We must define what Leadership is not before defining what is leadership? We must go back into a brief overview of historical perspectives on leadership. The leadership and health educator, Ann Downer, summed it up in her remarks in her class on leadership and management.

She stated that the theories associated with these two terms have greatly evolved over time. The initial concept of leadership, known as the Great Man Theory, asserted that leaders were born to lead and only the elite, wealthy aristocrats and mostly men were suitable to be leaders.

This placed these groups of people on a high pedestal, and perhaps greatly impacted representation and diversity—or the lack of it—within the workforce. However, this concept would never be vocalized today. This perception of leadership, especially at the senior level, might be subtly intruding our organizations and subconsciously creating bias. This leads to underrepresented groups being excluded from leadership opportunities.

Servant leadership philosophy developed by Robert Green leaf in the 1970s prioritizes people over profits. They develop, empower, and ensure the well-being of people in their organizations. This type of leadership is rooted in the idea that individual growth drives collective success. When servant leaders empower employees to grow, employees feel included and valued (Forbes Advisor).

In the gospel of Mark (New Testament), the disciples were having an argument about which one of them was the greatest. Jesus quietly sat down and reminded them that, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

Then He took a child in his arms to illustrate the importance of serving others, especially the most helpless among us. He sets the base line for what greatness looks like in His kingdom. His standard is a heart willing to care for others. Jesus has promised that God’s empowering presence will be with those who choose to serve.

However, in (Luke 13:30) Jesus says, “And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last,” implying that those who might seem least important in the world could be elevated by God, while those who consider themselves first might be considered last in Gods eyes; essentially warning against striving for worldly prominence and instead focusing on humility and service.