
| The Servant - A Book Summary
This article is based on the following book: The Servant "A
Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership" By James C.
Hunter Published by Crown Business, 1998 ISBN 0-7615-1369-8 187
pages
In order to lead, you must serve. This is the solid premise of
the book “The Servant” by James C. Hunter. It is discussed
through the tale of John Daily, a business executive who starts
to lose his grip as boss, husband, father, and coach. He was
talked into going on a week-long retreat at a Benedictine
Monastery to re-center and find his balance. During the retreat,
a former Wall Street legend turned monk shows him a different
perspective on leadership - servant leadership.
The Ten Attributes of Love and Leadership
The book enumerated the following as the qualities of a servant
leader. Incidentally, these are also the attributes of love,
which was defined earlier as one’s behavior towards others.
• Patient - showing self-control.
• Kind - giving attention, appreciation, and encouragement.
• Humble - being authentic without pretense or arrogance.
• Respectful - treating others as important people.
• Selfless - meeting the needs of others.
• Forgiving - giving up resentment when wronged.
• Honest - being free from deception.
• Committed - sticking to your choices.
All these behaviors will entail you to serve and sacrifice for
others. This would mean setting aside your own wants and needs
to focus on the legitimate needs of others.
You need to realize that success does not only come from hard
work and appropriately playing the part. To be successful in
business and in your career, you must be able to distinguish
yourself from the rest of the pack - you need to develop, build
and defend your reputation.
The Law of the Harvest
Remember: you reap what you sow. For authority or influence to
flourish, the right environment must be provided and a nurturing
behavior must be present. In a garden, the soil, the sun, the
water, the fertilizer, and the care given by the gardener all
make up the environment under which the plant will grow and
mature. The one thing that you are not sure of, however, is when
the flowers will actually bloom. Bear in mind that influence is
not a magical beanstalk that will sprout overnight; rather, it
is something that grows in time.
The Rewards of Leading with Authority
Leading with authority enables you to have a personal mission
statement: to serve the people you lead, to listen to their
needs, to give praise and recognition, to show kindness, and to
be honest, among other things. When servant leadership becomes
your ethos in life, people would be lining up to join your cause.
By serving others and loving your neighbors, you are keeping in
line with the doctrines of the Church as well as other
religions. You mature psychologically and spiritually, which is
essentially the end goal of the individual’s journey through
life.
While the above payoffs are well and good, the most important
reward of all is the joy you will experience when you put others
first and free yourself from the chains of self-centeredness. As
a certain Dr. Albert Schweitzer wisely puts it, “I don’t know
what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know. The only
ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have
sought and found how to serve.”
About the Author:
James Hunter is the author of the internationally best-selling
book The Servant, subtitled A Simple Story About the True
Essence of Leadership. Now translated into nine (9) languages,
The Servant teaches the timeless principles of Servant
Leadership and is the text used in many MBA and other higher
education curriculum around the world.
By: Regine P. Azurin
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