Leading by Serving: Validating a Multidimensional Servant Leadership Model among Secondary School Principals

Servant leadership has received growing attention in educational leadership scholarship; however, empirical evidence validating its multidimensional and hierarchical structure remains limited, particularly in non-Western contexts. Addressing this gap, the present study investigates servant leadership as a second-order construct among secondary school principals in Sabah, Malaysia. Employing a quantitative cross-sectional research design, data were collected from 440 respondents using a structured survey instrument. The data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with AMOS, and a second-order Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to examine the underlying structure of servant leadership. The proposed model comprised seven first-order dimensions: helping subordinates grow and succeed, building community, putting subordinates first, emotional healing, ethical behavior, conceptual skills, and empowerment. The results indicated an acceptable model fit (χ²/df = 2.94; CFI = .932; TLI = .921; RMSEA = .058), supporting the conceptualization of servant leadership as a higher-order construct. All seven dimensions loaded significantly onto the second-order factor (β = .63–.74, p < .001), with conceptual skills, empowerment, and ethical behavior emerging as the strongest contributors. The findings provide robust empirical support for the hierarchical nature of servant leadership and extend existing leadership theory within the Malaysian school context.