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The Seventh Pillar of Servant Leadership: Moral Authority
Servant leadership implies “informal authority,” not authority based on entitlement, pedigree, or use of force (Serrat, 2014). Instead, the servant leader leads with moral convictions, embodying ethical tenets with grace, composure, good character, and vision. A servant leader also values the moral authority of others, recognizing that a person can be in a lowly position and possess strong morality that can contribute to the organization. Likewise, the servant leader has the courage to stand up for change or speak out against injustice when someone in a position of formal authority abuses that power or exhibits poor moral judgment. Like a transformational leader, a servant leader also empowers other members of the team, being firm, decisive, and strong but also adaptable and collaborative (Davis, 2015). Authority entails confidence and conviction; morality means leading with principles. Leading with moral authority requires the special set of skills and attitudes that comprise the true servant leader.
Moral authority entails leading with a moral compass that is both firm and flexible. Creating a “culture of accountability,” a servant leader acts with honesty and integrity, admitting errors and never deferring blame (Laub, 2018, p. 126). A servant leader with...
All servant leaders deliberately create collaborative teams, so that the organization can function well and achieve its goals even when the individual leaders may no longer be with the company. As Davis (2015) points out, moral authority means sacrificing personal gain in order to promote the greater good.
Servant leaders help create organizations with goals and values that go beyond profitability and extend into areas like social justice and community service. Embedding the principle of moral authority into the organization, a servant leader makes sure that human resources decisions are made deliberately, recruiting and retaining individuals who understand the vision and are willing to collaborate towards the fulfillment of collective, mutually beneficial outcomes (Serrat, 2014). Servant leaders set an example, too, carving pathways for effective succession planning.
Personal Reflections
Standing with the other six pillars, leading with moral authority encapsulates what it means to be a servant leader. To lead with moral authority, I need to cultivate characteristics like compassion, humility, and integrity (Davis, 2015). Even when endowed with tremendous responsibility, I do not take my role as a license to act…
References
Davis, C.J. (2015). Servant leadership and moral authority. https://drcrystaldavis.wordpress.com/2015/05/06/servant-leadership-and-moral-authority/
Laub, J. (2018). Leveraging the Power of Servant Leadership. West Palm Beach: Palgrave.
Serrat, O. (2014). Informal authority and the enduring appeal of servant leaders. Public Sector Digest, Summer 2014. https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1410&context=intl
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