Professor Fred Hollows
Professor Fred Hollows was an Australian ophthalmologist who dedicated his life to providing eye care
to impoverished people in Australia and around the world. (1) Born on 9 April 1929 in Dunedin, New
Zealand, Professor Hollows was always destined to serve others, originally studying to become a
religious minister following encouragement from his parents to become a missionary. (2) However, it
was after volunteering at a mental health facility that Professor Hollows decided to change direction and
study ophthalmology. (1)
As an ophthalmologist, Professor Hollows was exposed to the poor living conditions and lack of access
to eye health care throughout Aboriginal communities. (3) Assessing the needs of the community then
paved the way for the development of intervention, as Professor Hollows was able to build a community
of people who were united in a common goal to establish the first Aboriginal Medical Centre. (3) The
team’s work was far-reaching, and, with funding from the Australian Government and local community
involvement, Professor Hollows initiated the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program and reduced
the rate of curable blindness in people across 465 communities by half. (2), (3)
Outside of Australia, Professor Hollows worked with the World Health Organisation to deliver the same
services in developing countries. In particular, he empowered local communities by founding lens
factories in these countries to reduce the cost of accessing the equipment used to treat cataract. (1)
Professor Hollows’ dream of eliminating avoidable blindness and providing equity of access to
healthcare lives on through The Fred Hollows Foundation, which works to empower local communities
and has restored sight to over 3 million people in more than 25 countries. (4)
Theory of Leadership
The delivery of healthcare for communities in need was a product of Professor Hollows’ adoption of a
servant leadership style. Servant leadership is characterised by an emphasis on the development and
empowerment of followers and the selflessness, compassion and morality of leaders. (5) While
authentic leadership and ethical leadership are similar moral forms of leadership, servant leadership is
unique in that it focuses on serving the well-being of others first. (6)
Key Factors of Servant Leadership
In selecting the servant leadership style, the key factors taken into account were:
the basic idea that servant leaders place the good of followers over their own self-interest;
the 10 characteristics of a servant leader; and
the focus on serving multiple stakeholders.
Servant leadership begins with the genuine desire of wanting to serve first. (7) This natural tendency
was evident in Professor Hollows’ early theological pursuits which would have seen him live a life of
service to all people, and especially the poor, weak and vulnerable. This desire never faded as
Professor Hollows stated “I never did medicine to make a lot of money … I studied medicine so I could
help others.” (1) This desire to serve also predisposed a conscious choice to lead and become an
activist to bring light to the disparities he had witnessed between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health.
Secondly, servant leadership can be distinguished by 10 characteristics, namely (1) listening, (2)
empathy, (3) healing, (4) awareness, (5), persuasion, (6) conceptualisation, (7) foresight, (8)
stewardship, (9) commitment to the growth of people, and (10) building community. (8) All of these
characteristics motivated Professor Hollows’ work, as he was able to heal vulnerable communities from
Professor Fred Hollows was an Australian ophthalmologist who dedicated his life to providing eye care
to impoverished people in Australia and around the world. (1) Born on 9 April 1929 in Dunedin, New
Zealand, Professor Hollows was always destined to serve others, originally studying to become a
religious minister following encouragement from his parents to become a missionary. (2) However, it
was after volunteering at a mental health facility that Professor Hollows decided to change direction and
study ophthalmology. (1)
As an ophthalmologist, Professor Hollows was exposed to the poor living conditions and lack of access
to eye health care throughout Aboriginal communities. (3) Assessing the needs of the community then
paved the way for the development of intervention, as Professor Hollows was able to build a community
of people who were united in a common goal to establish the first Aboriginal Medical Centre. (3) The
team’s work was far-reaching, and, with funding from the Australian Government and local community
involvement, Professor Hollows initiated the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program and reduced
the rate of curable blindness in people across 465 communities by half. (2), (3)
Outside of Australia, Professor Hollows worked with the World Health Organisation to deliver the same
services in developing countries. In particular, he empowered local communities by founding lens
factories in these countries to reduce the cost of accessing the equipment used to treat cataract. (1)
Professor Hollows’ dream of eliminating avoidable blindness and providing equity of access to
healthcare lives on through The Fred Hollows Foundation, which works to empower local communities
and has restored sight to over 3 million people in more than 25 countries. (4)
Theory of Leadership
The delivery of healthcare for communities in need was a product of Professor Hollows’ adoption of a
servant leadership style. Servant leadership is characterised by an emphasis on the development and
empowerment of followers and the selflessness, compassion and morality of leaders. (5) While
authentic leadership and ethical leadership are similar moral forms of leadership, servant leadership is
unique in that it focuses on serving the well-being of others first. (6)
Key Factors of Servant Leadership
In selecting the servant leadership style, the key factors taken into account were:
the basic idea that servant leaders place the good of followers over their own self-interest;
the 10 characteristics of a servant leader; and
the focus on serving multiple stakeholders.
Servant leadership begins with the genuine desire of wanting to serve first. (7) This natural tendency
was evident in Professor Hollows’ early theological pursuits which would have seen him live a life of
service to all people, and especially the poor, weak and vulnerable. This desire never faded as
Professor Hollows stated “I never did medicine to make a lot of money … I studied medicine so I could
help others.” (1) This desire to serve also predisposed a conscious choice to lead and become an
activist to bring light to the disparities he had witnessed between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health.
Secondly, servant leadership can be distinguished by 10 characteristics, namely (1) listening, (2)
empathy, (3) healing, (4) awareness, (5), persuasion, (6) conceptualisation, (7) foresight, (8)
stewardship, (9) commitment to the growth of people, and (10) building community. (8) All of these
characteristics motivated Professor Hollows’ work, as he was able to heal vulnerable communities from
