Many people believe great leaders are charismatic, have a commanding presence, are visionary, and educated at elite schools. Almost all of the leaders of the high-performing companies that I studied had none of those traits. Instead, they are what I call servant leaders.
They were people-centric, valued service to others, and believed they had a duty of stewardship. Nearly all were humble and passionate operators who were deeply involved in the details of the business. Most had long tenures in their organizations. They had not forgotten what it was like to be a line employee.
-- Edward D. Hess
