Business Summaries - The Servant By James C. Hunter

This age-old paradox 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.

By citing words of wisdom from philosophers and writers, even borrowing from the teachings of Jesus Christ, Hunter explains that the principle behind effective leadership is based on the interplay of responsibility, respect, and care. Ultimately, leadership is about character and substance.

Power vs. Authority

In his book “The Theory of Social and Economic Organization,” Max Weber differentiated power from authority. Power is defined as the ability to force or coerce people into action, even if their hearts are against it, because of position or might. By doing so, you corner people into the psychological trap that can be called “Do it or else!”

Authority, on the other hand, is the skill of getting people to willingly do what you ask them to because of your personal influence. Willingly being the operative word. They do it agreeably because they value their relationship with you.

The cornerstone of leadership is not power, but authority. Power changes hands, especially if it came with a coterminous position. Authority is part of your character - you need not be in a position of power to practice it. Servant leadership is getting things done through people. Servant leadership is built on relationship, love, service, and sacrifice.

The Power Glitch

Power crumbles relationships. Teenagers rebel because they feel they’ve been ordered around the house too long. The same goes for an organization. Remember that employee dissatisfaction is, in a way, masked rebellion.

Though in the past power might have worked to make people do your will, people respond to it differently now. The 1960’s saw the start of mobilization and open challenges to public institutions such as government and schools. We have also witnessed the Watergate issue, scandals involving church leaders, and military cover-ups (i.e., Agent Orange). As instances like these happen more frequently, society becomes more skeptical or wary of people in positions of power.

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