The Steadfast Heart

Late last year, I declared that 2024 was going to be my year of fun. 2023 was the epitome of challenging and I had the hardest time letting go of deep feelings of insignificance and resentment toward the circumstances that magnified them. The most frustrating part was wanting to move forward but easily recalling the unmet expectations of the past year that turned into skepticism of a positive future. Coming up short, I decided if I just tried to make life more fun, I’d win at it.

Well. I made it to January 11th before sensing my own defeat. Life is just as challenging as it was twelve days ago when I was still living in last year. And I’m not having very much fun, as much as I’m trying to not take myself too seriously. Loneliness is likely the biggest escalator of my best intentions. I’m an extrovert who works from home, dependent on virtual reality for connection, most days. I’m starting to believe that cat ladies are the people who understand the key to human survival after all.

2024’s Year of Fun pledge was simply a longing for my ideal preferences to continuously come true. Reality did not let me get very far. But what’s saved me on days when I’m doubting or wondering, or feel myself over-striving to feel enough is one thing: being present with Jesus. And he’s showing me old and new ways I can do that. Dallas Willard said, “Prayer is Jesus walking right up to you and listening.” When I heard that this week, it shifted my posture from praying throughout the day to being in constant conversation with God. It’s the miracle of all miracles that I’m both alone during working hours, and yet always within reach of eternal connection.

It’s given me the freedom to wonder about so many things, to cast daily frustrations onto Him, and to practice asking for what I need and then listening in comfortable silence for it. And I hear him whisper just one thing: “This is it.”

This is it. This is my life. And my reaction to that reality can either be disappointment or intentional presence within it. I get one shot with my kids. With my marriage. With my opportunities. With my loneliness. Another way my dad phrased it to me recently was, “Don’t waste your winter.” And that’s been freeing to get on the other side of wondering what’s missing. Nothing is. Not when I’m drawn into the present.

What continues to keep me present is gratitude, as it always does. Out of the overflow of practicing the presence of God has come small, quiet moments. Flickers of his blessings, really, where He’s allowed me to have a bird’s eye view of my life for just a second. Hearing my sons imaginatively playing in their room. Soaking in the sound of their tiny voices that will one day deepen and change. Seeing the profile of my husband as he silently empties the dishwasher without prompting. The garage door opening as I release the button, a reminder that God gifted me a place to land.

When I find myself in the space of what could or should be, the Holy Spirit assures me in tiny flashes of remembrance that this is it.

And I become overwhelmed with joy and holy contentment, that it is.

Take care & take heart,

I’ve been drawn back to old hymns lately. Maybe it’s all of the busyness in this season that makes the slow and familiar songs comforting. Maybe the Lord knows my heart needs to be steadied by truths that have been passed down through generations in the church. There’s also a chance it’s simply because I miss home. And hymns remind me of home.

Today I found a letter I wrote five years ago to the church I grew up in. At the time, I had been praying to find a church that had the level of warmth and depth of Cherry Hills and had not found it. As I reread the words I wrote, God’s faithfulness was apparent to me again. Two years ago, we started driving across several towns to attend a different church during COVID-19 while the kid’s ministry at our church had not reopened. One visit turned into answered prayers and regular attendance. What once was a letter to my home church, could now be written similarly to our new church home, Lakeland. And I’m so grateful.

Dear Cherry Hills, 

As I write this, I’d like to think I am like the apostle Paul who would write to the Philippians fondly with the greeting, “I thank my God every time I remember you.” Words will never be enough to express how deeply I resonate with Paul when I think of the treasured people within the Cherry Hills family. 

When I moved to Wisconsin over two years ago, one of the most challenging adjustments for me was surrendering my proximity to Woodside Road on Sunday mornings. Over the years, my fondness for Cherry Hills has come from the atmosphere of praise that dwells within its walls and the overwhelming sense that the Holy Spirit is resting in the hearts of the people that fill these seats. While God is undoubtedly at work in other areas of Springfield and has shown his favor in my community here in Wisconsin, I have never walked into another sanctuary that replicates such a reverence for His presence like Cherry Hills. 

