TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose This study aims to include two major objectives. Firstly, Frederick’s leadership is explored and characterized. Secondly, it is examined as to why a leader may (or may not) adopt servant leadership behavior in the case of Frederick II, King of Prussia.Design/methodology/approach The applied methodology is a historical examination of Frederick II’s leadership, an eighteenth-century’s monarch who has the reputation of being the “first servant of the state.” The analysis is conducted from the perspective of modern servant leadership research.Findings This study shows Frederick remains a rather non-transparent person of contradictions. The authors identified multiple reasons which explain why a leader may adopt servant leadership. Frederick’s motives to adopt a certain leadership behavior appear timeless and, thus, he most likely shares the same antecedents with today’s top executives.Research limitations/implications The authors identified various antecedents of individual servant leadership dimensions, an under-research area to date.Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to look at Frederick's leadership style through the lens of modern servant leadership.
VL  - 26
IS  - 2
SN  - 1751-1348
DO  - 10.1108/JMH-05-2019-0034
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/JMH-05-2019-0034
AU  - Langhof Jan G.
AU  - Güldenberg Stefan
PY  - 2019
Y1  - 2019/01/01
TI  - King Frederick the Great – Anti-Machiavellian and Servant Leader?
T2  - Journal of Management History
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 137
EP  - 164
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -