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Leading with a Service Mindset: The Power and Paradox of Servant Leadership in Schools

Introduction: Leading from a Foundation of Service

I grew up in a large Baptist family, one of eight siblings — where service was not an abstract concept but a way of life. My parents modelled it daily. They were deeply involved in missionary work and opened our home to foster babies and young children with special needs. Service was woven into the fabric of our family’s values, shaping how we saw the world and our place in it. The message was clear: leadership is not about being in charge; it is about caring for the needs of others and working for the good of the whole community. I learned from an early age: ‘put others before self’. The first school where I began my career as a teacher; Beaconhills College in South East Victoria, was led by a beginning Principal: Mr Richard Tudor. Rick modelled a strong service mindset as a leader, and after a distinguished career as a Principal in two schools, he eventually went on to establishing the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School; a school that supports young indigenous people as they pursue away from home schooling in Melbourne. And so, perhaps for me, the dye was cast.

Defining Servant Leadership in Education

The concept of servant leadership, introduced by Robert K Greenleaf (1970), emphasises prioritising the growth, wellbeing, and empowerment of those served. It is defined as a philosophy where leaders put the needs of others before their own ambitions, seeking to empower and uplift. In schools, this means a principal or executive leader focuses on enabling teachers to thrive, ensuring students feel known and valued, and building genuine community partnerships.

But I have been wondering, in addition to social conditioning, does gender play a part in servant leadership? Are women expected to display a servant style of leadership, particularly as it has traditionally in the past aligned with society’s expectations of women as “carers”?  Having personally interviewed well over 7,000 educational leaders, I have identified authentic servant leaders and found that any leader can equally demonstrate effective servant leadership, and it is usually when their personal values and beliefs are mature and aligned to their purpose, in addition to a deeply self-reflective and relational personality.

Decision-Making Through the Lens of Service

Decision-making for a servant leader is fundamentally different from that of a purely managerial or authority-driven leader. Where traditional leadership might begin with institutional priorities, financial outcomes, or personal career implications, servant leadership begins with a simple but profound question: “What will best serve the people and purpose entrusted to me?” (Greenleaf, 1970).

In practical terms, this means decisions are relational as well as strategic. Servant leaders consciously weigh the impact of their choices on students, staff, parents, and the wider community, not just in the short term, but in how those decisions will shape trust, culture, and long-term flourishing. Eva et al. (2019) note that servant leaders tend to prioritise human impact before institutional optics, even when doing so is less politically expedient.

For example, when faced with a budgetary shortfall, a servant leader may choose to preserve programs that are vital to student engagement or teacher morale, even if this requires scaling back in less mission-critical areas. When considering policy changes, they are likely to involve those directly affected eg teachers, students, or parents in genuine consultation rather than symbolic engagement. We saw servant leadership really come to the fore in education during the Covid Pandemic, particularly in faith-based schools where decisions regarding supporting families who had lost their jobs, by providing fee relief for periods of time, reflected the core values of the particular school community. I observed leaders in schools across Australia, genuinely take on the needs of their trauma affected communities, often at the detriment to their own personal wellbeing.

A servant leader’s decision-making process often has four distinguishing characteristics:

1. Listening Before Acting: Decisions are informed by broad, respectful consultation, creating space for multiple perspectives and lived experiences (Spears, 2010).
2. Prioritising Long-Term Good Over Short-Term Wins: They ask, Will this decision help our community thrive in five years’ time, or only improve the next term’s results?
3. Balancing Empathy with Courage: They consider individual needs deeply but are willing to make hard calls when the greater good requires it.
4. Aligning with Core Values: Every decision is tested against the school’s mission, values, and the leader’s own ethical compass

This approach can sometimes lead to slower decision cycles, because it requires intentional reflection and dialogue. Yet, when executed well, it produces decisions that are not only ethically sound but also carry broad ownership and commitment. Over time, this builds a culture in which staff and students feel heard, valued, and invested in the direction of the school, which becomes a powerful driver of both trust and performance.

The Shadow Side: Challenges and Risks

While compelling, servant leadership is not without risks: Can a servant leadership style actually be ineffective in a fast-paced and ever-changing world?

• Overcommitment and Burnout: The drive to meet everyone’s needs can result in leaders overextending themselves.  The types of behaviours that you would see, would be an inability to prioritise and say “No” and ineffective or lack of delegation to other members of the executive team.
• Avoidance of Tough Calls: A desire for harmony may lead to delayed or avoided performance management and difficult conversations. I often see this is in Christian schools where the church community culture is one where conflict is seen as a negative and a sign of “non-Christian” behaviour. Developing accountability and a culture of feedback can thereby be a challenge in this context.
• Burying oneself in the detail – losing sight of the strategy: the practice of focusing so heavily on meeting the individual needs of one stakeholder group, for example, the students, that this comes at the expense of strategic leadership and can create organisational drift.
• Misinterpretation as Weakness: In more hierarchical cultures, servant leaders can be underestimated or seen as lacking authority.