At the age of 25, I have to come to recognize within myself a deep desire to be known and beyond that, to sense reciprocity in my relationships to their fullest extent. When I reflect on the relationships in my life that personify this, every single one brings me back to the Cherry Hills family. The intentionality behind the way you as a church family so recklessly love one another is an absolute privilege to still be a part of, miles away.

As I have matured into adulthood in the last several years, no one has taught me more about generosity than this family. I have lost count in the last year how many times I have been blessed with thoughtful gifts or a card just to say “thinking of you”. You have taught me that it is never about the dollar amount that I give, but the posture of my heart that Jesus is after. 

As a result of your infectious spirit of generosity, I have found myself asking, “What more can I give?” or, “Who can I invest my time into or encourage today?” Unbeknownst to you, the baton you have passed on so well helps me rhythmically welcome Jesus to continue to build my character. Oh, how deep is my gratitude to be caught in the riptide of your love that moves me to compassion for others. 

Thank you. Wholeheartedly, I thank you for the way you have loved my dad and have graciously allowed him to lead. Thank you for the adoration and care you have shown my remarkable mom. We are privileged to experience the overflow of your love time and again. I truly believe we are better in Jesus because we get to walk through life together with you!

I love you, Cherry Hills family, and I am electrified that we get to carry our worship together into eternity!

Love, Natalie 

So as I have been singing hymns I first learned from sharing a hymnal as a little girl in a church pew, I have held a reverence and gratitude for how the Lord has carried me and a hope for how he is carrying me still. In the years since I’ve gotten married and moved away from home, he has slowly been building a new identity for me when I walk into church. I’m not recognized as the pastor’s daughter anymore on Sundays, but I have found that Jesus continues to remind me I’m forever his.

After leaving Cherry Hills, it took a long time to sense his presence at church the way I felt it growing up. What has been such a gift is finding that again in the last few years in such a new, yet familiar way at Lakeland. That’s not to say that the Holy Spirit was not in the other places we attended since moving, but it’s allowed me to become even more grateful Sunday after Sunday when Lakeland has felt even more like home. And that’s because I sense Jesus there, too. I recognize a familiar expectancy for God to show up. And he always does.

Getting older is a funny thing. The older I get, the more I have come to understand that two things can be true at the same time. I miss home. I miss the church I grew up in. And I am home. I am building a home in a different place. This will be the first Christmas Eve spent at our church in Wisconsin, without family on that day. And two things are true. I will miss not gathering with the people who shaped my upbringing in Illinois. And I am looking forward to meeting Jesus at Lakeland on Christmas Eve. I’m so grateful that the limitless Spirit of God dwells in many places.

May Jesus dwell in our hearts this Christmas season as our Emmanuel. God with us!

And thank you, Jesus, for being with me, all these years.
Praise God from whom all blessings continue to graciously flow.

Take care & take heart,

Natalie A. Price

Point University

BUSI 542: Servant Leadership Theory & Development

June 25, 2023

Abstract

Servant leadership theory is one of many effective approaches to leadership. While the theory has its criticisms, characteristics of a servant leader are applicable to the author’s personal leadership model. Personal context, including worldviews and work experience inform the leader’s understanding of servant leadership. To strengthen the effectiveness of the model, the author will outline a strategy for implementation and identify forecasting considerations. 

SERVANT LEADERSHIP INFLUENCES: A Personal Leadership Model

For the past seven years, I have had the privilege of serving at Chick-fil-A both in the restaurant and remotely. In my tenure, I have concluded that there is no better place for me to build character and learn about leadership than my small corner of Chick-fil-A at 124^th & Capitol. In a company built on Christian principles, aspects of servant leadership are weaved throughout our mission in the restaurant industry (CFA Properties, Inc., 2023) The cultural heartbeat of our brand is to leave people better than we found them (Spears and Lawrence, 2002). Three ideas related to servant leadership theory that influence my approach to leadership are listening, empathy, and foresight (Greenleaf and Spears, 2012). Servant leadership is helping me build a framework around how I, as a leader, can help the people I lead find meaningful work even in the small, mundane tasks that are daily and constant (Kauppila et al., 2018).

