Bosses push, Leaders pull

Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it. The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority. Bosses push, Leaders pull. Therefore, any effective leadership, today, must be a “servant leadership”.

In the past a leader was a boss. Today's leaders must be partners with their people. The servant-leader is servant first... It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, from someone who “just” want to lead.

Quoting Martin Luther King: “Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

The best leaders are clear. They continually light the way, and in the process, let each person know that what they do makes a difference. The best test as a leader is: Do those served grow as persons; do they become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become leaders?

As a servant leader, you're a "servant first" – you focus on the needs of others, especially team members, before you consider your own. You acknowledge other people's perspectives, give them the support they need to meet their work and personal goals, involve them in decisions where appropriate, and build a sense of community within your team. This leads to higher engagement, more trust, and stronger relationships with team members and other stakeholders. It can also lead to increased innovation.

You'll serve people better when you make a deep commitment to listening intently to them and understanding what they're saying. Servant leaders strive to understand other people's intentions and perspectives. You can be more empathetic by putting aside your viewpoint temporarily, valuing others' perspectives, and approaching situations with an open mind.

In doing all of this, coaching is probably the most important servant and leadership element, to help people accomplish their goals. Servant leadership always empathizes, always accepts the person, but sometimes refuses to accept some of the person's effort or performance as good enough. Remember that servant leadership is about focusing on other people's needs – not only their feelings. Don't avoid making unpopular decisions or giving team members negative feedback when this is needed.

It is important to notice that “slaves do what others want”, while “servants do what others need”. In doing this, servant leaders are likely to have far more engaged employees and enjoy better relationships with team members and other stakeholders than leaders who don't put the interests of others before their own. In doing this, servant leaders help people develop and perform as highly as possible.

In doing all of this, servant leaders represent an amazing asset for the organizations they serve.

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"It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership." ~ Nelson Mandela

I LOOK FORWARD TO READING YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND PERSPECTIVES ON THIS IMPORTANT TOPIC. WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO CONVEY AND TO SHARE, AND EVERYONE CAN HELP US TO REFLECT, IMPROVE, LEARN, AND GROW.