1. Servant Leadership
World Scripture
In the happiness of his subjects lies a king’s happiness; in their welfare his welfare; whatever pleases him he shall not consider as good, but whatever pleases his subjects he shall consider as good.
Kautilya, Artha-shastra 1.19 (Hinduism)
When loss is above and gain below, the people’s joy is boundless. When those above exhibit no pride to the ones below them, their virtue is brightly illumined.
I Ching 42 (Confucianism)
Desiring to rule over the people,
One must, in one’s words, humble oneself
before them; And, desiring to lead the people,
One must, in one’s person, follow behind them.
Therefore the sage takes his place over the people yet is no burden;
Takes his place ahead of the people yet causes no obstruction.
That is why the empire supports him joyfully and never tires of doing so.
Tao Te Ching 66 (Taoism)
Governing a large state is like boiling a small fish.
Tao Te Ching 60 (Taoism)
Lay no burden on the public which the majority cannot bear.
Talmud, Baba Batra 60b (Judaism)
To demand much from oneself and little from others is the way for a ruler to banish discontent.
Analects 15.14 (Confucianism)
The man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others.
Analects 6.28 (Confucianism)
The highest duty of a ruler is to protect his subjects; the ruler who enjoys the rewards of his position is bound to that duty.
Laws of Manu 7.144 (Hinduism)
The Caliph is a shepherd over the people and shall be questioned about his subjects.
Hadith of Bukhari and Muslim (Islam)
Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20.25-28
It was by the mercy of God that you were lenient with them (O Muhammad), for if you had been stern and hard-hearted they would have deserted you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult with them about the conduct of affairs.
Qur’an 3.159
Moses son of Imran said, “My Lord, who is the greatest of Thy servants in Thy estimation?” and received the reply, “The one who forgives when he is in a position of power.”
Hadith of Baihaqi (Islam)
Guardianship is not to give an order but to give one’s self.
Nyika Proverb (African Traditional Religion)
Public men are proud to be the servants of the State and would be ashamed to be its masters.
Sir Winston Churchill12
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
If you want to rule others, first be ruled by them.
(Way of God’s Will 1.3)
Leaders are people who let others use them, yet they do not perish. Come, let yourself be used by all the people of the world for the sake of God. Then they will come under your influence.
(Way of God’s Will 1.3)
The leader who commands his followers when they are not willing to obey will perish. (Way of God’s Will 1.3) If you want to become someone of high status, you should be able to take good care of the people under you.
(34:250, September 13, 1970)
A sovereign should become one with his people. He should think that all that he owns is not for himself, but for his country. If that happens, the country will prosper.
(30:88, March 17, 1970)
The larger-minded person can embrace and manage smaller-minded people. Can you be a person of such breadth of character that people of every nationality will admire you and want you to lead them?
(102:139, December 10, 1978)
We should live for the sake of others. A leader who lives a self-centered life invites discontent and leads others to disobey the heavenly way. Living for the sake of others is the way to resemble God. When you inherit God’s true love and practice it to love your family, society, nation, and world, you are living in accordance with the basic order of universe. Only through practicing true love can you become a true person of perfected character, and hence become a true parent, true teacher, and true owner. You become a peacemaker. When you live your life for the sake of others, you are headed towards the first gate of peace.
(356:276, October 20, 2001)
A self-centered person cannot be a leader. It doesn’t matter that he has a college degree or even that he is a professor. Rather, a leader needs to have a mind to live for the sake of the whole and be equipped in all areas. A person with such qualifications will climb to the top. At election time, people will not vote for a candidate whom they perceive is self-centered. They will choose the candidate who lives for the sake of the whole, who will benefit them. This formula for leadership has been constant throughout history. Be a wise leader who embraces his people twice after chastising them once. Let them feel, “He scolded us for our own good”; otherwise, they will scorn you and oppose you, and in the end Satan will invade
(54:207, March 24, 1972)
When a person whom you work with for the first time makes a mistake, remember how little you have given him and invested in him. Then despite his mistake, you can forgive him. As the leader, greet him with a delightful heart before you expect him to do so to you. If you expect him to greet you with a bright face when you yourself do not, then you are a thief.
(81:305, December 29, 1975)
If one of your people does something wrong, do not take action against him right away. Even if he did something very wrong, try to find a way to have him do something good to improve the situation. Although that small good condition is far outweighed by the evil he did earlier, on account of it you can have room to reserve judgment until you can deal properly and comprehensively with the situation.
(72:313, July 14, 1974)
A responsible person even when he knows the truth lets himself be deceived.
(324:202, June 24, 2000)
Use clear judgment in handling affairs in your daily life. Then your heart should follow. To be clear about affairs means to act in accordance with reason. You should never act on a matter when you are confused or uncertain about it. Analyze well how to handle relationships with those above you and below you, on your right and on your left, in front of you and behind you. Once that is clear, you can cultivate affectionate feelings to embrace them all.
The cloth of affection can wrap up everyone: grandfathers, grandmothers, babies, everyone. The cloth of intellect is one-sided, while the cloth of affection is all-embracing. Look at me: I love even 80-year-old grandmothers, and they flock to my place. Grandmothers and tiny infants all rejoice to be wrapped in the cloth of love.
They hug each other, the infants resting in the old ladies’ arms, never wanting to leave. With the cloth of love you can create that kind of place.
(81:328, December 29, 1975)