Servant Leadership Defined & Criticisms

The dichotomy of servant leadership is that “leadership” is often depicted as large and powerful, while “servant” is considered as a lower and lesser position. Robert K. Greenleaf (2012), upon presenting the term “servant-leader” in 1970, reversed the hierarchy by encouraging people to have a serve-first mindset. A servant leader is someone who, though in charge, focuses on the needs of his followers first and foremost. The intention is for those being served by the leader to experience personal and professional growth that influences them to in turn serve others. This not only affects the organizations where servant leadership is practiced but also the greater community (pp. 26-27). 

Greenleaf identified ten key attributes that embody servant leadership, including qualities that also show strength and steadiness, such as persuasion and building community (Spears and Lawrence, 2002). When I think of “servant”, I do not immediately think of influence. The words, “sacrifice”, “humble”, and “meek” come to mind. The idea of a servant carrying most of the workload without expectation of recognition to support a grander goal supports what I originally knew to be true of servant leadership. However, under Greenleaf’s model, a servant leader, by putting others first empowers them to action. That is influence. The purpose of serving first as a leader is to give opportunities to followers based on their needs. This provides employees fulfillment, which in turn benefits the rest of the organization (Carroll, 2022).

At its best, applying servant leadership theory is having a, “what about you?” mindset towards others. Learning to focus attention on followers opens a leader’s mind and creativity to new ideas. When connection and collaboration occur between leader and follower, it creates buy-in. Leaders can empower their followers, help maximize their contributions to the team, and create a lasting emotional impact in their lives (Gandolfi and Stone, 2018; Spears and Lawrence, 2002. 

Three challenges I see with the servant leadership model are related to the leader’s personal life, remote work, and the follower’s ultimate perception. Research has shown that integrating servant leadership with healthy family life is challenging. Conflict can arise for employees who are motivated to serve their families first before their co-workers. They are less inclined to put work before family life. On the contrary, leaders can be more motivated to serve at work because of the measurable impact that is easier to see in the workplace than at home (Stollberger et al., 2019).

For example, a missionary doctor serving in a foreign country could see the immediate impact of saving a person’s life, both physically and spiritually. The saved person could very likely be inspired to give his life to serve others after such an experience. Once at home, the missionary may struggle to see the fruit in serving his argumentative children in a way that makes them want to be obedient and serve each other. Servant leadership requires intentionality and focus on others’ needs, often fragmenting a leader’s priorities and thwarting a healthy work-life balance. This burdens the leader, who serves out of an unhealthy place with less impact (Li et al., 2023). 

In today’s digital context, remote work has become more prevalent. What does not always translate through email and varying virtual communication channels is body language and nonverbals (Singfiel, 2018). New co-workers meeting for the first time over a screen may struggle to not only connect, but tone, emphasis, and eye contact can all be lost in translation, too. What the digital age and a global pandemic have simultaneously produced is a life built on convenience. It has also produced social anxiety, burnout, and an endless list of health concerns that get in the way of human connection (Brown, 2018). 

Servant leadership depends on an organic connection. Jon Acuff has recently said, “Accidental community is over, the future is intentional (Thomas & Goff, 2023, 31:50).” In other words, water-cooler conversation in the office is dying out. How then, can a servant leader not only grow followers but connect with them to focus on what matters to them?  To date, there is no “applicable” research to know how to apply this well in a remote context. With only intentionality to rely on, the leader is at the mercy of their followers to receive their efforts well (Gandolfi and Stone, 2018, p. 265). 

A final criticism of servant leadership is articulated best by Jeff Singfiel (2018) who writes, “Service is what the follower experiences, not what the leader intends (p. 74).” Ultimately, servant leadership is not up to the leader to determine. The leader’s effort can then only be measured by the follower’s perception. This makes servant leadership hard to measure because unresearched followers can determine servant leadership to mean anything to them. Further, the needs of the person may not be what is best for the organization. Servant leaders are required to model positive attributes, but an unhealthy follower is not held accountable in the same way. 

