Servant LeadershipHuman Resource Management, Spring 2010IntroductionIn the first major article on stakeholder theory, Edward Freeman and David Reed state that a stakeholder is "any identifiable group or individual on whom the organization depends for its continued survival. ". (Freeman and Reed 89) Since the contribution of these groups is a critical component of an organization's success, creating solutions that benefit all stakeholders is important to long-term success. Solutions that conflict with the interests of one of the stakeholders could lead the latter to withdraw the support that the organization needs to survive When the leaders of an organization are servants first, when they “see to it. "that the highest priority needs of others are met" (Greenleaf, "The Servant as leader" 3), then the organization's stakeholders will be invested in the continued success of the organization and, as such, a result will be more likely to support it Servant Leadership Theory After reading Journey to the East, Robert Greenleaf was struck by the way one of the main characters, a man named Leo, functioned in the book at the time. both as a servant and as a leader (2). . Leo was a servant by nature, and by excelling in this role, he became a leader (2). From this reading emerged an idea for Greenleaf, that the most effective leaders are those who enable and help others grow (6). Greenleaf believed that in the future, organizations would only succeed if they focused on the education and growth of their people, which is why servant leadership would become increasingly important (3). There are 11 major traits of servant leadership: The leader has a calling, has empathy, listens, works to heal, is mindful, is persuasive, nurtures a... middle of paper ..... .ders are largely concerned with company direction and sustainable profits (Kenneth). With the support of all stakeholders, the business will have a solid foundation. Happy employees should contribute to a concentration of skills and low replacement costs. Finally, the focus on growth and foresight should help the company grow and be even more successful in the future. Communities Communities benefit from servant leadership in two main ways. First, servant leadership promotes community and actively attempts to improve the community in which it operates (The Power of Servant Leadership, 9). Second, servant leadership focuses on the growth of people within the organization, and since those members of the organization are members of the larger community, it also indirectly benefits them. By focusing on servant leadership, a company can meet the needs of all stakeholders..