Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Class Activities
Chapter 10: Servant Leadership
Activities
These activities may be used in either small-group or large-group settings, depending on class size and
Case Analysis
Servant Characteristics
Leadership Talk
Have students select a contemporary leader whom they consider to be a servant leader. How does this
leader use talk to serve others? Specifically, how does the leader show empathy through talk? Show
concern about the well-being of others through talk? Use gentle, non-judgmental argument? Share a
Servant Leadership Presentation
Ask students (in small groups) to give an informative speech (5–7 min) about a servant leader who is not
well known (e.g., NOT Mother Teresa). Preparation could include interviews and/or a specific number of
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Media Representations
Have students look up examples of servant leadership in the news and bring them to class. Students
Building Community
In small groups, ask students to share how they feel about their campus community. What are its
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges? Are there any collective aspirations among group
members? Can group members identify any community members who serve as community
“stewards”—upholding the community’s history and values? What would a servant leader need to do
next to build on what the group has shared with one another? Allow at least 15 min for this exercise.
Building Community in the Classroom
Several of the servant leadership models include leader behaviors such as validating others,
empowering them, and being committed to their growth. By this time in the term, students may know
each other well enough to engage in this exercise (which works in classes of 25 or fewer). Bring a sheet
of lined paper for everyone in the class. Have each student put his/her name on top of the paper. Invite
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Thinking in Metaphors
In an earlier chapter, leadership was likened to a mantle that a person wears. Ask students to reflect on
what metaphors (besides servanthood) are suggested by the servant leadership approach (e.g., leader
Hiring for Service
In small groups, ask students to develop a job interview protocol for a hypothetical organization that
seeks to hire servant leaders. In class, have them prepare interview questions to ask of every candidate.
Writing Assignments
Contemporary Leadership
Have students write a 2–3-page reaction paper about a contemporary leader they consider to be a
servant leader. Students should use specific examples to support their arguments that the leadership
Servant Leadership Questionnaire
Have students write a 2–3-page reaction paper that explains their average scores on the Servant
Leadership Questionnaire, describes their perception of the accuracy of the seven measures used,
Let It Begin with Me
Have students reflect on the following question in a 1–2-page essay: What key things did you learn from
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Personal Assessment
Have students reflect on one of the following questions, and write a 1–2-page response paper:
• Can you identify a time in your life when you have been a servant, when people have “become
healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, [and] more likely to become servants” themselves
because of your leadership?
One-Minute Paper Topics
If you could instantly acquire one of the 10 characteristics of servant leaders, identified by Spears, which
one would it be and why?
What does personal wholeness mean to you?
Internet Activities
Internet #1: Class Blog
In your class blog or chat room, pose some of the discussion questions provided for this chapter.
Some additional questions you might ask are:
Internet #2: TD Industries
TD Industries claims to be the first U.S. company to adopt servant leadership as its management
Internet #3: City Year
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Internet #4: Building Sustainable Communities
Internet #5: It’s a Wonderful Life
Margaret Wheatley narrates a video that introduces the concept of servant leadership through the film
Internet #6: Greenleaf Center
Have students peruse the website for the Robert Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership at
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Internet #7: Capstone Project
If the class has spent substantial time learning about servant leadership, students might be motivated to
make their own informative videos about this approach to upload on YouTube. This can be a capstone
project to summarize and apply their learning in the course, or a smaller project to demonstrate their