The Servant Leadership

By Elizabeth Inda-John

“I am for everyone and I am for no one”, these were the words of the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, after being sworn in in 2015. That statement ignited joy in the hearts of Nigerians, it was a promise of a servant leader. However, seven years down the lane, we all know better, those words were empty promises.

Who is a servant leader?

He is one who puts needs above the people. As a matter of fact, that is the reason he leads. He sees issues in the society that requires attention and leads to bring about the desired change. He does not get blinded by his position nor seeks praises of the people, rather, he seeks transformation. The servant leader is selfless, does not seek personal gratification but have the welfare of the people at heart. Examples of servant leaders are Dr. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa. Mother Theresa was a hope to the hopeless, she is considered to be the greatest humanitarian of the 20th century. She is recognized worldwide, winning awards because of her servant nature. She organized outreaches for orphans, and the outcasts. She set up charity homes for the dying, and helped the poor and starving. She became a leader because she saw a problem that needed to be solved and used all within her power to help. She was heavily criticized but that didn’t deter her. Decades after her death, she still receives posthumous awards.

Dr. Martin Luther King will forever be a great example for leaders. He had a comfortable background and didn’t have to do all that he did, yet he did it, not for recognition, but he saw the need for the marginalized and discriminated to be spoken for and he stood in the gap until the need was met. Surviving several assassination attempts, criticisms, and even arrests, he did not get deterred by his challenges, instead he stood true to his cause, using peaceful and non-violent approach to effect change, and eventually it paid off. Apart from the changes he influenced in the Civil rights, he became the youngest person to be awarded a Nobel Peace award.
Nelson Mandela, a personal favorite, was South Africa’s most prominent leader. He studied law at the University of Witwatersrand, joined African National Congress to make a change to the racial division in his country and to stop Political Apartheid. He was imprisoned, charged with treason, his congress was banned, and he lost his marriage and so on. Nevertheless, he used his challenges to his advantage and he gained the people’s trust. He became the first President of the democratic South Africa.

A servant leader is driven by love; love for his followers and love for change. With love he doesn’t turn back when the challenges become too much. He doesn’t blow his own trumpet; his works make the noise for him. He is kind to everyone, whether they see his intentions or not. Mother Theresa acted on love. When people called her a hunch back who did not care about the people, she didn’t stop, she continued in her kindness. It is not easy to be a servant leader, nowadays so many leaders are more concerned with their followers idolizing them than making impacts.

A servant leader is courageous. All of these aforementioned leaders did things that could get them killed; they were threatened, their lives and the lives of their loved ones were at risk, yet for change, they did more. They dared to do the unimaginable with the focus of change. They do not care whose ox gets gored, as long as their decision was change centered. Little wonder, these servant leaders were immortalized after their death, some while still alive.

Our society is in dire need of servant leaders, the true change we all desire will only be achieved by selfless leaders. Leadership is more about the people than the leader. If you want to lead any group of persons, be it your course mates, department, faculty, religious organization, business organization, seek for the problem in that organization and be driven by the love for the people so much so that you make a change, bearing in mind that, “He who will lead must first serve!”