Transformational leadership takes servant leadership a step further because it inspires individuals to buy into a team-oriented culture. “Mission becomes king” instead (Kelly, 2021). James MacGregor Burns argued in his definition of transformational leadership that the relationship between leader and follower can be mutually beneficial. Under this collaboration, both parties can grow with an “iron sharpens iron” posture (Stewart, 2006). “Serving first” is one approach to leadership that becomes even more impactful, measurable, and applicable when layered with models like transformational leadership. 

Personal Leadership Model

The foundation for my personal leadership model has been culminated by who I have been influenced by and through experiences that have built character in me (Bailey, 2021). My grandfather was the senior pastor at our church when I was young and shared the pulpit with my dad, the associate pastor. My grandpa chose to retire from pastoral ministry early so that my dad could lead the church as a younger leader with a fresh vision. Two and a half decades later, my dad did the same for a younger generation of pastors, stepping down from his senior position to take on a supportive role. 

I watched two generations of leaders in my family yield to God’s spiritual authority by listening to his voice and using foresight to discern what to do with what they heard. This significantly influenced both my faith and leadership.Through family modeling, my faith in Jesus Christ became real to me at eleven years old led to my decision to be baptized. In the years following my adolescence, I had a series of encounters with Jesus that changed the way I saw the world and viewed people. One of the ways I experienced Jesus was in the hallways of my high school and the small corners of my job as a shampoo girl in an upscale salon. 

As a minority in my high school, I learned to see people as individually unique and special in God’s eyes through my own experience of being different. Even as I often felt misunderstood, Jesus wanted to teach me something. Across the ticker of my mind as I walked to class one morning came the word “others”. Over time, my eyes were opened to see that other people felt overlooked, too. Questions became a way to connect. I made it a mission to be not only inclusive of, but curious about, others. Kids that struggled to fit in came to my mind and I found ways to notice them. This focus on others through Jesus not only cured much of my self-pity and loneliness but helped me listen to and empathize with other people’s stories first. 

At the salon, I was often the last person to leave, finishing tasks like folding towels and washing hair color out of the sink. It was during those quiet nights alone that I began to sense the Lord’s presence with me even as I swept hair from the floor. The power of doing things with Jesus changed my heart to want to serve others. As I began to learn how to discern his voice, I found purpose and joy in the small, mundane tasks only Jesus saw. It was his foresight and his direction that helped me to see ordinary moments in light of eternity. 

As I stepped into my leadership role at Chick-fil-A, focusing on others first as a partnership with Jesus became foundational to how I view leadership. I learned that sin turns us inward, but life in Jesus Christ turns us outward (Galatians 2:20, English Standard Version Bible, 2009). My title at Chick-fil-A is Executive Coordinator, where I serve on our executive leadership team assisting the owner/operator while holding my own responsibilities. I work remotely five days a week and commute an hour into the restaurant once a week for meetings. Among my varying responsibilities, my primary focus is on human resources. I am most passionate about helping people become aware of their underlying motivations, strengths, and frustrations through leadership development.

I have defined my personal leadership model around three servant leadership attributes which are listening, empathy, and foresight (Greenleaf and Spears, 2012). In my experience, most people are unsure of how to process what they think or feel because they are not used to recurrently being asked about themselves. Compounded over time, unprocessed thoughts and emotions create anxiety, inner tension, and unidentified forms of shame. Knowing this, I want to listen to understand people with my whole heart (Brown, 2019). The people I work with are hungry for authenticity and want to be appreciated for who they are both inside and outside of work (Kauppila et al., 2018). 

