Unlike self-seeking leaders who serve others only when it is convenient or personally
advantageous to themselves, servant leaders consistently attend to a legitimate need of
service voluntarily (Foster, 1989). This voluntary nature of service implies that servant
leadership is more about ‘being a servant’ than just merely ‘doing acts of service’, thus
reflecting the leader’s character ( Jaworski, 1997). This emphasis on ‘being’ is seen, for
example, in Jesus when he described himself to his followers: ‘I am among you as one
who serves’ (NIV Bible, Luke 22:27). Foster (1989) described Jesus’ actions as a form of