The advent of steam-powered machines, most notably locomotives,
ushered in the Industrial Age nearly 200 years ago. The early
leadership of railroads and other business enterprises was drawn
largely from the ranks of the military. Not surprisingly, these
top brass brought with them the hierarchical, authoritative
leadership model that had served them well in their former
military careers. This top-down style of leadership also served
their companies well, until the dawn of the Information Age,
which reflected the social and political upheavals of the day.
In 1970 Robert K. Greenleaf, founder of the servant leadership
movement, published “The Servant as Leader,” inspired by his
reading of “Journey to the East” by Herman Hesse, a favorite of
the counterculture at the time. Greenleaf subsequently wrote
“Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate
Power & Greatness,” in which he posited that the power of
leaders arises from the consent of the followers, hardly a new
idea, but one whose time he fel