Servant leadership helps me apply this to my personal model because connecting with others starts with listening and understanding people’s stories. Extending empathy helps me relate to their experience. These ideas give breathing room for meaningful work to inspire team members because they feel supported first (Hartnell et al., 2023). My mission as a leader is to walk with leaders toward transformative self-development for healthier leadership influence at Chick-fil-A. This requires foresight and the ability to understand the trajectory of what is ahead. My leadership stance is servant leadership, while my overall leadership style identifies more with transformational leadership (Echols, 2009).

Strategy for Workplace Implementation

There are several ways I have tried to quietly apply servant leadership to my workplace context using my personal model. Even on the days when I do not feel understood or noticed, I try to notice someone else on the team. My strategy is to understand people and their underlying motivation by trying to get to know their heart and intentions. I try to ask questions such as, “How can I help you flourish?”, “How are you?”, What are you working on and how can I help?” The notes app on my phone is becoming a helpful resource to keep the people I have in mind visible to me.

Listening well, as Edgar Schein outlines, starts with having a humble curiosity about others (Schein and Schein, 2021). Listening creates an environment where employees feel like their ideas matter because the leader positively reinforces that they are a person who matters. To ask questions without a critical spirit creates trust and psychological safety (Khan, 2023). It takes patience, personal development, and practice for a leader to consistently listen without judgment (Worthington, 2021). Beyond making an employee feel understood, a pivotal part of leadership is the ability to take the information and provide solutions to them (Echols, 2009). 

Empathy helps others process what they think and feel. Greenleaf (2012) used the word “acceptance” interchangeably with empathy. Relating to others and acknowledging their experiences helps to reduce the anxiety of having to be perfect or perform. Jesus modeled both accepting others and how to process human emotions in a healthy capacity (Greenleaf & Spears, 2012; Politis and Politis, 2017; Worthington, 2021). When I model empathy, I can show that emotions are able to aid in stronger self-awareness. Growth happens when I name things. I can provide others relief from the pressure of thinking that they are the only ones that struggle. 

A strategy I have for relating to others to share what I am learning. Sometimes that requires me to be vulnerable first and lead from my personal experiences or struggles. Other strategies I have are providing my time through Enneagram coaching or leadership coaching. Structured conversations such as these allow me to listen and empathize with intentionality because I have set aside the time to be present. 

As a leader, if I can demonstrate that Jesus wants to walk people through what they feel because it can inform them of things to know, people can become “freer, healthier, wiser, and more autonomous (Greenleaf & Spears, 2012, p. 27).” When working in teams, I can provide understanding to the diverse personalities in the room. Because I can get inside people’s minds and walk through what they are thinking and feeling, I can help bring explanations to everyone in the room (Bailey, 2001; Carroll, 2022). People then feel at peace and safe to collaborate and look towards what may come next.  

Foresight is simultaneously holding what was, what is, and what might be into consideration. My role as a servant leader is to help people discern what to do about what they have just processed using intuition and wisdom. I can serve them by asking questions related to thoughts and feelings to help them address their own uncertainties and move into productive decision-making. Coaching allows me to motivate others by providing “clarity” and helping them build a tactical plan for growth (Carroll, 2022, p. 58).

Using intuition helps anticipate what other people may need. I am pursuing higher education because I want to use my gift of learning to help my restaurant thrive. It is a joy for me to drink from a hydrant of information to be able to provide the one drop of water that is going to help someone else propel forward. I try to share articles, books, and worthwhile leadership content with my team. Foresight also helps me identify the current reality of our restaurant for my operator. I use the information I have gathered from listening and empathizing to summarize helpful insights for him. 

A strategy that will be helpful for me to implement will be asking for people’s feedback more often instead of arriving at my own assumptions. Things often change in our industry, leading to tension and miscommunications. My goal is to work on my communication under the umbrella of foresight. Articulating what is ahead for our team is challenging to get right. However, I can ask the people I lead if they have clarity and do my best to provide additional information to help ease their minds (Heine et al., 2023).

