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The Serving Leader
Five Powerful Actions to Transform Your Team, Business, and Community, 10th Anniversary Edition, Revised and Expanded
It's people who make organizations great, so how can leaders best help their people achieve that greatness? As Ken Jennings and John Stahl-Wert show in this new edition of their bestseller, you can't just demand greatness—you have to inspire it. The most effective leaders don't just stand in front of their people, they stand behind them too. As one of the characters in the book notes, “You qualify to be first by putting other people first.” This concept sounds paradoxical, but it leads to extraordinary outcomes—and The Serving Leader shows precisely how and why.
While Jennings and Stahl-Wert use a compelling fictional story to outline the basics of Serving Leadership, all the characters in it are based on real people, the organizations depicted are based on real organizations—and the results they achieved are what really happened. This edition features a new foreword by Ken Blanchard, a new introduction, and a new chapter checking back in with Mike, the main character, to see what he has learned in the twelve years since he embraced Serving Leadership
On one level this is the most practical guide available to implementing Serving Leadership; on a deeper level, it is a book about the personal journey of growth that real leadership requires. Great organizations are great because they're filled with people who freely choose to do their very best. It's a maddeningly simple concept yet stunningly hard to execute. Jennings and Stahl-Wert show leaders how to earn that kind of commitment.
Five Powerful Actions to Transform Your Team, Business, and Community, 10th Anniversary Edition, Revised and Expanded
It's people who make organizations great, so how can leaders best help their people achieve that greatness? As Ken Jennings and John Stahl-Wert show in this new edition of their bestseller, you can't just demand greatness—you have to inspire it. The most effective leaders don't just stand in front of their people, they stand behind them too. As one of the characters in the book notes, “You qualify to be first by putting other people first.” This concept sounds paradoxical, but it leads to extraordinary outcomes—and The Serving Leader shows precisely how and why.
While Jennings and Stahl-Wert use a compelling fictional story to outline the basics of Serving Leadership, all the characters in it are based on real people, the organizations depicted are based on real organizations—and the results they achieved are what really happened. This edition features a new foreword by Ken Blanchard, a new introduction, and a new chapter checking back in with Mike, the main character, to see what he has learned in the twelve years since he embraced Serving Leadership
On one level this is the most practical guide available to implementing Serving Leadership; on a deeper level, it is a book about the personal journey of growth that real leadership requires. Great organizations are great because they're filled with people who freely choose to do their very best. It's a maddeningly simple concept yet stunningly hard to execute. Jennings and Stahl-Wert show leaders how to earn that kind of commitment.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
94 people are currently reading
936 people want to read
About the author
Ken Jennings
30 books574 followersKenneth Wayne Jennings III holds the record for the longest winning streak on the U.S. syndicated game show Jeopardy! Jennings won 74 games before he was defeated by challenger Nancy Zerg on his 75th appearance. His total earnings on Jeopardy! are US$3,022,700 ($2,520,700 in winnings, a $2,000 consolation prize on his 75th appearance, and $500,000 in the Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions). Jennings held the record for most winnings on any game show ever played until the end of the Ultimate Tournament of Champions (first aired on May 25, 2005), when he was displaced by Brad Rutter, who defeated Jennings in that tournament.
After winning, he began working on a book, Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs, which explored American trivia history and culture. Ken also appeared as a member of the mob sitting in podium #13 from the new game show 1 vs. 100 in 2006, and in 2007 Jennings was the champion of the first season of the US version of Grand Slam.
Jennings was selected to co-host Jeopardy after the death of Alex Trebek.
After winning, he began working on a book, Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs, which explored American trivia history and culture. Ken also appeared as a member of the mob sitting in podium #13 from the new game show 1 vs. 100 in 2006, and in 2007 Jennings was the champion of the first season of the US version of Grand Slam.
