Servant leadership shapes organizational culture by emphasizing which core behavior?

• A. Leaders prioritize followers' growth and well-being, service, and empathy.
• B. Leaders engage in self-promotion and intense competition.
• C. Leaders rely on strict control and discipline.
• D. Leaders pursue wealth accumulation.

Answer: (B)

Servant leadership centers on prioritizing the growth and well-being of followers, serving others, and showing genuine empathy. When a leader puts people first and acts as a facilitator rather than a manager who merely directs, they model behavior that becomes a foundation of the organizational culture. This approach builds trust, encourages collaboration, and creates psychological safety, so employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to contribute. As a result, norms around listening, humility, and shared decision-making take root, guiding everyday interactions and how work gets done.

The other approaches don’t fit this pattern: self-promotion and intense competition foster ego-driven and adversarial dynamics; strict control and discipline lean toward an authoritarian climate; and pursuing wealth accumulation emphasizes material aims over people, which can erode trust.