A final strategy for my personal leadership model is to practice healthy self-care. One practical way to do that is to write in my gratitude journal daily. To serve others well, I must be intentional about filling my cup up, too. Helpful habits for me include my daily Bible reading, attending weekly therapy as a preventative maintenance strategy for my head and my heart, exercising and eating properly (Clear, 2018). It is also fulfilling to spend time in community with my various friends and church groups. Reading for leisure, learning about a variety of subjects, and resting are all strategies for becoming a healthier version of myself. 

Forecasting Considerations

There are several considerations when forecasting the effectiveness of my personal leadership model strategy. Working remotely with a busy personal life, wrestling with human selfishness, and working with the unpredictability of others challenge the consistency of the strategy. However, the opportunity for impact is available and possible. 

My personal context of being married to a year-round, busy basketball coach and a working mom of young children will be challenging. To be inconsistent as a leader can hurt the follower. Servant leadership asks the leader to be accessible, which bleeds into having healthy boundaries between work and home (Canavesi and Minelli, 2022; Khan, 2023). Remote work is challenged by the lack of proximity and limited number of face-to-face interactions. Some people are not comfortable not being in person or even being asked in-depth questions. This can feel invasive and unhelpful. 

What happens when the person who provides empathy and trust to others does not feel psychologically safe or cared for? For me personally, the lack of reciprocity in a servant leadership role over time could lead to burnout and a lack of boundaries. I can struggle with wanting to be noticed for my contributions, too (Bailey, 2009; Canavesi and Minelli, 2022). My position sits at the top of the organizational chart, which means I do not have as many opportunities to be served in the workplace apart from my operator. I must commit personal time outside of work for fulfillment and find ways to motivate myself before leading others. 

In my leadership, I can also struggle to be relationship-oriented ahead of being task-oriented. The quick service restaurant industry experiences heavy turnover and its often easier to save time by doing things myself instead of repetitively train new leaders (Morelo Pereira et al., 2022). Letting others make decisions and try new things can also cause confusion and disrupt productive communication and team chemistry (Canavesi and Minelli, 2022; Echols, 2009). As a for-profit company in business to make money, there are times when it becomes necessary to put the needs of the restaurant ahead of individual development (Li et al., 2023).

On the positive side, research shows the need for servant leadership to be applied, beginning in human resources. While I cannot make followers want to grow in their own development or change their attitudes to serve others, I can have some of the biggest impacts in the store by implanting servant leadership even in a remote context (Bailey, 2001; Hartnell et al. 2023; Heine et al., 2023). Treating every interaction with focus and intention is the first step. 

Conclusion

 What I am discovering about servant leadership is that it is made up of all kinds of small, quiet practices. Listening to others provides connection as they process their own thoughts. Empathy gives sense of relatability and belonging. Foresight motivates them to confidently take the next step forward under wise counsel (Greenleaf and Spears, 2012). These humble offerings both build character in the leader and encourage the heart of the follower. Leadership is a high calling that regularly reminds me that I have so much left I can learn. Because I often tend to serve myself first, servant leadership provides me opportunities to keep practicing how to be more like Jesus in his heart to serve people. Under this consistency, my servant leadership can flourish. 

References

Bailey, J. (2001). Leadership lessons from Mount Rushmore: an interview with James 

MacGregor Burns. Leadership Quarterly, 12(1), 113. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(01)00066-2

Brown, B. (2018). Section Four: Shame and Empathy. In Dare to lead: Brave work, tough conversations, whole hearts (pp. 143–147). essay, Penguin Random House. 

Canavesi, A., & Minelli, E. (2022). Servant Leadership and Employee Engagement: A 

Qualitative Study. Employee Responsibilities & Rights Journal, 34(4), 413–435. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-021-09389-9

Carroll, J. R. (2022). The Effects of Team Potency, Leader Communication Frequency, and Goal 

Clarity on the Relationship between Servant Leadership and Team Performance: A Focus on the Fundraising Profession. CSU ePress.

