Servant First!

by John J. Sullivan

Book Overview

Entering the new millennium, men and women across the globe are crying out for a new type of leadership. The old command and control model is dead and the search for a new approach has begun. In... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159467227X
• ISBN13: 9781594672279
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Xulon Press
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

CAPTURES WHAT LEADERSHIP IS ALL ABOUT

JOHN SULLIVAN HAS DONE A MASTERFUL JOB OF COMPILING EXSISTING DATA, ADDING HIS PERSONAL TOUCHES AND CONCLUDING WITH POWERFUL LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES AND EXAMPLES FROM THE LIFE OF CHRIST. I HAVE BEEN READING LEADERSHIP BOOKS FOR SOME TIME AND THIS ONE KEPT ME READING EVERY PAGE AND LEARNING FROM JOHNS RICH BACKGROUND AND INSIGHTS. DETAILED AND PRACTICAL. I LOVED IT!

Managers Who Serve

Early this morning in the locker room of my local YMCA, I had a recurring discussion with a friend and senior executive from an internationally recognized American bank. We discussed a subject of mutual interest to both of us--the need in our society to develop effective managers. In our opinion leaders may be born (to a degree) but managers are made (or more precisely, developed) over time. It takes great focus, patience, and courage to become an effective manager. John Sullivan's book give great insight into the secret of what it takes to become particular type of manager--one who can capably serve society through responsibly using the leadership qualities they possess.I have been a manager for a large corporation, taught undergraduate and graduate management courses, and been assigned responsibility for developing managers at a large federal agency. As a result of my interest in the subject I have read a number of books on the subject of servanthood, or stewardship, and--in my opinion--John Sullivan's book is the best. Why do I believe "Servant First" is a book that deserves to be read?In the first half of his book, John builds a sound foundation by addressing the best of existing management theory. I have known John Sullivan for several years and he is in his element here. John has also been a manager and he has has also taught management for years. He knows the breadth, depth, and current state of management study--with at times its shortcomings and shallowness--and he is an excellent communicator. His balanced treatment of this initial section can probably only be truly measured for its scholarship by someone who has read widely in the field, but it does not take a scholar to understand and appreciate what John is writing about. He is clear, practical, and to the point. Then, in the second half of the book, John turns with great insight and enthusiasm to directly address his thesis. "One needs to start with the attitude of a servant if one is to successfully serve others, and the teachings of Jesus Christ provide some great insight into this task that should be understood--not ignored or disregarded." John is as capable in his Biblical scholarship as he is in the field of management study. This is no simplistic cookbook written for the amateur. In this short book, John has provided his reader with a very lucid, succinct summary of management thought taken from a distinctly Christian perspective. John is consistently logical, and his book has an organization that neither presumes too much, nor bores the reader. By the time one finishes "Servant First," one has a good picture of both the challenges and contributions of a servant ethic that attempts to emulate the teachings of Jesus Christ. One doesn't have to be a Christian to learn important principles from this book, but if one is a Christian there is a special insight into this process of developing one's servanthood that can be gained because of one's experiences and d

A Review of John J. Sullivan's Servant First!

A Review of John J. Sullivan's Servant First! Leadership for the New Millennium By J. Thomas Whetstone, D.Phil. Pessimism is the prevailing mindset at the beginning of the new millennium among discontented intellectuals, the media, and those who seek a utopia on earth (Johnson, 2003). We can do nothing in the face of economic stagnation, business corruption, global warming, and international terrorism, according to pessimists. But there is a viable alternative: the optimism of those who can adopt the leadership example set by Jesus Christ to serve others. John Sullivan's book, Servant First! Leadership for the New Millennium, sets forth this optimistic alternative in a lucid and practical manner. Drawing from scholarship on management and leadership, especially Deming's (1982) total quality management and Greenleaf's (1991) servant leadership, his own diverse experience, and biblical examples, Sullivan develops a practical model for Christian leadership. Servant leadership differs from trait, behavioral, situational, and contingency leadership approaches by to its focus on human persons and relationships. This normative paradigm involves recognition of the leader and the followers as spiritual as well as material creatures, ones worthy of dignity and respect unconditionally, not merely for their instrumental contributions. As Robert K. Greenleaf and his followers (e.g., Spears, 1995) note, a genuine servant leader puts the needs and desires of her followers before her own needs. Her preferred methods are use of persuasion and example rather than command and control or manipulation. She measures success by manifest growth in the people served and the positive effects on overall society. Critics, such as Craig Johnson (2001), argue that servant leaders can be unrealistically naïve, too passive and too tolerant of followers, pursue the wrong ends, and ineffective in some situational contexts, such as prison administration. Even admitted advantages of servant leadership, including its altruism, simplicity, and self-awareness, can be viewed as weakened through naivety. According to Norman Bowie (2000), a servant leader can be too subject to manipulation by followers. John Sullivan, while not directly refuting such criticism, presents a strong positive case for servant leadership, describing and explaining how the biblical Christ led and mentored his disciples. Sullivan's book indeed demonstrates that proper servant leadership need not be limited by the above objections. Moreover, Sullivan argues that the leadership model exemplified by Christ is not beyond ordinary human capability, but it may be studied and applied effectively within a variety of contemporary organizations. Sullivan identifies character traits, competencies, and leadership types exemplified by Christ as leader. He describe