Following a brief introduction to servant leadership, unique among leadership approaches for its focus on prioritizing the needs of followers, five studies (two published, one in press, and two under review) will be presented. One longitudinal, one cross-sectional, and three time-lagged investigations were conducted in field settings located in Belgium, China, France, Singapore, and the United States, with samples representing a wide range of private and public sector organizations. Results revealed that servant leadership: leads to follower thriving and organization revenue growth, trickles down from upper-level to lower- level leaders, can overcome follower self-interest, and can energize leaders. Most of the outcomes of servant leadership are enhanced, the more the leader provides critical feedback in the form of “tough love” to followers. The presentation will conclude with some points on teaching and practicing servant leadership.
