This book heavily influenced Robert Greenleaf in his development of the Servant Leadership concept. The book tells the story of H.H. and his involvement in a secret group of artists, explorers, and philosophers called The League. The group embarks on a journey to seek out truth and spiritual renewal. The group is joined by a servant named Leo. H.H. begins to realize that even though Leo is a servant, through his caring, mentoring, and advice, Leo emerges as a leader. So much so that when Leo leaves the group, The League falls apart without his guidance. It is revealed to H.H. in the end that Leo was actually the President of the League disguised as a servant as a test of the group's faith.
After reading The Journey to the East, Robert Greenleaf came to the conclusion that a good leader is a servant to the people first. He later coined the term Servant Leader in his 1970 essay The Servant as Leader.
Very neat video narration of Hermann Hesse's book A Journey to the East.
Source: Uploaded to YouTube by pedrojoaow on Apr 23, 2011
Source: Uploaded to YouTube by mentorsgallery on Jan 7, 2010
