What is ‘Servant Leadership’ ?
Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy in which the main goal of the leader is to serve. This is different from traditional leadership where the leader’s main focus is the thriving of their company or organizations. A Servant Leader shares power, puts the needs of the employees first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.
The most important characteristic in being a servant leader, according to Robert K. Greenleaf, is making one’s main priority to serve rather than to lead. Ginny Boyum states that Greenleaf proposed that servant leaders should serve first, the needs of others are their main priority, they find success and “power” in the growth of others, and
“A servant can only become a leader if a leader remains a servant”.
Greenleaf believed the betterment of others to be the true intention of a servant leader: “I serve” in opposition of the traditional “I lead” mentality. From the “I serve” mentality come two premises:
- I serve because I am the leader, and
- I am the leader because I serve
These leaders possess a serve-first mindset, and they are focused on empowering and uplifting those who work for them. They are serving instead of commanding, and always looking to enhance the development of their staff members in ways that unlock potential, creativity and sense of purpose.
The human ego keeps people from their good intentions to serve.
Key characteristics of servant leadership
- Listening : If your team member is talking then give them your full focus. Listening is simple way to make them know you care.
Listen them to understand not to find mistake.
2. Stewardship: Stewardship is simply leading by example. It’s your job to set the tone for your team, so don’t ask people to do things you wouldn’t do yourself. If something goes wrong, I’ll take the heat. This goes a long way toward building trust — a must for any well-functioning team.
3. Develop other leaders: In simpler terms, servant leaders should seek to be servants first, to care for the needs of all others around them, in order to ensure growth of future leaders. Organizations that don’t practice servant leadership may discourage employees expressing their feelings in the work place, but servant leaders encourage this expression to prevent any conflict within the workplace.
4. Culture of trust: Building team that can trust each other work together to get more done. Finding a way to make remote teams to have a sense of community is important.
5. Self-Awareness: We understood the importance of understanding your team’s strengths and weaknesses. But it’s just as important to do a little self-reflection of your own. Take inventory of your own strengths and weaknesses, and figure out how you fit into the overall team. Then use yourself in ways that benefit the team and the company. Recognizing your own limitations can help you see opportunities to leverage your team’s strengths more clearly.