CFA Properties, Inc. (2023). What is chick-fil-A’s corporate purpose? Chick-fil-A.com.

https://www.chick-fil-a.com/customer-support/who-we-are/our-culture-and-values/what-is-chick-fil-as-corporate-purpose

Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: tiny changes, remarkable results : an easy & proven way to build 

good habits & break bad ones. New York, New York, Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Echols, S. (2009). Transformational/servant leadership: a potential synergism for an inclusive 

leadership. Journal of Religious Leadership, 8(2), 85–116.

Gandolfi, F., & Stone, S. (2018). Leadership, Leadership Styles, and Servant Leadership. Journal

of Management Research (09725814), 18(4), 261–269.

Greenleaf, R. K., & Spears, L. C. (2012). Servant leadership a journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness (25th anniversary edition). Paulist Press. 

Hartnell, C. A., Christensen-Salem, A., Walumbwa, F. O., Stotler, D. J., Chiang, F. F. T., & 

Birtch, T. A. (2023). Manufacturing Motivation in the Mundane: Servant Leadership’s Influence on Employees’ Intrinsic Motivation and Performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-023-05330-2

Heine, E. C. E., Stouten, J., & Liden, R. C. (2023). Providing Service During a Merger: The 

Role of Organizational Goal Clarity and Servant Leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 184(3), 627–647. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05162-6

Kauppila, O.P., Ehrnrooth, Mäkelä, K., Smale, A., Sumelius, J., & Vuorenmaa, H. (2018). 

Serving to Help and Helping to Serve: Employee Reactions to Hr Manager Servant Leadership. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 2018(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2018.113

Kelly, M. (2021). Mission Is King – Matthew Kelly – The Culture Solution. YouTube. Retrieved 

June 18, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ObDSEPwwUA. 

Khan, N. U., Zada, M., & Estay, C. (2023). Servant leadership and employee prosocial rule-

breaking: The underlying effects of psychological safety and compassion at work. PLoS ONE, 17(4), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282832

Li, F., Chen, T., Bai, Y., Liden, R. C., Wong, M.-N., & Qiao, Y. (2023). Serving while being 

energized (strained)? A dual-path model linking servant leadership to leader psychological strain and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(4), 660–675. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001041

Morelo Pereira, M., Ferreira, M.C., & Valentini, F. (2022). The Mediation of Harmonious 

Passion for Work in the Servant Leadership and Work Intentions Relationship: A Longitudinal Study. Acta Colombiana de Psicología, 25(2), 11–24.

Politis, J. D., & Politis, D. J. (2017). The Role of Servant Leadership on Interpersonal Trust and 

Performance: The Mediating Influence of Interpersonal Trust. Proceedings of the International Conference on Intellectual Capital, Knowledge Management & Organizational Learning, 382–391.

Schein, E. H., & Schein, P. A. (2021). Humble Inquiry, Second Edition : The Gentle Art of 

Asking Instead of Telling: Vol. Second edition, revised and expanded. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Singfiel, J. J. (2018). When Servant Leaders Appear Laissez-Faire: The Effect of Social Identity 

Prototypes on Christian Leaders. The Journal of Applied Christian Leadership, 12(1), 64–77.

Spears, L. C., & Lawrence, M. (2002). Focus on leadership: Servant-leadership for the 21st Century. essay, Wiley. 

Stewart, J. (2006). Transformational Leadership: An Evolving Concept Examined through the 

Works of Burns, Bass, Avolio, and Leithwood. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 54, 1–29.

Stollerberger, J., Heras, M. L., Rofcanin, Y., & Bosch, M. J. (2019). Serving 

Followers and Family? A Trickle-Down Model of How Servant Leadership Shapes Employee Work Performance. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 2019(1), 822–826. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2019.146

The English Standard Version Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with Apocrypha. 

(2009). Oxford University Press. 

Thomas, D. & Goff, S. (Hosts). (2023, February 28). Helping Kids Develop a Growth Mindset 

with Jon Acuff (No. 95) [Audio podcast episode]. In Raising Boys & Girls. That Sounds Fun Network. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raising-boys-girls/id1366344369

Worthington, J. D. (2021). Navigating Empathy. Themelios, 46(3), 503–521.