What are the best ways to implement servant leadership in a group setting?

Foster a sense of community within the team. Encourage collaboration and a supportive environment where team members feel connected and valued. Empower team members by providing them with the tools, resources, and autonomy to take ownership of their work. Trust individuals to make decisions and contribute meaningfully to the team's objectives.

In my experience, knowing your group is key. You don't need to be an expert in everything, but it helps to know what matters. For example, at one point I worked with researchers who were conducting field research on plants. When we said they were out in the field we literally meant "they are on tractors, plowing fields." I didn't need to know plant genetics, but I did need to understand that there were certain times of year when asking them to come to a meeting was asking them to lose critical research time. I would do as much as I could via phone and email and, when I had to schedule meetings, I would look at the weather report and try for a rainy day when they couldn't work outside. This wasn't a difficulty for me and it created trust.

Implementing servant leadership involves leading by example, actively listening to team members, and empowering them to make decisions. Prioritize their growth, support their well-being, and foster a collaborative environment. Value diversity, communicate transparently, and celebrate successes. Ultimately, embodying humility, empathy, and service establishes a positive work culture where team members feel valued and empowered.

As a servant leader, the first step for me is to understand my team well. This means knowing their strengths, weaknesses, interests, and challenges, and appreciating their uniqueness. This allows me to support them effectively and create a positive, inclusive team culture.

In my experience, Servant Leadership is a multi-disciplined style of leadership. I use three principals 1. Surround yourself with the people who know what you don't know. 2. Hold people accountable. which involves praising when somebody or the team excels, Learn a lesson and acknowledge when things do not go a s planned. 3. Be humble. Nobody knows everything and nobody is perfect. Mistakes are made even at the upper levels. Accepting responsibility, learning and moving forward is a good thing to build teams

Servant leadership is actively listening to your group members. Active listening means paying attention, asking questions, clarifying, summarizing, and providing feedback.

In empowering a team member for servant leadership, you’ll need to remember that it takes time. Some folks know instinctively how to serve, but for most it takes time and effort. Allow that person the ability to have some time in their day or week to do so. It’s counter-productive to ask someone to be a servant leader and not give them the time or worse yet, pile even more on to their plates than before the ask.

Servant leadership is about modeling and inspiring the members of your group. Modeling and inspiring means demonstrating the values, behaviors and attitudes you expect from your group members, such as integrity, honesty, respect, humility and compassion.

Learning and growing means seeking feedback, reflecting, and improving your own leadership skills and performance. Learning and growing also means encouraging your group members to pursue personal and professional development, and providing them with learning opportunities and resources.

Being a servant leader means rolling up your sleeves and helping your team. Guiding your team is important but also showing your team no task is below you is also crucial. The previous sections were all about empowering team members and giving them this or that, none of it said anything about giving a helping hand. Sometimes people need more than words they need actions and help.