Jennings was selected to co-host Jeopardy after the death of Alex Trebek.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
January 21, 2019
I could not finish this book. I appreciate the values associated with being a serving leader in the workplace, community, and team and wanted to learn more about how to apply these within my professional life. I do not appreciate that these values seem to be tied to particular religious beliefs. The book become less about how to be an exceptional leader to workplace teams (what I was looking for) and more about father-son relationships (death bed regrets), personal confessions (apologies for a marriage that failed 10 years prior) and Christian themes. It was ultimately a (not very well done) spiritual allegory more than a workplace leadership book.
April 25, 2023
I have a PhD in Organizational Management with a specialization in Leadership. This book doesn't cover new ground, and is badly written. I love the idea of servant leadership, and find the theories sound, but it was difficult reading this book. I am disappointed by the presentation in this book, which distills the theories into a little story about an estranged son embarking on a project that brings him into contact with a lot of people who will give him the "secrets" to leadership in forced conceptual discussions punctuated with a lot of exclamation points (a lot like The Celestine Prophecy). The author uses exclamation points constantly - at least once per page, if not once or twice per paragraph at times. I also don't think the authors understand what a "paradox" actually is - few of the things labelled as paradoxes are actually paradoxes. The characters were too perfect. I also didn't like the vagueness... on page 74, the main character spends an hour getting an explanation of the process, but none of that explanation is shared. I have no idea what was in that workbook.
I was hoping for a more serious analysis of servant leadership theory, not something that read like the Celestine Prophecy.
I was hoping for a more serious analysis of servant leadership theory, not something that read like the Celestine Prophecy.
June 14, 2020
That this work has so many 5-star reviews is an indictment of business and Christian writing today, given that a poorly-executed cliche-ridden unrealistic overly-emotional data-deprived "story" can be considered "ground-breaking," "life-changing," "insightful," etc.
I've read enough business books to know that few of them have enough information to actually warrant a book. They tend to rely too heavily on stories and not enough on demonstrated results, and their grand ideas are typically unproven. However, this one exceeds them all by having the entire thing written allegedly as a person's journal as he follows his dying father's wishes to learn a better way of doing business. Every person the "author" (Mike) meets is attractive, compelling, wise, and flawless; every few pages the father becomes tearful as his son gains some new insight, and the son becomes tearful at his father's tearfulness, and then others around them become tearful at all the emotion, which revolves around statements like "Raise the bar." The son is shepherded around town by a wise sherpa who asks questions that let Mike gain new insights and coalesce all of these teachings into a single diagram with a few pithy sayings.
The upshot? This book's take away is a single diagram with a few pithy sayings (more of an HBR article than a book, though HBR would probably want some evidence that any of this makes a difference). There is no research and essentially no support for any of this (the real authors include a reading list that is almost never referenced in the book itself, save for a comment like "Dad and I reviewed this author's work for a while"). The book is filled with stories "based on real-life examples" (that are never named), cloyingly sweet and obvious dialogue, and characters that really like exclamation points! And crying! And asking Socratic questions of Mike!!!
The Christian aspect isn't pushed but gradually comes out. While Mike's father assures us that Jews, Muslims, and even those without faith can benefit from their ideas, most of the major characters carry around Bibles, pray frequently, and give spontaneous Bible lessons on Nehemiah. I found it interesting that the authors essentially hide this, as though they're worried readers would be turned off by seeing it's a faith-based book.
In short, the book is horribly written, has no evidence or support for its claims, and can be easily summarized in a few pages. Few people will argue with the ideas--run to great purpose; upend the pyramid; raise the bar; blaze the trail; build on strengths--but I can't imagine many "a-ha" moments coming from reading it.
For readers of the 2016 edition, they get an update on Mike! He got married! And is still following the principles! And his life and work are far superior all thanks to his deceased father! It's enough to make you want to cry...
I've read enough business books to know that few of them have enough information to actually warrant a book. They tend to rely too heavily on stories and not enough on demonstrated results, and their grand ideas are typically unproven. However, this one exceeds them all by having the entire thing written allegedly as a person's journal as he follows his dying father's wishes to learn a better way of doing business. Every person the "author" (Mike) meets is attractive, compelling, wise, and flawless; every few pages the father becomes tearful as his son gains some new insight, and the son becomes tearful at his father's tearfulness, and then others around them become tearful at all the emotion, which revolves around statements like "Raise the bar." The son is shepherded around town by a wise sherpa who asks questions that let Mike gain new insights and coalesce all of these teachings into a single diagram with a few pithy sayings.
