Robert Greenleaf, raised a Methodist embraced Quakerism in 1934 at age 30, then in the 1970s crafted a leadership philosophy that draws from wisdom across traditions whilst perhaps finding its clearest modern expression through his Quaker lens.
Greenleaf articulated these principles for contemporary organisations, they mirror Quaker faith in action, the ways in which members of the Religious Society of Friends strive to live their lives. These ways stem from our Quaker testimonies of equality, community responsibility, and recognising that of God in everyone align perfectly with his vision. It’s as though Greenleaf’s business insights and Quaker principles were parallel streams flowing toward the same truth about how humans should lead one another.
Furthermore, in the bible Mark 10:43-45 is about greatness through service, and Ephesians 4:11-12 on leaders equipping others, presumably these were of further inspiration to Greenleaf.
Greenleaf also professed that Hermann Hesse’s “Journey to the East” shaped his thinking. This literary work exploring service, humble leadership, and the transformative journey itself provided a powerful metaphor that helped crystallise his emerging philosophy.
As the Robert K. Greenleaf Center notes, while he “became a Quaker in mid-life,” he saw servant leadership as transcending any single tradition – a universal approach for “people of all faiths and all institutions, secular and religious.”
You do not need to be a Quaker or even religious to benefit from servant leadership principles. Any organisation could apply these practical approaches to create healthier, more productive workplaces, ever more important in the UK where there are still talent shortages. Its beauty is its effectiveness doesn’t depend on sharing its spiritual origins – its human-centred approach simply works in practice regardless of one’s beliefs.
Maybe for those of us who are Quakers in business, we can find something deeply affirming about servant leadership being articulated by someone from our faith tradition. It reminds me that our principles of service and empowerment aren’t just abstract ideals but practical guides for creating better organisations. Greenleaf’s legacy challenges us to bring these values into our everyday work lives, showing how Quaker insights remain powerfully relevant in today’s business landscape.
Further reading:
Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness by Robert Greenleaf
The Servant Leader: How to Build a Creative Team, Develop Great People, and Achieve Great Performance by James Autry
