Echoes of a not so distant summer: Scholar-servant as humble leaders

According to Gardner (1990), leadership is defined as "the process of persuasion or examples by which an individual (or leadership team) induces a group to pursue objectives held by the leader or shared by the leader and his or her followers" (p. 1). Though this definition of leadership is popular, this analysis is laced with assumptions. It fails to acknowledge the intentional and often covert hierarchical nature of leadership, which negatively affects marginalized groups, that is, the "socalled" followers. The assumption in traditional notions is that everyone is striving toward the same goals and all receive the same benefits. Under this model, no individual is forced or compelled to acknowledge his/her own privilege, biases, or recognize the potential role each person has in perpetuating oppression. By demystifying these assumptions, the authors provide alternative ways to think about leadership.