What do you do if your career change requires building a personal brand using Servant Leadership principles?

The phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay which was published in 1970. A servant-leader focuses first on the growth and well-being of the team to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by those at the “top of the pyramid,” the servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first, ensures people are developed and helps them perform as highly as possible. None of this is possible without that Servant Leader embracing empathy. If a leader lacks empathy, he simply cannot connect. Simply cannot be the leader. Servant leadership consists of four components: Flexibility, empathy, stewardship, and listening

We don't listen actively because a part of us is busy preparing answers for the questions we hear. A part of us is preparing retorts to the points being made. And, yet another part is building our own arguments. So, with so many parts of us being busy, it is no wonder that we don't listen well. But, for us to connect at a deep level, for anyone to become a "servant leader", that person has to listen very actively. That person has to suspend judgment. Stop all those parts of him that try to build answers, put together retorts, and which are trying to create a set of questions for himself. So, stopping all those, bringing all of him into that discussion, being fully present, when he listens, the person speaking can feel it!

Building a personal brand using Servant Leadership principles involves demonstrating stewardship, where you prioritize the needs and growth of others. Start by identifying your strengths, passions, and values, aligning them with your career goals. Then, consistently showcase these qualities through your actions and interactions. Offer support and guidance to others, share valuable insights and resources, and actively contribute to your industry or community. By embodying the spirit of servant leadership in your brand, you'll attract like-minded individuals and opportunities that align with your values and aspirations.

In my experience coaching leaders, I prefer that we uncover what their "brand of leadership" is by defining their human skills and core values so that they can lead from who they are vs arbitrarily "performing" models of leadership not aligned with their own ethos. Your leadership brand here is "how your personal brand shows up in the social process of leadership". As you ladder your career, you will find spaces where your own leadership brand can authentically show up in the way you lead and influence others.

Imagine this scenario: You are a few minutes late into that strategy meeting. You walk into the meeting with a smile and apology. You just forgot that you have not even closed the door of the meeting room properly. The leader, who has already started discussing his points, welcomes you, smiles at you, and walks to the door to close it while continuing the conversation. The next scenario: You are now presenting and you feel like having some water. You start looking around for water because it is kept at a corner in that room. Voila! The leader is already at it - he has taken one water bottle and is already handing it over to you. You have just witnessed two very small examples of Servant Leadership.