Very limited attention has been given by scholars to the relationship between servant
leadership and employee behaviors in the public sector and not much is known about
the mechanisms through which this relationship may take place. This study examines
the relationship between servant leadership and proactive behaviors in the Egyptian
public health sector and investigates the role of leader–member exchange (LMX) as a
mediator. Using a sample of Egyptian public hospital nurses, the results of structural
equation modeling (SEM) indicate that servant leadership was positively related to
LMX which, in turn, had a significant positive association with proactive behavior.
Thus, servant leaders encourage employees to engage in proactive behavior through
enhancing the quality of their exchange relationship with their supervisors.