This highly influential book is filled with prophetic essays on what Greenleaf coined "autocratic leadership" with a holistic approach.
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Greenleaf sets forth the almost utopic vision of “servant leadership” as a sort of modified “people-first” mentality. The concepts themselves are great. The evidence that he provides is convincing. I also found it interesting that Greenleaf predicted some of the political situations in which we now find ourselves. Why is this interesting? He did it in the 1970s!
I do agree with many of Greenleaf's assertions about servant leadership. I do believe that one of a leader's responsibilities is to treat his/her people right and try to do what's good for both the organization and the people that comprise it. There is a line, though, that cannot be crossed, which Greenleaf recognizes and debates the element of servitude in that context.
I felt is was a major shortcoming that he limited his discussions to corporations, universities, and churches. I would like to have heard his thoughts on government, the small business, non-profit/charitable sectors, volunteer organizations, etc. Also, the book was hard to read. The writing style did not relate well to the content, which made the content seem distant or inaccessible. The actual hardcover binding of the book also made it hard to read.
