Servant Leadership Institute

What Servant Leadership Institute does

Servant Leadership Institute (SLI) is a private, founder-owned consulting and training firm incorporated in California in 2008 by Art Barter, the former owner-CEO of Datron World Communications. The company is built around a proprietary methodology and curriculum centered on the Nine Behaviors of a Servant Leader framework, derived from Barter's documented transformation of Datron from a $10M to a $200M business in six years through servant leadership practices. SLI delivers its offerings as professional services (a five-module Training Program, Interactive Workshops, Keynote Speaking, and Leadership Consulting) and as packaged content products, including published books, an 18-week Servant Leadership Journal, implementation booklets, behavior cards, a self-administered SLI Behavior Assessment, and webinar bundles covering each of the nine behaviors.

SLI monetizes through both custom-priced enterprise training/consulting and a long-tail e-commerce operation: a self-serve online store, Amazon and Barnes & Noble retail distribution for physical books, podcast platforms, paid webinar bundles, and a low-priced digital download catalog. Customer segments span organizations seeking culture transformation, individual leaders and aspiring servant leaders, and educational/youth programs, with named enterprise adoption including Datron, CBSI, and SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment (via former CEO Joel Manby), plus a fully City-funded youth program at the Carlsbad Student Leadership Academy. The annual Servant Leadership Conference, sold out every year since its 2010 launch, is the flagship customer acquisition and engagement channel.

SLI is self-funded by Art and Lori Barter (an initial $500,000 founder commitment), operates with a headcount of 1-10, and has not raised external capital. In 2018 the company announced the creation of a separate non-profit arm, the Servant Leadership Foundation, to pursue grants for research, development, and training, while SLI continues as the for-profit entity. Distribution is anchored in the United States, with content reach extending to international audiences via podcast and digital downloads and program delivery referenced in Africa. Leadership consists of Art Barter (Founder & CEO), Robin Swift (President since February 2016), John Goehring (CFO), Carol Malinski (Director of Content and Curriculum), and Lori Barter (Secretary).

Name

Servant Leadership Institute

Legal name

Servant Leadership Institute

Website

https://servantleadershipinstitute.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Servant Leadership Institute is a private, founder-owned consulting and training firm that helps individuals and organizations implement servant leadership through proprietary curriculum, workshops, books, webinars, and an annual conference, founded by Art Barter in 2008.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leadership Development Training and Consulting

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH), Leadership Development & Executive Coaching (BPAHAGAD), Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA)

Keywords

• Leadership development training
• Servant leadership consulting
• Executive coaching services
• Organizational culture workshops
• Behavioral leadership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlsbad

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Training Programs and Workshops: Five-module training programs teaching servant leadership facets, interactive workshops, and leadership consulting services with hands-on coaching.
2. Book Sales: Sale of books including The Art of Servant Leadership II, The Servant Leadership Journal, Farmer Able, and various implementation guide booklets.
3. Digital Downloads and Tools: Sale of digital products including the Nine Behaviors cards, digital PDFs on servant leadership topics, and webinar recordings.
4. Webinar Sales: Individual webinars and bundled webinar packages covering specific servant leadership behaviors and topics.
5. Keynote Speaking: Art Barter speaking engagements at events and organizations seeking servant leadership transformation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Servant Leadership Institute designs and delivers training programs, interactive workshops, keynote speaking, and leadership consulting centered on its proprietary Nine Behaviors of a Servant Leader framework. It also sells supporting books, digital downloads, behavior assessment tools, webinar bundles, and hosts an annual conference to help both individual leaders and organizations adopt servant leadership practices.

