6. Become a Servant Leader

“The servant-leader is a servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.” –Robert K. Greenleaf

Why do we use the word Servant Leadership? What kind of leadership style is this? First, let me tell you that it is commonly thought that a servant is always at the lower end of any hierarchy, but that is not true, the truth is that some leaders transformed the positive qualities of servitude into strong leadership qualities. The test of leadership is, that there are two categories of leaders, “Leader First” and “Servant First”. The “Leader first” is the person who is focusing on achieving his personal goals with his power and position. And “Servant first” is the person who put people first. Ultimately a servant leader surrenders most of his or her authority. It’s a completely selfless type of leadership that focuses on improving people at their core and organization.

• Servant Leadership: Transforming servitude into strong leadership qualities
• Leader First vs. Servant First: Contrasting Approaches to Leadership
• Surrendering Authority: The Selflessness of a servant leader
• Philosophy of Service: Seeking to serve others rather than gaining power
• Impact Beyond Organization: Developing the community surrounding the team
• Leaving a Mark: The Influence of leadership on Individuals and organizations
• Meeting Legitimate Needs: Identifying and addressing the needs of those in your care
• Wants vs. Needs: Understanding the distinction and focusing on well-being
• Building Influence: Meeting the needs of others to foster influence
• Character Development: Leadership is rooted in character, not just personality
• The Power of Character: Doing the right thing, even when it's challenging
• Leadership in Action: Character as the Essence of effective leadership

Conceptualizing

• Utilizing Experience: Leveraging personal experience and organizational resources to solve problems
• Conceptualization: A key characteristic of Servant Leadership according to Robert Greenleaf
• Creating a Vision: Developing a future-oriented concept that provides direction
• Inviting Ownership: Empowering others to shape the vision and mission
• Long-Term Relationships: Building relationships based on long-term commitment
• Common Goals and Vision: Focusing on shared objectives rather than personal goals
• Equipping Others: Enabling individuals to realize their potential and contribute to the common goals
• Servant Leadership in Action: Putting the needs of others before personal ambitions
• Collaborative Leadership: Encouraging collaboration and shared responsibility
• Empowering Through Vision: Inspiring and empowering others to work towards a common vision

Emotional Healing:

• Supportive Leadership: A servant-leader is supportive and attentive to followers' feelings and ideas
• Availability and Listening: Being accessible and actively listening to the concerns of followers
• Behavioral Characteristics: Traits like empathy, compassion, altruism, and healing define a servant leader
• Building Mental and Emotional Well-being: Fostering a healthy workforce and cultivating cohesion
• Creating Sustainable Relationships: Encouraging collaboration and long-term relationships among followers
• Pro-social and Altruistic Behavior: Servant leadership promotes behaviors that benefit the organization and team
• Enhancing Organizational Performance: Cohesiveness and collaboration contribute to improved effectiveness
• Addressing Feelings and Emotions: Understanding and responding to the emotional needs of employees
• Empathy and Understanding: Servant leaders connect with and support their employees' emotional experiences
• Employee Well-being: Prioritizing the emotional turmoil and overall well-being of followers

Servant leadership recognizes the importance of supporting and understanding the emotions of followers for fostering a healthy and effective organization.

Put Followers First:

• Inviting, Not Forcing: Leaders invite others on a journey rather than forcing them to follow
• Great Followership: Leaders understand the importance of being great followers themselves
• Trust and Care: Leaders trust and genuinely care for their followers, supporting their growth
• Recognizing Qualities and Potential: Leaders identify and nurture the qualities, potential, and vision of their team members
• Encouraging Achievement: Leaders inspire and encourage individuals to pursue their dreams and goals
• Creating Momentum: Leaders generate momentum within the team and give credit for success
• Prioritizing People: Great leaders prioritize the well-being of their people over numbers
• A Story of Sacrifice: Bob Chapman's decision to save jobs rather than lay off employees during a crisis
• Heart Counts over Head Counts: Valuing the human aspect and relationships within the organization
• Protecting the Team: Great leaders prioritize the protection and trust of their followers
• Trust and Financial Success: Bob's decision led to increased morale and financial savings

Leadership is about nurturing and protecting the team, trusting and caring for them, and making decisions that prioritize their well-being and trust.

