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43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Servant leadership programs, propping the idea of being first among equals, need to flourish more. Contemporary leadership has long been about bosses and being in charge. The usual picture of a leader is someone at the top who gives all the orders.
But there’s a different way to lead, and it’s a better way: servant leadership.
This kind of leader does not act as if they are the big boss because they know that leaders are simply the first among equals.
Leaders gain influence and power by putting their team’s needs first.
As Dennis Ondrejka points out in his book, a leader’s primary goal should always be to serve others. A leader who is a servant changes the conversation from “what’s best for me?” to “what’s best for us?”
This mindset creates a team that is not just a group of workers but acts as a community. This kind of leader understands that their success is a direct result of the team’s success.
Is Being the First Among Equals a Paradox?
The phrase “first among equals” explains what servant leadership is all about. It means that while a leader has a job title, their real job is to serve their team. In this model, a leader’s authority isn’t a tool to control people. It’s a tool to help them. Direction doesn’t come from the whims of the boss, but the collective will of everyone.
This simple change in thinking makes a big difference, turning a top-down group into a team that works together more efficiently and more coherently.
Servant leadership is about leadership that comes from its peers. It acknowledges that actual influence comes from respect and trust, not because someone was bequeathed a fancy title.
A servant leader works side-by-side with their team, listening to everyone’s ideas and valuing their input. This way of working creates a place where everyone feels they have a voice and a reason to care about the outcome.
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By listening and even following others, the servant leader becomes a trusted teammate. They lead by example, showing that the best way to guide a team is to walk with them, not in front of them. This respect is key to building a strong team.
Leading with Empathy and Acting as One
The most significant challenge with contemporary leadership today is the fact that teams have become more diverse than ever before.
More and more members have different backgrounds, experiences, and skills. To do well, they need a leader who uses empathy.
A servant leader is good at this because they are more observant about each person’s well-being. They take time to understand what drives each team member, the challenges they face, and their individual aspirations.
By creating a place where every voice is heard, the servant leader makes sure that differences become a team’s strength. They bring everyone together, helping them find common ground and use their unique gifts for a shared goal.
Empathy helps the servant leader see beyond a person’s role or title. They focus on the individual and their needs, which allows them to create a support system tailored to each person. This creates a safe environment where everyone can feel they belong and can contribute without fear of judgment.
The Principles of Being the First Among Equals
A servant leader should always be encouraging and embodying the concept of collaborative leadership. You should know that a team’s combined knowledge is always more potent than that of any one person. No man is an island, and no one should be running about the office thinking that that’s the case.
In place of being a repository and the headwaters for all the answers, servant leaders encourage brainstorming and shared problem-solving. They know how to create a safe place for people to share ideas without being judged and make that a priority. This lets the team make decisions together, which leads to better solutions and a more productive environment.
The leader’s role is to guide—they ask questions, provide what the team needs, and help them through challenging issues, all while letting the team take ownership.
This kind of collaboration doesn’t just solve problems. It is the impetus to build more problem-solvers.
When team members are involved in the decision-making process, they have a more concrete connection to the project. They learn to think strategically and take responsibility for outcomes.
This prepares the entire team for future challenges with or without your presence, making the group more adaptable and resilient.
Empowering Through Shared Authority
The greatest manifestation of a servant leader’s influence and power is shared authority. Where non-servant leaders hold onto power, a servant leader shares it with the team.
Aside from being a facilitator of tasks, the servant leader also gives team members the ability to make and consider decisions. A task is not a command, but an agreement between parties.
This act of trusting each other is a big motivator. It tells people that they are valued and capable. Shared authority creates a sense of ownership, as people feel a direct link between their choices and the team’s success. This helps with morale, job satisfaction, and makes a group more flexible. It’s a simple rule that turns a group of people into a strong team that can handle any problem together.
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This act of empowerment builds confidence and develops skills within the team. When individuals have a say in their work and the authority to make choices, they are more likely to be creative and committed. This creates a cycle of growth where the team becomes more capable and the leader’s job becomes one of guidance, not control.
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Dennis Ondrejka’s SERVANT LEADERSHIP: Ethical, Engaging & Effective is available on his website.
