The Pitfalls of Servant Leadership: Balancing Altruism with Pragmatism

In response to my previous article about the benefits of servant leadership, which you can read?here ?now as promised I bring some of the downsides?I have experienced?with the same technique. While it is undoubtedly a noble and altruistic approach, there are potential downsides to servant leadership that you as a leader should be aware of. In this blog post, in this article I'll try to delve into these experienced downsides, highlighting the challenges that come with practicing servant leadership.

Slow Decision-Making in the Absence of Strong Interpersonal Relations

One of the fundamental tenets of servant leadership is building strong interpersonal relationships with team members. While this is undoubtedly important for fostering trust and collaboration, it can inadvertently slow down the decision-making process. Servant leaders often seek consensus and input from most team members before making decisions. This inclusive approach, while well-intentioned, can lead to lengthy discussions and delays in decision-making, especially when relationships within the team are not well-polished.

In fast-paced business environments, where quick decisions can be critical, the need for unanimous agreement can be a hindrance. Striking the right balance between valuing relationships and making timely decisions is your daily challenge as a servant leader.

How I have tackled this issue?

In my case I try to be as clear as possible about the implications of the delays incurred with the team and protect them from perceived urgency that is not urgency at all, this helps the team make a balanced decision which they feel accountable for, normally striking a balance between time, cost and quality. The more senior your team is and the less ego fighting you have in it, the better they become at making these balances quickly and effectively.

If production is not down (almost) everything else can wait.?Take your time to make proper decisions.

The Burden of Going the Extra Mile

Servant leaders are expected to go above and beyond for their staff, always putting their needs first. While this commitment to selflessness is admirable, it can become burdensome when the staff does not reciprocate or appreciate these efforts or even worse when higher management disregards such an approach for management. Leaders may find themselves constantly giving without receiving adequate support or recognition in return.

This imbalance can lead to burnout and frustration among servant leaders, eroding their motivation to continue serving their teams. Organizations must ensure that there is a healthy two-way relationship of support and appreciation between leaders and their staff to prevent this downside.

How I have tackled this issue?

To be honest I haven't found this as an issue for myself, I love the challenge of dealing with people daily, of helping them even in the face of no reciprocity. This is about human beings and the act of serving, which is selfless by definition.

If you're not ready to give without expecting anything in return then maybe this approach might not be for you.

Time-Consuming Training and Retraining

Becoming a servant leader requires a fundamental shift in mindset and behavior. It takes time to teach and retrain leaders to think like servant leaders, emphasizing empathy, active listening, and putting the needs of others first. This investment in leadership development can be time-consuming and may not yield immediate results.

However, the upside is that when servant leadership principles are ingrained within an organization's culture, it can lead to enhanced teamwork, employee satisfaction, and overall performance. While the initial effort is significant, the long-term benefits can be substantial.

How I have tackled this issue?

In my case, I try to identify the natural leaders, the servants by nature, and help them polish their skills (even when they are not actively reaching for a management position).

If someone that's not born a natural servant leader wants to use this management methodology, I try to be very clear that for them it might be lengthy and painful, as they'll have to destroy many misconceptions of what being a leader means. In many cases, based on their personality I also suggest different approaches to management that might fit better their style.

Do the work before the work is needed, and prepare the leaders of the next generation today,?so transition can be natural and not forced.

Perceived Weakness or Manipulation

Servant leaders often prioritize understanding and accommodating the diverse personalities and intricacies of human behavior within their teams. However, if a leader lacks the skills to manage these complexities effectively, they can be perceived as weak or manipulative. Employees may exploit the leader's altruistic nature or interpret their actions as insincere.

Balancing empathy with assertiveness is essential for you as a servant leader to maintain the respect and trust of your team members. Leadership training should include strategies for effectively handling different personality types and situations.

How I have tackled this issue?

This is one of the most difficult ones that I have found along the way, as everything needs to be in balance: the cultural background, the language, the interpersonal situation of you and your team member, and many many others. The reality is that I haven't found a single silver bullet beyond some major guidelines like being transparent, never lying to your team members, praising in public, punishing in private holding people accountable for their decisions, protecting the team at all costs, being the face in front of the company when problems arise and step aside when someone praises them, let them own the show, and many more that probably I'm forgetting now.

A quick helper might be during 1-on-1 meetings I?always?like to ask:?What can I do better to become the manager you want? Any mistake to correct? Anything that has disturbed you that I should be correcting?

Search, value, and act upon feedback.?Even when poorly delivered (Angry, disrespectful, etc.), there's always some truth behind every piece of feedback.

Formal Authority as a Last Resort

In servant leadership, formal authority is considered a last resort, and using it can be viewed as a failure of the leadership approach. However, there are situations where formal authority is necessary to maintain order, enforce policies, or make tough decisions. When servant leader has to resort to their formal authority, it can undermine the trust and rapport they have built with their team.

Leaders must strike a delicate balance between servant leadership principles and the judicious use of formal authority when circumstances demand it.

How I have tackled this issue?

Thankfully for me, I have never needed to use my formal authority to come to terms with my team members. In my personal view, if you have done good work you don't need to call titles to disarm a possible escalation, the team by itself will call your authority to help them with the issue at hand.

This being said I have seen several colleagues having to resort to "The Title Power", my recommendation is to think twice before doing it, and once you're ready to do it, think twice more, as it might severely undermine the trust of the team to the point when you no longer can use servant leadership as your modus operandi.

The tactical nuclear option. Be truly careful in its usage as it might become a point of no return.

Conclusion

While servant leadership is a commendable philosophy that can lead to positive outcomes within organizations, it is not without its challenges and potential downsides. Slow decision-making, the burden of constant selflessness, time-consuming training, the risk of being perceived as weak or manipulative, and the cautious use of formal authority are all aspects that servant leaders must navigate.

Awareness of these pitfalls can help leaders and organizations implement servant leadership more effectively, striking a balance between altruism and pragmatism to create a thriving and harmonious work environment. When done right, servant leadership can be a powerful force for positive change within organizations, benefiting both leaders and their teams.

Please let me know your thoughts and comments, have you had similar experiences? How do you tackle these issues daily as a servant leader? Do you know more issues that I haven't mentioned here?