Balancing compassion with clarity and courage is essential. Effective servant leaders learn to set boundaries, make timely decisions, and hold people accountable while maintaining their commitment to service.

Cultivating a Culture of Service in Schools

Culture flows from leadership. When leaders model service, they signal that empathy, respect, and mutual care are core expectations. Over time, these values become embedded in staff interactions, classroom culture, and community engagement. The result is a school where collaboration is the norm, diversity is celebrated, and all members feel a sense of shared purpose.

Practical Steps for School Leaders

1. Model Service Daily: Demonstrate humility, active listening, and a willingness to “roll up your sleeves” alongside staff.
2. Empower Others: Delegate with trust and provide the resources for success.
3. Celebrate Contributions: Publicly acknowledge the efforts of staff, students, and community members.
4. Set Healthy Boundaries: Protect time and energy so service is sustainable.
5. Embed Service in Rituals:  Incorporate acts of service into assemblies, curriculum, and community events.

The Business Case for a Service Mindset

After a career in school leadership, I established my own educational search firm and consultancy, where these early lessons in service proved foundational. In business, a service mindset means placing value creation for others at the heart of every project. It means going beyond contractual obligations by anticipating needs, exceeding expectations, and making a meaningful difference.

This approach fosters trust, builds long-term relationships, and seeks to provide small acts of service that are not advertised on our business website- it is part of our cultural DNA. When in a competitive business environment, we often have to justify what our “value add” is or point of difference. Having reflected deeply on this aspect, I have come to the conclusion that as the Foundational Director, my role, like a Principal in a school, has been to set the tone and culture of our team. This foundational team culture is one where we are committed to ensuring that we go above and beyond to support School Boards/Councils, Principals and leadership candidates, by reducing their cognitive workload in relation to each project. We are motivated to serve the educational sector by providing a high level of service that continues to have impact in educational leadership.

Conclusion: Service as a Leadership Legacy

“Leadership is not about you. It’s about what you do for others.” In education, leading with a servant heart is not just a leadership style, it is a cultural foundation that shapes the next generation. For me, the lessons learned in a childhood shaped by service remain the compass for my leadership journey. Ultimately, the true measure of a leader is not the titles they hold or the accolades they receive, but the lasting flourishing of the people and communities they have served.

References

Black, G. L. (2010). Correlational analysis of servant leadership and school climate. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, 13(4), 437–466.

Cerit, Y. (2009). The effects of servant leadership behaviours of school principals on teachers’ job satisfaction. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 37(5), 600–623. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143209339650

Eva, N., Robin, M., Sendjaya, S., van Dierendonck, D., & Liden, R. C. (2019). Servant leadership: A systematic review and call for future research. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1), 111–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2018.07.004

Greenleaf, R. K. (1970). The servant as leader. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.

Hunter, E. M., Neubert, M. J., Perry, S. J., Witt, L. A., Penney, L. M., & Weinberger, E. (2013). Servant leaders inspire servant followers: Antecedents and outcomes for employees and the organization. The Leadership Quarterly, 24(2), 316–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2012.12.001

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (6th ed.). Wiley.

Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Liao, C., & Meuser, J. D. (2014). Servant leadership and serving culture: Influence on individual and unit performance. Academy of Management Journal, 57(5), 1434–1452. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2013.0034

Sendjaya, S., Eva, N., Butar, I. B., Robin, M., & Castles, S. (2019). SLBS-6: Validation of a short form of the servant leadership behaviour scale. Journal of Business Ethics, 156(4), 941–956. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3593-3

Spears, L. C. (2010). Character and servant leadership: Ten characteristics of effective, caring leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, 1(1), 25–30.

Taylor, T., Martin, B. N., Hutchinson, S., & Jinks, M. (2007). Examination of leadership practices of principals identified as servant leaders. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 10(4), 401–419. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603120701408262

ACEL Victoria Awards

ACEL Victoria would like to acknowledge the following recipients of this year’s ACEL Victoria Awards. ACEL awards must be peer-nominated and demonstrate impact beyond one’s own school. This year we had multiple nominations for categories, and we would like to acknowledge the excellent work of the Branch Awards Committee - Hayley Dureau (Chair), Cameron Patterson, and Fiona Hutton, assisted by myself and Anna Maree Beech.

BRIAN CALDWELL RESEARCH AWARD - Glenn Savage 

DEBBIE LOCCO LEADERSHIP AWARD - Pip Cleaves  

HEDLEY BEARE EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD - Richard Owens  

MEDIA AWARD - Adriano di Prato and Phil Cummins  

PRESIDENT’S AWARD - Fazal Rizvi 

FELLOWSHIP AWARDS              

• Aisha Kristiansen 
• Bernadette Donnelly 
• Colin Dobson 
• Donnie Adams 
• Ellen Heyting 
• Kerry Elliott 
• Steve Cook 

Fiona Hutton
ACEL VIC Branch Executive Member