The upshot? This book's take away is a single diagram with a few pithy sayings (more of an HBR article than a book, though HBR would probably want some evidence that any of this makes a difference). There is no research and essentially no support for any of this (the real authors include a reading list that is almost never referenced in the book itself, save for a comment like "Dad and I reviewed this author's work for a while"). The book is filled with stories "based on real-life examples" (that are never named), cloyingly sweet and obvious dialogue, and characters that really like exclamation points! And crying! And asking Socratic questions of Mike!!!
The Christian aspect isn't pushed but gradually comes out. While Mike's father assures us that Jews, Muslims, and even those without faith can benefit from their ideas, most of the major characters carry around Bibles, pray frequently, and give spontaneous Bible lessons on Nehemiah. I found it interesting that the authors essentially hide this, as though they're worried readers would be turned off by seeing it's a faith-based book.
In short, the book is horribly written, has no evidence or support for its claims, and can be easily summarized in a few pages. Few people will argue with the ideas--run to great purpose; upend the pyramid; raise the bar; blaze the trail; build on strengths--but I can't imagine many "a-ha" moments coming from reading it.
For readers of the 2016 edition, they get an update on Mike! He got married! And is still following the principles! And his life and work are far superior all thanks to his deceased father! It's enough to make you want to cry...
March 21, 2019
This was a great book about serving leadership - slightly different than servant leadership! Told with a moving story and connects to the heart. I really appreciated the insights regarding person growth and maturity at the end. That maturity piece challenges me daily!
Also striking - "humans have irreducible value...Human beings are not valuable because of their doings; they are valuable simply because they are...great leaders understand this, and they devote themselves to valuing their people as people. They also exercise great patience in this work because the workers who come to them have not all had the same experiences of being valued in their past." We may judge others for not 'showing up' or following through, but some people are not used to being valued; and therefore, don't have commitment to following through or showing up because their efforts (and simply them as individuals) have not been appreciated or valued in the past. Show them you value them and they will show up!
Never stop growing! You're either growing or dying. "To be alive is to learn and to grow."
Also striking - "humans have irreducible value...Human beings are not valuable because of their doings; they are valuable simply because they are...great leaders understand this, and they devote themselves to valuing their people as people. They also exercise great patience in this work because the workers who come to them have not all had the same experiences of being valued in their past." We may judge others for not 'showing up' or following through, but some people are not used to being valued; and therefore, don't have commitment to following through or showing up because their efforts (and simply them as individuals) have not been appreciated or valued in the past. Show them you value them and they will show up!
Never stop growing! You're either growing or dying. "To be alive is to learn and to grow."
October 16, 2010
There's more cheese in this book than a delicatessen. Tries to instill a few key points about servant leadership within the guise of a story. Skip the store and read the last page where the key points are summarized. That's really all you need to know.
October 19, 2018
Reading this book was research for my internship project, and I absolutely loved it. I’m immensely excited to use this framework to create a training workshop in a people helping people environment.
May 22, 2020
Required reading for work. Waffled between nodding and eye-rolling while I read.
April 18, 2019
O que eu aprendi do livro Líder a Serviço:
Imagine que você está à frente de um novo desafio e com um Time esperando suas atitudes como Líder.
O primeiro passo é o sentimento de que você é a pessoa certa pra isso, você sente isso, o desafio fala com você e se sente motivado como nunca. Sabe porquê? Porque é a grande oportunidade da sua vida de deixar a sua marca no Mundo (correr em busca de um Grande Propósito).
Para isso como líder que você é, deverá colocar sua equipe em primeiro lugar (inverter a pirâmide) e será necessário exigir o máximo do seu time (elevar a barra). Muitos desafios aparecerão e novas maneiras de fazer serão descobertas (desbravar caminhos).
