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Servant-leadership is a paradox. It sounds like an oxymoron where two words together seem to be opposites (such as jumbo shrimp, well-known secret, Fairbanks summer and country music). How could a servant be a leader? It doesn’t seem to make sense, yet that is the nature of a paradox which at first blush doesn’t make sense, which can’t be true, but may in fact be true.

Historically, servant-leadership began 2,000 years ago with Christ. According to the book of John, Jesus was about to enter the upper room for a last meal with the disciples. The disciples had been arguing all afternoon about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. (Does this remind you of any places where you’ve worked?) James and John wanted to sit next to him on his throne and occupy the greatest place of authority. As they entered the upper room, there was a pitcher of water, a basin and a towel waiting for the disciples to wash their feet before sitting to eat, but there was no servant in sight. Each avoided looking at the pitcher of water. They knew what this meant — one of them must wash the feet of the others. Jesus walked over, took the towel and began to wash their feet and serve them. When he was finished, he said to them, “You call me Lord and master. If I then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

Fast-forwarding through time 18 centuries we find the servant-leader George Washington, an aristocratic gentleman farmer of distinctive character. When called upon to defend the interests of a fledgling nation as commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Army during the American war for independence, he rose to the challenge and persevered against all odds. Then, after eight and a half years of being the most powerful man in America, he resigned his commission and returned to his agricultural pursuits. Not surprisingly, he became the reluctant, yet automatic and unanimous choice for the first president of the United States.

Today, as in the past, leadership is about power and the reality of power in everyday life. Leadership is about power’s legitimacy, the ethical restraints upon it and the beneficial results that can be attained through the appropriate use of power. A servant-leader is one whose goal is to serve and empower others. He or she is motivated by the well-being of others, not by personal influence or power. Ultimately, a servant-leader’s aim is to help those served reach their full potential and become servant-leaders themselves.

Organizations whose leaders adopt the servant-leadership model have an improved chance of survival and sustained profitability. Today’s organizations must compete in a global and ever-evolving marketplace where survival is dependent upon profitability, which depends upon creating value by continuous improvement in quality and reliability, while simultaneously cutting costs, inventories and response time. In other words, improving gross margins and reducing operating costs while making better products at a lower price than the competition.

According to the best-selling author John C. Maxwell, an organization’s effectiveness depends upon the effectiveness of its leader. Lee Iacocca was a charismatic boss, but not a servant-leader, who was a hero at Chrysler — until he retired. The corporation began to fall apart when he left because it was “all about Iacocca.” He didn’t build a team of leaders behind him.

Contrast Chrysler with Southwest Airlines, whose founding CEO Herb Kelleher did adopt the servant-leadership philosophy. When Kelleher retired, unlike Iacocca, he left behind the most profitable airline in America. Speaking about his 35,000 employee family Kelleher said, “We are trying to find out what people are like at the center of their being — whether they have a sense of humor, whether they have a servant-leadership attitude and mentality, whether they have the capability of being leaders, too.” At Southwest, front-line employees are trained and empowered to solve customers’ problems, pilots and executives load baggage and clean planes and culture committees keep the spirit alive as their employee ranks swell. At Southwest, the customer comes second — the employees come first, who in turn take care of the customers. According to last week’s Wall Street Journal, Southwest Airlines (a servant-leadership driven organization) posted 44 cents-a-share profit this quarter and declared its 128th consecutive quarterly dividend. By comparison, AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines Inc. and chief competitor to Southwest, reported a net loss of $1.4 billion for that same second quarter of 2008, or $5.77 per share.

There is a strong business case for our local organizations adopting a servant-leadership philosophy. Tune in next week for some specific attributes of a successful servant-leader.