10.5465/AMBPP.2019.262 DEVELOPING LEADERS TO SERVE AND SERVANTS TO LEAD NICOLE A. ALONSO University of Houston Houston, TX 77004 JENNIFER BRAGGER Montclair State University KAYLA D’AMBRIO Ernst & Young JOHN MORGAN Lee Hecht Harrison VALERIE SESSA Montclair State University ABSTRACT In this paper, we propose that balanced and integrated development across spiritual, cognitive, social, emotional, and moral domains can result in a servant leader orientation; and argue that organizations can actively create environments in which such integrated vertical development can facilitate a cycle of this leadership style. INTRODUCTION While there has been a great deal of research on how servant leadership results in positive individual and organizational outcomes (Hoch et al., 2018; Banks, 2018), very little research has focused on the antecedents of servant leadership (Liden et al., 2014). The term “servant leadership” was originally defined by Greenleaf, indicating, “the servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions” (1970: 6). The little research that exists on antecedents of servant leadership has focused on how inherent traits such as personality differ between servant and non-servant leaders (Eva et al., 2019), but has not investigated the environmental factors or developmental processes that contribute to this disparity. We agree that the desire to serve the needs of the followers is the primary concern for servant leaders but argue that integrated and balanced vertical development across domains can engender servant leadership tendencies in leaders whose initial motivation is not to serve. We also maintain that a servant’s vocation to serve does not necessarily predispose an individual to an understanding of leadership, nor an ability to lead; and suggest how leader- oriented vertical development can further the ability of servants to effectively lead. IMPORTANCE OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP IN A CHANGING WORLD