Servant leadership theory, which dates to the 1970s, argues that leaders have a duty to focus primarily on meeting their subordinates’ needs.
When considering various leadership models to emulate, leaders have a wide variety to choose from, including participative leadership, charismatic leadership, directive leadership, authoritarian leadership, and paternalistic leadership. In this article, we take a closer look at servant leadership theory, an aspirational but somewhat understudied model of leadership rooted in lofty goals.