Helping Followers Grow and Succeed:

• Positive Influence: Great leaders have a positive impact on others
• Fostering Growth: Leaders actively support the growth of each team member
• Team Impact: Recognizing that individual growth contributes to the overall impact of the team
• Accelerated Growth: With the guidance of a great leader, individuals experience faster growth
• Sharing Success: Leaders distribute credit and recognition to the team when goals are achieved
• Helping Others Grow: Leaders have a genuine interest in supporting the growth of their team members
• Stretch Opportunities: Providing opportunities for team members to try new things and expand their skills
• Team Benefits: When a team member succeeds, the entire team benefits from their experience
• Investing in Growth: Leaders prioritize the development of their team members
• Lasting Impact: Leaders who invest in growth are remembered not only for the team's outputs but also for the personal growth of their team members

Great leaders understand the importance of helping others grow, and by investing in their team members' development, they leave a lasting impact on both the team's success and the growth of individuals within the team.

• Behaving Ethically: Caring and Doing the Right Thing: Servant leadership emphasizes caring for others and prioritizing ethical behavior
• Courageous Ethical Behavior: Ethical leaders have the courage to be honest, even in difficult or uncomfortable situations
• Value-Driven Approach: Effective leaders have a passion for serving and hold themselves accountable with integrity
• Serving First: Ethical leaders focus on serving others before asking for their service
• Congruent Integrity: Ethical leaders expect loyalty and consistent ethical behavior from their employees
• Embedding Respect: Ethical behavior includes showing respect, and it must be reciprocal between leaders and team members
• Addressing Power Dynamics: Servant leadership offers a perspective to address unhealthy power dynamics by reframing situations as serving while leading
• Consistent Behaviors: Servant leadership creates an environment with consistent behaviors throughout the workforce
• Listening Skills and Consensus-Building: Good listening and consensus-building are valued in a servant leadership environment
• Fair Power through Persuasion: Servant leadership promotes the ethical construct of using persuasion for fair power

Servant leadership promotes a culture of caring, ethical behavior, and fair power dynamics, where leaders lead by serving and create an environment that values integrity, respect, listening, and consensus-building.

Empowering:

• Empowering Followers: Servant leaders build the leadership capacity of their followers through empowerment.
• Engagement Predictor: Empowerment is a key factor in fostering employee engagement.
• High-Performance Teams: Empowered employees are more efficient and generate solutions to improve productivity.
• Trust, Responsibility, Action: Empowerment is based on trust, giving responsibility, and taking action.
• Permission & Trust: Give team members permission to take action and trust their decisions.
• Clear Policies & Support: Provide clear policies and best practices to establish boundaries and support team members.
• Words of Encouragement: Offer words of encouragement to the team and yourself through positive self-talk.
• Generosity & Kindness: Be generous, show gratitude, take interest in others, and be kind, even when unobserved.
• Encouraging Engagement: Motivate team members to engage in projects and contribute to the team's success.
• Recognition & Credit: Give credit and share achievements and success with the entire team.
• Communication on Success: Regularly communicate the team's successes to highlight individual contributions.
• Knowledge Sharing: Empower others by sharing knowledge and providing positive feedback.
• Nurturing Talent: Mentor, coach, and support the development of hidden strengths in others.

Servant leaders prioritize empowering their followers by granting permission, trust, support, recognition, and knowledge sharing. They foster engagement, nurture talent, and create a culture of empowerment, leading to high-performance teams and individual growth.

Creating Value for the Community:

• Impact beyond Self: Servant leaders prioritize having a positive impact on the larger community, organization, sector, and nation.
• Putting Others First: Servant leaders prioritize the needs of others above their own, drawing attention to community needs and gaining support from followers.
• Mother Teresa's Example: Mother Teresa dedicated her life to serving those in need, leading to sustained improvements in society.
• Recognizing Community Needs: Servant leaders recognize community needs and inspire others to take action.
• Gaining Support: Servant leaders gain support from followers to collectively address community needs.
• Taking Action: Servant leaders actively engage in actions that contribute to creating a better community.
• Recognition for Impact: While not seeking recognition, servant leaders may receive acknowledgement for their extraordinary accomplishments in creating a better community.

Servant leaders go beyond personal and follower outcomes to focus on creating a positive impact on the larger community. They prioritize the needs of others, draw attention to community needs, gain support, and take action. The example of Mother Teresa exemplifies the power of servant leadership in making sustained improvements in society. While not seeking recognition, servant leaders may receive acknowledgement for their remarkable contributions to building a better community.

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