Lembre-se que você lidera um Time e cada jogador tem um ponto forte,
Identifique e canalize seus pontos fortes, assim terá o melhor de todos (somar forças) e enxergarão em você um Líder a Serviço.
Imagine que você está à frente de um novo desafio e com um Time esperando suas atitudes como Líder.
O primeiro passo é o sentimento de que você é a pessoa certa pra isso, você sente isso, o desafio fala com você e se sente motivado como nunca. Sabe porquê? Porque é a grande oportunidade da sua vida de deixar a sua marca no Mundo (correr em busca de um Grande Propósito).
Para isso como líder que você é, deverá colocar sua equipe em primeiro lugar (inverter a pirâmide) e será necessário exigir o máximo do seu time (elevar a barra). Muitos desafios aparecerão e novas maneiras de fazer serão descobertas (desbravar caminhos).
Lembre-se que você lidera um Time e cada jogador tem um ponto forte,
Identifique e canalize seus pontos fortes, assim terá o melhor de todos (somar forças) e enxergarão em você um Líder a Serviço.
March 14, 2022
The book has some good tips on leadership and the underlying principle is good, but the principles got lost a little bit in the storytelling. It's told as a business fable and is pretty hokey. The actions referred to in the subtitle are really concepts. Actionable tactics would have been more implementable.
March 15, 2020
Reading provided for a leadership program I'm participating in through my work. This is not something I'd have picked up otherwise.
All in all, the overall idea - servant leadership - is a great idea. The tenets of the leadership model are strong, and I believe in each step of the process. Each foundational idea is wonderful. And if that was all the book was, it would get a higher rating.
But all of it is wrapped in a sappy, religiously underscored narrative that is cringeworthy and offputting. The book goes out of its way to say that the leadership model "plain works", regardless of the faith-based notes. That's great. And I don't care if you have faith or don't. But what I do have a problem with, is how strongly faith and religion factor into this book when it really *should* be unbiased, given that it's peddled as part of the reading for a not faith-based organization's leadership program.
All in all, the overall idea - servant leadership - is a great idea. The tenets of the leadership model are strong, and I believe in each step of the process. Each foundational idea is wonderful. And if that was all the book was, it would get a higher rating.
But all of it is wrapped in a sappy, religiously underscored narrative that is cringeworthy and offputting. The book goes out of its way to say that the leadership model "plain works", regardless of the faith-based notes. That's great. And I don't care if you have faith or don't. But what I do have a problem with, is how strongly faith and religion factor into this book when it really *should* be unbiased, given that it's peddled as part of the reading for a not faith-based organization's leadership program.
January 12, 2013
Alternating between the story of a young man coming home to make peace with his dying father and the revelation of a spiritual-based, inspirational leadership style centered on the five following:
* run to purpose
* up end the pyramid
* raise the bar
* blaze the trail
* build on strength
While the leadership sections are as worthy of consideration as any other leadership program, the story of the young man and his father is unnecessary and melodramatic.
The annotated Strategic Resources List at the end is intriguing and worth a look-see.
* run to purpose
* up end the pyramid
* raise the bar
* blaze the trail
* build on strength
While the leadership sections are as worthy of consideration as any other leadership program, the story of the young man and his father is unnecessary and melodramatic.
The annotated Strategic Resources List at the end is intriguing and worth a look-see.
July 17, 2014
Great tips about being a leader. I like the fact that it was in a story form so that it was easy to read and learn, but the story was a little forced. It could have been a little less dry and could have been less cheesy in places. Still worth reading, though, if you're interested in leadership.
Read
February 9, 2012Eh. A few good points, but not a captivating read.
April 25, 2012
Book reminds one that there is a bigger purpose than ourselves. By helping others we move forward we help ourselves and community and so on.
May 14, 2020
I agree with Melody’s review about it being related specifically to one particular religious.
September 17, 2023
Good message, but I found the writing a bit cheesy. It's written in the form of a diary by someone who is meeting serving leaders and learning from them while dealing with some personal struggles at the same time. It's definitely a light read, and the storytelling may make the lessons memorable, but it doesn't get deep on any of them. I can see it being a decent introduction that encourages people to self reflect and look to learn more about servant leadership.
