Servant Leadership

Approximately 12 years ago, I heard this term for the first time. Although I wasn't leading an organization, I always tried to help others to either get what they wanted or connect them to others who could be beneficial to them and their businesses. Upon first hearing the words, 'servant leader' the term sounded demeaning. It felt like a subordinate role. Yet, it was exactly what I was doing, serving others. But, I was serving in a different way than in most situations. Most of us have always thought of leaders as strong, even authoritative, paving the way for others to follow. Not so with servant leadership.

Upon further research on servant leadership, I found it was something I had been doing unknowingly for quite some time. Again, it wasn't in a traditional corporate role, but more of a free range role. By that, I mean that I was serving others in a non-traditional, unstructured role, but was doing it nevertheless. This led to many great relationships within my network. The reward was seeing others get to a better place. Whether it was sharpening networking and sales skills, connecting with strategic partners, etc., it was and is rewarding to watch.

In traditional corporate leadership roles as referenced earlier, the leader's main focus is on the company or organization. Therefore, subordinates serve the leader and organization. There is little if any emphasis on the improvement or advancement of the people. They are expected to put the needs of the entity first and follow the leader's directives.

The servant leader believes in improving the lives of those he or she serves. It's about empowering people to better their situations, grow and become the best they can be. The servant leader also accepts that the people he or she serves, may move on, despite the culture of inclusion and empowerment. When this happens, the traditional reaction is "where's the loyalty?", or "it's the last time I'll ever help an employee. Do something nice for them and they thank you by leaving the company." In reality, the leader should be happy for the former employee, that he or she is moving on to the next stage of their professional evolution. The servant leader does derive satisfaction from helping others get what they want, even if it means seeing them move on.

Servant leadership may be difficult to grasp among those who still believe in traditional management. However, organizations headed by servant leaders tend to have lower turnover, higher productivity and a greater percentage of employees who have higher job satisfaction.

Servant leadership in business, can be implemented at any size entity, whether you have one employee or thousands. In the book CEO Excellence, there is quite a bit of material on leadership styles and the importance of the people throughout the organization. What the authors describe in the book, based on their CEO interviews, is predominately servant leadership. It's amazing what people will do for you, if you help them get what they want out of their jobs, businesses and everyday lives.

Where does an employer begin? Start by finding top people to fill key roles. Then, provide them with all the tools they need to thrive in those roles. Meet with them and find what they want out of life and their careers. Give them the power to make decisions and let them know it's alright to make mistakes.

Of course, there must be some structure and guidelines in place, otherwise the business may devolve into chaos. Empower your people and let them fly. You'll be amazed at the change in culture, attitude, loyalty, and productivity.