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Charlotte’s Web: A Model of Uniting

Servant Leadership with Today’s Essential

Leadership Skills

By Phyllis Broughton

Recently, I spent a week with my 11-year-old grandson, during which time I introduced him to some of the
movies and books from my childhood. This led to our discussion about Charlotte’s Web, a timeless 1952
classic by E. B. White. He had seen the movie and enjoyed it. I shared with him the leadership qualities
that I saw in Charlotte, the spider. Later, I found myself contemplating how Charlotte’s unique leadership
style might align with organizational leadership.
Charlotte’s Web is a beloved children’s novel that follows the friendship between Wilbur, a young pig,
and Charlotte, a wise and resourceful spider. Wilbur is loved
and cared for by Fern, the farmer’s daughter. Wilbur is
the runt of the litter, and Fern takes him as her special
pet. Wilbur is fed well and very happy living in the
barnyard with all of his animal friends—until he
learns that he is destined for slaughter. With
knowledge of his pending death, Charlotte
uses her web-spinning abilities to create
messages praising Wilbur and convincing
the humans on the farm to spare him. At one
point, Wilbur asks Charlotte why she has
helped him. She replies, “You have been my
friend … I wove my webs for you because I
liked you” (White, 1952, p. 164). Wilbur is
touched with gratitude by Charlotte’s honesty
and the depth of her friendship.
With the help of barnyard friends and
Charlotte’s clever plans, Wilbur becomes a local
sensation, with people coming from distances to
see him and the web-spinning results in his pen. As
Charlotte’s life comes to an end, she leaves behind a sac
of eggs, ensuring her legacy lives on. Wilbur faithfully watches
over the eggs and takes care of them. The novel explores many themes of friendship, sacrifice, and the
cycle of life.
Pondering Leadership and Charlotte

In 2021, colleague Kaye Dotson and I published a research study on the leadership styles of past
presidents of a North Carolina Delta Kappa Gamma chapter. These included (a) transformational leadership,
(b) servant leadership, (c) visionary leadership, and (d) shared leadership. Results of interviews suggested
that the past presidents used a combination or blend of all these styles of leadership, with servant leadership
mentioned most frequently (Broughton & Dotson, 2021).
The various leadership styles from the research study (Broughton & Dotson, 2021) were identified as

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