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A Flourishing Culture: Servant Leadership
Issue #414, January 14, 2026
Flourishing things are attractive. We love to look at a well-manicured flower garden where all the plants are healthy and strong. The same is true for organizations that flourish—they are attractive. Flourishing plants require healthy soil; flourishing organizations require a healthy culture.
In this series we’ll examine 6 elements of a flourishing culture* and look at how Jesus modeled these elements in his own leadership. The first element of a flourishing culture is a servant leader. The servant leader shapes the culture to help organizations thrive. Jesus illustrates this with His life and teaching.
24 A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves (Luke 22:24-27, NIV).
Jesus contrasts typical leadership with the way He serves.
Servant leadership brings flourishing by lifting others.
Jesus observes, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over” those they lead. They see themselves at the top of the organizational chart. They are the bosses that tell others what to do. They rule; others obey! They lift themselves up. But Jesus challenges us to become like the youngest and to lift others up rather than ourselves. Some leaders lift themselves up. Servant leaders lift others up. People flourish when they know their leader genuinely wants to see them succeed.
Servant leadership brings flourishing by acknowledging others.
Jesus notes that “those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.” They give themselves nice titles and accolades. They celebrate their own success and watch for failure in those they lead. Jesus points to a different way of leading. He calls us to recognize the achievements of others, to celebrate their successes, to catch people doing what’s right and call it out!
Some leaders shine the light on themselves but servant leaders shine the light on others. People flourish when their achievements are celebrated and when they know their leader is cheering them on.
Servant leadership brings flourishing by modeling for others.
After Jesus illustrates the difference between common leadership in the world and His leadership, He also states the obvious, “I am among you as one who serves.” Jesus was the model of the radical leadership He was asking of His followers. He showed them that leadership was not about who has the highest title or position. He used His power, but it was always to serve others, not His own interests. He practiced what He preached. His mission was to lower Himself to become a man and to follow the path of humility to the cross. His serving was not a leadership technique—it was the heart of who He was.
Some leaders tell others what to do, but they don’t follow their own standards. But serving leaders humbly model what they call others to do. They live out their heart of service. People flourish when their leader is a person of integrity who practices what they proclaim.
For further reflection and discussion:
· Reflect on your own leadership journey in relation to being a servant leader. On a scale of 1-10 (10 is perfect) how would you rate your own leadership? Why?
· In what way have I used my leadership role to lift others up? In what ways could I lift others up more often and deliberately? Are there things in my heart that keep me from lifting others up, eg. fear, pride, insecurity?
· Reflect on how you can celebrate a recent success of those you lead. Develop a plan of action on what you will do and when you will do it.
· How confidently can you say to others, “I am among you as one who serves”? What would it take for you to be able to say this more confidently?
· In addition to the scripture used in this issue, reflect on the following verses from the life of Jesus: Matthew 20:20-28; Mark 5:25-34, 6:30-34, 10:13-16, 35-45; John 13:1-17; What additional insights do you find?
Until next time, yours on the journey,
Jon Byler
In the next issue, we’ll look at the next element of a flourishing culture: Vision Clarity
*Note: This series is based on The LeadersServe Culture™ which is designed to help people flourish and organizations thrive. This happens when leaders serve. The LeadersServe Culture™ training provides an in depth look at each of these elements with practical exercise to clarify, communicate and cultivate each one into the life of your organization. For more information about this model and other training resources visit www.LeadersServe.com. |
