You're a new manager and you want to build a strong team. How can you be an effective servant leader?

A good leader doesn’t just talk and give order or issue tasks. A good leader takes time to listen to their team and take ideas, opinions, etc and use it to make a plan of action. A good leader doesn’t let their ego get in the way when a team member has a better plan or idea. Listen, Talk, Plan, Act.

l'intelligence émotionnelle est un élément essentiel du leadership moderne, qui permet aux leaders de naviguer avec succès dans un monde de plus en plus complexe et interconnecté. En cultivant la conscience de soi, la gestion des émotions, les compétences sociales et la gestion des relations, les leaders peuvent inspirer, motiver et guider leurs équipes vers des performances exceptionnelles et un succès durable. Ainsi, investir dans le développement de l'intelligence émotionnelle devrait être une priorité pour tout leader souhaitant exceller dans son r?le et créer un impact positif à long terme.

As a servant leader, focus on: 1. Empathy: Understand your team's needs, concerns, and motivations. 2. Active Listening: Encourage open communication and listen attentively to your team members. 3. Support: Provide the necessary resources, guidance, and encouragement for your team to succeed. 4. Empowerment: Trust your team members to make decisions and take ownership of their work. 5. Vision: Clearly communicate the goals and vision of the team, ensuring everyone understands their role. 6. Accountability: Hold yourself and your team members accountable for their actions and results. 7. Continuous Improvement: Foster an environment of learning and growth, both individually and collectively.

Listening actively is a vital skill that involves being fully present and engaged in a conversation. When you listen actively, you focus on understanding the speaker's message without interruptions or distractions. This means maintaining eye contact, nodding to show you're following along, asking clarifying questions, and paraphrasing what the speaker said to ensure you've understood correctly. Active listening also involves being empathetic, nonjudgmental, and responsive to the speaker's emotions and needs. Overall, active listening fosters better communication, deeper connections, and mutual understanding in conversations.

There are two ways to empathize with your fellow human beings. The affective way, where you feel the way they do, and the cognitive one, where you see their feelings, recognize them but you do not take them as your own. When helping another the difference can best be described as when you see someone drowning, do you jump in the water with them, and share their struggle, or do you stand on firm land and throw them a rope. Empathy is the glue of our society, and our race would perish without, but in leadership it must be the right kind.

l'empathie est bien plus qu'une compétence à développer, c'est un état d'esprit qui sous-tend tout leadership efficace et bienveillant. En faisant preuve d'empathie envers les membres de leur équipe, les leaders peuvent inspirer la confiance, renforcer les relations et cultiver une culture de travail où chacun peut s'épanouir et contribuer pleinement à la réussite collective. En intégrant l'empathie dans leur approche de leadership, les leaders peuvent véritablement incarner les valeurs du leadership serviteur et créer un impact durable dans leur organisation.

Genuine empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others authentically. It involves stepping into someone else's shoes, acknowledging their emotions without judgment, and expressing compassion and support. Genuine empathy goes beyond just listening or offering sympathy; it involves actively trying to understand the other person's perspective, experiences, and struggles. When empathizing genuinely, one must be attentive, nonverbal cues such as body language and tone of voice, and respond with sensitivity and understanding. This includes validating the other person's feelings, acknowledging their experiences, and offering comfort or assistance as needed.

servir volontairement est une valeur fondamentale du leadership serviteur, qui guide les leaders dans leur engagement envers les autres et dans leur recherche de l'excellence collective. En mettant les besoins et les intérêts des membres de leur équipe en avant, en partageant le pouvoir et l'autorité, et en inspirant, motivant et responsabilisant les autres, les leaders serviteurs créent un environnement où l'épanouissement personnel et professionnel de chacun est encouragé et célébré. En adoptant cette approche de leadership altruiste, les leaders peuvent véritablement créer un impact positif et durable dans leur organisation et au-delà.

Effective mentoring is a multifaceted process that requires a combination of skills, qualities, and strategies. A mentor should possess strong communication skills to convey information clearly and effectively, listen actively to understand mentees' needs and concerns, and provide constructive feedback to support their growth and development. Additionally, a good mentor fosters a positive and supportive relationship with their mentees, demonstrates empathy and understanding, and cultivates a sense of trust and mutual respect.

To mentor you need domain knowledge and experience in what your team does. In other words, you must be able to do the job independently. This is not always the case for every leader. A good mentor must be able to play the field. A good coach on the other hand, also has a detailed understanding of the job of the team but coaches the team to learn, grow, and improve their skills, knowledge, and performance, by giving them constructive feedback and recognition. Therefore coaching is the way to go for effective servant leaders, not mentoring.

Inclusive collaboration starts with promoting diversity within the team, including diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas. It also involves actively listening to all team members, encouraging open and honest communication, and embracing different viewpoints and opinions. Additionally, inclusive collaboration requires being mindful of power dynamics and ensuring that decision-making processes are fair and transparent. By fostering inclusive collaboration, teams can leverage the full potential of their diverse talents, promote innovation and creativity, and achieve more impactful and sustainable outcomes.