Product overview

Servant Leadership Institute offers a comprehensive portfolio of servant leadership training and development products. The core offerings include a five-module Training Program, Interactive Workshops, Keynote Speaking Services, and Leadership Consulting. The product suite is complemented by published books (The Art of Servant Leadership II, The Servant Leadership Journal, Farmer Able, Equip to Serve), implementation guide booklets (360-Degree Leadership, Culture Transformation, The Little Foxes), an SLI Podcast, and digital tools including behavior cards, assessments, and downloadable guides covering the Nine Behaviors of a Servant Leader. The company also provides webinar content organized around specific behaviors and leadership topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Servant Leadership Training Program A five-module training program teaching servant leadership facets including developing high-performance teams, addressing challenging situations, building and sustaining a servant leadership culture, and implementing behaviors using a 90 Day Plan. Designed for organizations and leaders adopting servant leadership practices.
• Interactive Workshop An interactive workshop titled 'What is Servant Leadership?' that defines servant leadership, the qualities of a servant leader, and why it matters, designed for organizations seeking to introduce servant leadership concepts.
• Annual Servant Leadership Conference The annual flagship Servant Leadership Conference featuring prominent leadership thought leaders, used to inspire and equip leaders; sold out every year since inception in 2010.
• Keynote Speaking Services Keynote presentations by Art Barter on servant leadership topics such as 'Servant Leadership: The Road Best Traveled' covering culture transformation, trust foundations, and daily employee interaction behaviors, delivered at corporate events and conferences.
• Leadership Consulting Consulting services focused on maximizing individual and organizational growth as servant leaders, supporting professional and departmental development for organizations undergoing culture transformation.
• SLI Behavior Assessment An assessment tool that helps individuals understand which of the Nine Behaviors of a Servant Leader they naturally excel at and which behaviors need additional focus.
• Behavior Webinar Bundle A bundled series of webinars covering all nine servant leadership behaviors including How to Serve First, How to Build Trust, How to Live Your Values at Work, and additional behavior-specific sessions.
• The Art of Servant Leadership II A book instructing modern business leaders on transforming businesses into servant leadership organizations that prioritize integrity over profitability, written by Art Barter.
• The Servant Leadership Journal An 18-week journaling experience teaching the nine behaviors necessary to grow into a servant leader, designed to transform personal and professional mindset for individual leaders.
• Farmer Able A fable about the dangers of traditional top-down management techniques and how a dysfunctional organization can be turned around with servant leadership.
• Equip to Serve: 100 Ways to Help the Ones You Lead A book by Art Barter and Carol Malinski providing 100 practical scenarios with reflection opportunities for servant leadership implementation.
• The Nine Behaviors Card - 10 Pack Physical cards featuring SLI's nine behaviors for servant leaders to focus on throughout their day, priced at $12.00 for a pack of 10, designed to be posted and reviewed regularly.
• 360-Degree Leadership Implementation Booklet An implementation booklet discussing feedback in organizations and developing a culture of transparency through 360-degree feedback.
• Culture Transformation Implementation Booklet An implementation booklet discussing the importance of mission and purpose in organizations extending beyond business into the greater community.
• The Little Foxes Implementation Booklet An implementation booklet addressing challenges with 'little foxes' - employees who use negative tactics to sabotage servant leadership efforts.
• Servant Leadership Digital Downloads A collection of paid digital downloads covering core servant leadership topics, including Creating Environments for Courageous Conversations ($5.00), the Nine Behaviors and Counterfeit Behaviors PDF ($10.00), Learning to Serve: 25 Ideas ($15.00), 10 Things You Can Do Today to Begin as a Servant Leader, and What is Servant Leadership? ($7.50).

Quantifiable outcome

• 5% voluntary turnover (2011-2016 average)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• City of Carlsbad - Carlsbad Student Leadership Academy (CSLA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015SLI partnered with the City of Carlsbad in 2015 to develop and participate in the Carlsbad Student Leadership Academy, a program for high school students to learn about servant leadership through three modules: You School (self-identification and gifts), Lead School (servant leadership behaviors), and Serve School (giving back to community). The program is completely funded by the City of Carlsbad.
• Ken BlanchardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKen Blanchard, renowned author of The One Minute Manager, introduced Art Barter to servant leadership in 2003 and became his mentor. Blanchard challenged Barter to be a servant leader and has been a featured speaker at SLI conferences. They co-taught servant leadership principles through The Speed of Trust.
• John MaxwellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Maxwell, a prominent leadership thought leader, has served as a mentor to Art Barter and was a featured speaker at the 2015 SLI conference alongside Ken Blanchard and Stephen M.R. Covey - the first time all three had appeared on stage together.
• Stephen M.R. CoveycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStephen M.R. Covey, author of The Speed of Trust, has worked with Art Barter teaching servant leadership through trust principles. He joined Ken Blanchard and John Maxwell at the 2015 SLI conference and has been a mentor to Barter.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ken Blanchard Companies: Founded by Ken Blanchard, who is also a mentor and conference speaker for SLI. Both offer leadership development training, books, and consulting built around proprietary frameworks, with overlapping customer bases in mid-market and enterprise leadership programs.
• The Marshall Goldsmith Group: Executive coaching and leadership development firm built around a named expert with books, training, and workshops. Mirrors SLI's founder-led, content-rich, multi-format service model targeting individual leaders and enterprise audiences.
• The Arbinger Institute: Philosophy-anchored leadership and culture-change training firm with books, certification programs, and consulting. Comparable in being a small, mission-driven firm commercializing a distinctive leadership framework to enterprise and individual buyers.
• Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership: The originating non-profit for the servant leadership movement that SLI commercializes. Both operate in the same servant leadership category, sharing concepts, conferences, and a pool of practitioners; Greenleaf is the philosophy source, SLI is the training/consulting commercialization.
• The John Maxwell Company: John Maxwell (an SLI conference speaker and Art Barter mentor) sells leadership training, books, certifications, and coaching. Closely comparable business model: speaker-led, multi-format content monetization, and similar SMB-to-enterprise reach.
• The Leadership Challenge (Kouzes & Posner): Practitioner-led leadership development firm offering workshops, books, assessments (LPI), and certifications. Comparable in being a niche, framework-anchored training business selling to mid-market and enterprise.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Non-profit leadership research and development provider offering coaching, programs, and assessments. Targets the same leadership pipeline but with research-led content and a global program catalog.
• FranklinCovey: Global leadership development firm offering The 7 Habits, The Speed of Trust (co-developed with Stephen M.R. Covey who mentors SLI), and enterprise training. Competes for the same enterprise culture-transformation budgets but at much greater scale.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with significant leadership development and executive coaching practices. Competes for enterprise culture and leadership engagements, with a much larger delivery footprint.
• DDI (Development Dimensions International): Large-scale leadership development firm offering leadership training, assessments, and consulting. Operates across the same enterprise culture-transformation category but at much higher scale and broader methodology portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SLILead

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Servant Leadership Institute