Does ‘Servant-Leadership’ Always Mean Serving And Leading?

By Bret Bernhardt

Our world greatly needs service and leadership. To meet this need, we require both servants and leaders. Or perhaps it is “servant-leaders” that we need, a phrase that has been popularized mostly in Christian thought in recent years?

Are you, as someone working on the Hill who follows the admonitions and teachings of Jesus, striving to be a servant, a leader, or a combination of the two?

The late Herb Kelleher who started Southwest Airlines, once asked in response to the observation that he was a servant-leader, “what the hell is that?” Perhaps Kelleher intended to make a point with his puzzling reply.

Here was a renowned corporate leader who put service above all else. A company whose headquarters was at Love Field, with hearts on every plane, and a ticker symbol of LUV.  So focused on serving both his employees and customers, Kelleher would often lose sight of all else. It is said that he could not walk by an employee without saying hello, ever. And whoever that person was, Kelleher made him or her feel like the only person in the room.

We tend to think of servant leadership as simply another leadership model. If I serve you, I’m more likely to get you to do whatever I want. However, was Kelleher simply saying that being a servant is a pathway to service itself? And to be careful about conflating the two when called to lead?

Aaron Renn, whose work I regularly read, wrote on the subject as a relates to marriage. I encourage you to give a look at his excellent work there. My focus here is primarily seeking a better understanding of our role working on Capitol Hill.

Looking at Jesus‘s teachings is always instructive, and this issue of servant-leadership is no exception. Most notably, consider his example of being a servant while washing the disciples’ feet.  This is the most prominent passage used when describing what serving as a leader looks like.

It’s also useful, however, to look at the passages in context, and see how Jesus utilized his role as both a servant and a leader. As Renn points out, Peter tells Jesus that he shall never wash his feet. But Jesus replies that Peter will have nothing to do with him, unless in fact, Jesus does wash his feet. To which Peter replies enthusiastically “yes and also my entire body!”

Peter was repulsed by the idea of his master serving him, which ran culturally counter to everything he believed and understood up to that moment. However, upon Jesus’s assertion of his authority, Peter quickly relented and acknowledged the authority that Jesus held.

Later, we see this even more dramatically illustrated when Peter implores Jesus not to go to Jerusalem and face certain crucifixion. To which Jesus gave his sharpest rebuke yet, telling Peter to “get behind me Satan!”

Jesus Served And Led

In these passages, we see a great contrast between serving and leading, at least in terms of what we consider those terms to mean today. But it is also clear that Jesus had a distinctive role of serving and leading at each and every step along the way.

In washing Peter’s feet, it could be assumed that serving would mean acquiescing to his wish not to have his feet washed. To do so would offend him. But Jesus, knowing the importance of the moment, asserted that Peter must have his feet washed. Thus, while serving, he pivoted directly to strong and emphatic leadership.

A stark contrast then follows with Jesus’s rebuke of Peter. This response seems to some as very unfitting language for a servant. But again, Jesus knew the importance of the moment and his leadership demanded a strong response.

In our roles at work on Capitol Hill, there is no hard and fast template for when to serve and when to lead. Be careful when you apply this principle to a particular situation. Be guided by what the Lord is calling you to do.

One critical element is that we are called to do all things in love and genuineness. Sometimes serving doesn’t look like leadership, and leadership doesn’t look like serving. And be gracious to yourself because you won’t always get it right. Know that God is pleased with you.

So, be less concerned about what it looks like, and be more attentive to what God is calling you to do in the moment.

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Bret Bernhardt served on the Hill as Chief of Staff to senators Don Nickles of Oklahoma and Jim DeMint of South Carolina. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Conservative Partnership Institute and the 52-Week Ministry Foundation, the non-profit behind HillFaith.