Servant leadership
The term was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in his essay "The Servant as Leader" (1970). In the agile context, the Scrum Master is the role that most directly embodies this model: their job is not to manage the team but to create the conditions for it to self-manage.
Characteristics of the servant leader
- Active listening: prioritizes listening to the team to understand its needs before speaking or deciding.
- Empathy: understands each member's perspective, including their personal and professional circumstances.
- Awareness: understands the impact of their own actions on the system.
- Persuasion over authority: relies on reason and influence to make decisions, not on hierarchical position.
- Commitment to growth: actively invests in the development of the people on the team.
- Building community: fosters a sense of belonging and collaboration.
Servant Leadership and the Scrum Master
The Scrum Master operates precisely from this model: they do not assign work, manage deadlines, or direct technical decisions. They remove impediments, facilitate events, and protect the team from outside interference. Their evolution into the Agile Enabler role in AI-enabled teams extends this function: they also serve the human + AI system, managing governance and trust.
Common mistake
Confusing servant leadership with a lack of judgement or direction. The servant leader has a vision, articulates it, and points out what isn't working. What distinguishes the servant leader from the authoritarian one is not the absence of opinion but the orientation of power: toward serving the team, not toward controlling it. Kindness without direction is not servant leadership: it is the absence of leadership.
References
- Greenleaf, Robert K. (1977). Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. Paulist Press.
See also
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