Robert K. Greenleaf, who coined the term “servant leader,” said that “the
servant-leader is servant first.”
While he certainly meant well and his statement should be seen in the
historical context of the very hierarchical 1970s that it was made in, servant
leadership should be seen more as a dichotomy, with both parts being equally
important, despite appearing to be opposites.
Why do we care about this? Because some Scrum Masters go way too far over
to the servant side. Instead of holding people responsible as any good leader
would do, they discuss feelings incessantly. Instead of relentlessly attacking
impediments, they try to help people deal with the emotional outfall of those
impediments. This is not wrong per se, and the emotional aspect is indeed
essential, but not if it comes at the price of actually leading. Scrum Masters
need to do both, lead and serve!
(From Scaling Done Right Chapter 10)