Servant-leadership may be the answer to the current demand for a more ethical, people-centred leadership where humility, servitude and contribution are key elements. The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of current thinking and empirical research of the determinants, underlying processes and consequences of servant leadership.

This book brings the best of leadership theory and research together with biblical reflection and examples of leadership in action to offer a practical guide to Christian leaders. Combining expertise in leadership studies and biblical studies, Justin Irving and Mark Strauss explore how leadership models have moved from autocratic and paternalistic leader-centered models toward an increased focus on followers. The authors show how contemporary theories such as transformational leadership, authentic leadership, and servant leadership take an important step toward prioritizing and empowering followers who work with leaders to accomplish organizational goals. Irving and Strauss organize their book around "nine empowering practices," making it accessible to students, church leaders, and business leaders. Integrating solid research in leadership studies with biblical and theological reflection on the leadership ideas that are most compatible with Christian faith, this book is an important resource for all Christian students of leadership.

The purpose of this book is to provide a comprehensive theoretical framework as well as practical strategies—not just for survival but for a true search for excellence in the uncertain and ever-changing world of customer service management. The theoretical framework is based on the notion that customer service contains three key variables: a promise, a process, and people. After going through the step-by-step process of service management, the reader will have the necessary understanding and skill to choose the right strategy for the right circumstances, to design service processes, to identify the means and methods to implement these processes, and to measure the outcome. Key Features: Shares insight from CEO′s on how service leaders think, strategize, and apply tools of the trade to achieve their objectives Relates chapter content to real world challenges faced by corporations Includes a discussion on both quantitative and qualitative methods in a service context Conceptualizes the new paradigm of service leadership and the development of a multi-disciplinary approach to the topic Provides an Instructor′s Manual on CD containing an outline of the text with teaching points, PowerPoint slides for every chapter, a test bank, answers to end-of-chapter questions, and sample syllabi Service Leadership: The Quest for Competitive Advantage provides an accessible application of theory suitable for upper level undergraduate and graduate courses in Service Management, Service Marketing, Customer Service, Human Resource Management, and Leadership.

The definitive playbook for driving impact as a middle manager Leading from the Middle: A Playbook for Managers to Influence Up, Down, and Across the Organization delivers an insightful and practical guide for the backbone of an organization: those who have a boss and are a boss and must lead from the messy middle. Accomplished author and former P&G executive Scott Mautz walks readers through the unique challenges facing these managers, and the mindset and skillset necessary for managing up and down and influencing what happens across the organization. You’ll learn the winning mindset of the best middle managers, how to develop the most important skills necessary for managing from the middle, how to create your personal Middle Action Plan (MAP), and effectively influence: Up the chain of command, to your boss and those above them Down, to your direct reports and teams who report to you Laterally, to peers and teams you have no formal authority over Anyone in an organization who reports to someone and has someone reporting to them must lead from the middle. They are the most important group in an organization and have a unique opportunity to drive impact. Leading from the Middle explains how.

Leaders and followers live in a relational world—a world in which leadership occurs in complex webs of relationships and dynamically changing contexts. Despite this, our theories of leadership are grounded in assumptions of individuality and linear causality. If we are to advance understandings of leadership that have more relevance to the world of practice, we need to embed issues of relationality into leadership studies. This volume addresses this issue by bringing together, for the first time, a set of prominent scholars from different paradigmatic and disciplinary perspectives to engage in dialogue regarding how to meet the challenges of relationality in leadership research and practice. Included are cutting edge thinking, heated debate, and passionate perspectives on the issues at hand. The chapters reveal the varied and nuanced treatments of relationality that come from authors’ alternative paradigmatic (entity, constructionist, critical) views. Dialogue scholars—reacting to the chapters—engage in spirited debate regarding the commensurability (or incommensurability) of the paradigmatic approaches. The editors bring the dialogue together with introductory and concluding chapters that offer a framework for comparing and situating the competing assumptions and perspectives spanning the relational leadership landscape. Using paradigm interplay they unpack assumptions, and lay out a roadmap for relational leadership research. A key takeaway is that advancing relational leadership research requires multiple paradigmatic perspectives, and scholars who are conversant in the assumptions brought by these perspectives. The book is aimed at those who feel that much of current leadership thinking is missing the boat in today’s complex, relational world. It provides an essential resource for all leadership scholars and practitioners curious about the nature of research on leadership, both those with much research exposure and those new to the field.

First responders in the fire, emergency, and police agencies work in high-risk, critical situations, and require effective leadership. Using the approach of Servant Leadership, Dr. Russell explains how executive level/chief officers can lead their teams by helping responders develop and perform as highly as possible and meet the needs of their followers. To bring the power of this philosophical approach towards leadership to life, this book demonstrates how its many aspects come together as a system, in order to strengthen the community of emergency responders. Featuring case studies and questions as meditative exercises, the book offers readers a rich learning experience. Targeted at fire chiefs, fire commissioners, police chiefs, and Emergency Medical Service, and other first responders, this book will have a positive impact on these organizations and the communities they serve. It is also useful for training aspiring executive level leaders/chief officers.

In a world facing chronic and increasing shortages in food crops and natural resources, visionary leadership in agriculture becomes more and more critical for building and maintaining a sustainable future. It is of paramount importance that the dynamic and challenging evolution in agriculture over the last century and a half be met today with imaginative leadership in virtually all aspects of activities and organizations involved. Leadership in Agriculture: Case Studies for a New Generation focuses on key characteristics and elements of leadership. Using case studies from research, industry, education, administration, and extension services, the authors present real-world circumstances ranging from natural disasters to major restructuring that demanded problem solving, new initiatives, consensus, and organizational commitment. Drawing on their own experiences and covering topics as diverse as closing facilities, mounting a national research initiative, reinventing a major corporation, and dealing with invasive termites, the studies contain examples of both good and bad outcomes and tie back to the stated leadership principles and qualities. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Preface vii Acknowledgments xiii Leadership in the Agricultural Environment 1 Character: The Bedrock of Leaders and Leadership 13 Case Studies—How Leadership Can Make a Difference 37 1. Facing Down Nature: How a Regional Lab Survived Hurricane Katrina (Addressing Physical Crises) 38 2. Exerting Ag Leadership in Distributed Geographic Locations (Coordinating Dispersed Units within One Organization) 49 3. Closing and Relocating Facilities and Terminating Programs (Leadership Challenges with Organizational Restructuring) 59 4. National Research Initiative: Creating a Shared Leadership Vision (Bringing about a New Solution) 73 5. Battling Formosan Subterranean Termites (Forging a New Approach) 81 6. Gathering of the Agricultural Clan (Bringing Leaders Together without Central Authority) 90 7. Monsanto: How One Company Saw the Future and Transformed to Seize It (Leadership’s Role in a Significant Change) 96 8. Enhancing Leadership in the State Agricultural Experiment Stations (Cultivating New Leadership) 123 9. Development of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) (Enhancing a Better Understanding of Agricultural Science and Technology) 133 Lessons Learned from Case Studies 145 Making Leadership Work for You 152 Appendixes: How Does the Scientific Agricultural System Work? 161 Appendix A. The Land-Grant System: A Key to America’s Dream? How Does It Function? 161 Appendix B. The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service: Focus on National and International Issues 165 Appendix C. The Industrial Approach to Research: Diverse Foci Linked to Industrial Economic Effects 167 Notes 171 Bibliography 173 About the Authors 177 Index 179