March 19, 2025
The storyline used to teach the “Five powerful actions” is distracting and corny. The book seems poorly edited. There is a paragraph with missing quotation marks, and scenes transition with no description. The final “Update” chapter in the 10th anniversary edition is more valuable than the rest of the book.
June 7, 2025
Interesting read from a different point of view. Mike definitely had a lot going on and needed some help. Using the actions behind the concepts is a lot about emotional intelligence and knowing yourself. Leading others to learn to lead others doesn’t come easy for most of us, and this provides a foundation for doing so. Good read.
December 4, 2025
Great principles for leadership
A well written leadership fable that brings together traits that are necessary to lead well. The paradox of leadership traits is lived out in story. The five actions are not typical and hard to find in one person, points to the power of leadership teams.
A well written leadership fable that brings together traits that are necessary to lead well. The paradox of leadership traits is lived out in story. The five actions are not typical and hard to find in one person, points to the power of leadership teams.
February 7, 2022
Skip directly to Chapters 9 & 10 for a summary and further thoughts if you want to skip the story. As some have noted, the story didn't really add much to this book (on the contrary), and the whole book could/should've been a focused article instead. The content and the message itself is good.
May 26, 2025
I enjoyed the story description of servant leadership. It makes it understandable, relatable, and gives perspective on application with life's challenges. It's a quick read...I just took my time reading a chapter here and there with my busy schedule.
December 18, 2018
Powerful!!!
February 7, 2022
The principles of servant leadership in this book are good. However, the story in this book was pretty cheesy, and there wasn't anything new or profound.
April 10, 2024
3.75 ⭐️
December 25, 2024
This book is a decent quick-read.
It can be summarized in two points:
1) Put other people first
2) Focus and use the strengths of others
It can be summarized in two points:
1) Put other people first
2) Focus and use the strengths of others
December 31, 2024
Short actionable text that all leaders should read.
January 25, 2025
Good points and basis, but you can tell this story is not written by a good author…
August 11, 2025
This is the 2nd time I've had to read it for work. Still not a great Leadership book. Why is religion a forefront when this is used for corporate? Just no. There are better options.
July 3, 2019
This best-selling leadership classic, which no less of a leadership expert as Ken Blanchard has called “the most practical guide available to implementing servant leadership in your life and work” has been revised and updated with a helpful new chapter in a 10th Anniversary Edition. The authors use a compelling and at times quite touching fictional story based on real characters to outline the basics of what they call “Serving Leadership”.
Much as leadership fables by Patrick Lencioni and Mark Miller do, this book, though written as fiction, is based on real people, organizations and results achieved. The story revolves around the relationship between Mike Wilson and his successful and respected father Robert Taylor Wilson, the CEO of his organization. Their relationship hasn’t been the best, to say the least. Robert often wasn’t there for Mike growing up. Now he reaches out to Mike, saying that he is ill and needs Mike to step in for him for a while.
When Mike gets to Philadelphia, he is introduced to the “No-Name Team”. They introduce him to the concept of “the Serving Leader”. He is told that this approach paradoxically turns almost all previous thinking about leadership and turns it on its head. To demonstrate this they use an upside-down pyramid.
The plan was for Mike to spend time with each member of the team focusing on the person’s key projects, learning both by observation and getting to work on some of the projects. After Mike finds out that his father is very ill and doesn’t have much time left, he realizes that he has three objectives:
Learn what Serving Leaders do and how their approach works
Use the upside-down pyramid to structure what he learns
Be with his father while he dies
We follow Mike as he spends time with each member of the “No-Name Team”, learning the concepts of a Serving Leader. That leads him to write a job description for the Serving Leader. A summary of that description, using the upside-down pyramid, is that Serving Leaders:
Run to Great Purpose
Upend the Pyramid
Raise the Bar
Blaze the Trail
Build on Strength
A helpful new chapter for the 10th Anniversary Edition is “Mike Wilson’s Updates”. In the years since we last heard from Mike, he shares lessons for personal growth and organizational performance by utilizing the Five Powerful Actions of the Serving Leader, putting each lesson into one or another of the actions.
So many themes in the book resonated with me as I too have a passion for serving (servant) leadership, helping people find work that plays to their strengths, learning from failure, etc. I highly recommend this book, which would be a good one to read and discuss with your leadership team or those you are mentoring.
Much as leadership fables by Patrick Lencioni and Mark Miller do, this book, though written as fiction, is based on real people, organizations and results achieved. The story revolves around the relationship between Mike Wilson and his successful and respected father Robert Taylor Wilson, the CEO of his organization. Their relationship hasn’t been the best, to say the least. Robert often wasn’t there for Mike growing up. Now he reaches out to Mike, saying that he is ill and needs Mike to step in for him for a while.
When Mike gets to Philadelphia, he is introduced to the “No-Name Team”. They introduce him to the concept of “the Serving Leader”. He is told that this approach paradoxically turns almost all previous thinking about leadership and turns it on its head. To demonstrate this they use an upside-down pyramid.
The plan was for Mike to spend time with each member of the team focusing on the person’s key projects, learning both by observation and getting to work on some of the projects. After Mike finds out that his father is very ill and doesn’t have much time left, he realizes that he has three objectives:
Learn what Serving Leaders do and how their approach works
Use the upside-down pyramid to structure what he learns
Be with his father while he dies
We follow Mike as he spends time with each member of the “No-Name Team”, learning the concepts of a Serving Leader. That leads him to write a job description for the Serving Leader. A summary of that description, using the upside-down pyramid, is that Serving Leaders:
Run to Great Purpose
Upend the Pyramid
Raise the Bar
Blaze the Trail
Build on Strength
A helpful new chapter for the 10th Anniversary Edition is “Mike Wilson’s Updates”. In the years since we last heard from Mike, he shares lessons for personal growth and organizational performance by utilizing the Five Powerful Actions of the Serving Leader, putting each lesson into one or another of the actions.
So many themes in the book resonated with me as I too have a passion for serving (servant) leadership, helping people find work that plays to their strengths, learning from failure, etc. I highly recommend this book, which would be a good one to read and discuss with your leadership team or those you are mentoring.
February 8, 2019
A for effort. In an attempt to spice up a 'boring business book', this book is a fictional journal about real concepts. Which sounds really cool. The last chapter of the 2016 version is a summary that details the real lessons, and is the only part of the book I wish I read. The other part seems like the author worked very hard on it. There are two things Jennings could really improve on in his writing craft: showing (not telling), and using the word 'said'. Not every sentence, of course, but some of the action tags get a little silly, and a few make no sense. It really clutters up the 'story'. I would have loved this book to be a series of case studies.
The main character is clearly fictional, so I assume the case studies are as well. As such, what is the point? This book is intended to impart real-life advice, but does so by presenting fake stories, some of which feel more fake than others. The whole subplot about his dad is silly. It's stereotypical (oh no, Dad's dying, and I hate him, but maybe, he could love me? Oh, he really did love me? I never want to leave his side! He died. I was sad, but his legacy lives on, and I talk to him in my journal sometimes because he's not really gone).
You will like this book if: you don't read the whole thing, you haven't read a fiction book since 1987, or you have to read everything in the house or die of boredom. I had to read this book for school, so I'm just glad it's short. Took me less than an hour.
The main character is clearly fictional, so I assume the case studies are as well. As such, what is the point? This book is intended to impart real-life advice, but does so by presenting fake stories, some of which feel more fake than others. The whole subplot about his dad is silly. It's stereotypical (oh no, Dad's dying, and I hate him, but maybe, he could love me? Oh, he really did love me? I never want to leave his side! He died. I was sad, but his legacy lives on, and I talk to him in my journal sometimes because he's not really gone).
You will like this book if: you don't read the whole thing, you haven't read a fiction book since 1987, or you have to read everything in the house or die of boredom. I had to read this book for school, so I'm just glad it's short. Took me less than an hour.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews