SERVANT LEADERSHIP: LEAD MORE EFFECTIVELY BY SERVING YOUR TEAM

What is servant leadership?

The servant leadership style is based on the idea that leaders prioritize serving the greater good. Leaders with this style serve their team and organization first. They don’t prioritize their own objectives.

Traditional vs Servant leadership

Servant leadership and traditional leadership employ different techniques and offer vastly different outcomes.

With a traditional leadership approach, the leader encourages people to do their jobs by providing them with guidance, direction, and motivation. The main focus of a traditional leader is to improve the business position of the company or the organization in the market.

Servant leadership occurs when the leader's main goal and responsibility is to provide service to their people. A servant leader focuses on the people that are directly below them, rather than the company as a whole. In servant leadership, the leader ensures that the followers are growing in all areas — their profession, knowledge, autonomy, and even their health and physical development.

?How servant leadership can empower your team?

Employees in a servant leadership environment are more likely to feel that their voices are heard. This makes them 4.6 times more likely to work to the best of their abilities.

The servant leader moves beyond the transactional aspects of management, and instead actively seeks to develop and align an employee's sense of purpose with the company mission. The fruits of these labors are bountiful, servant leadership advocates say. Empowered staff will perform at a high, innovative level. Employees feel more engaged and purpose-driven, which in turn increases the organization's retention and lowers turnover costs. Well-trained and trusted staffers continue to develop as future leaders, thus helping to ensure the long-term viability of the organization.?

Servant leaders build relationships with staff primarily by listening closely and by asking many questions—on anything from the employee's background to detailed queries about their assessment of the firm's business environment. If an employee is struggling, a servant leader asks questions about what might be impeding his or her progress. Even questions about smaller aspects of operations, such as the best use of time during meetings. And the emphasis on questions works both ways. Employees should feel comfortable asking the servant leader questions without worrying that the leader will feel badgered, threatened, or implicitly criticized. Such questions help drive the development and growth of the employee.?

7 characteristics of servant leadership-

1. Teamwork: The team needs to come first.?
2. Employee satisfaction: Employee satisfaction and cooperation turn the wheel.?
3. Adaptability: Servant leadership varies from revenue-focused sales environments to non-profit organizations that set out to promote social good.?
4. Motivation: Servant leaders provide high levels of support to employees, fuelling motivation and engagement.
5. Transparent communication: The team trusts a leader who can provide clarity, even in complex, changing situations.?
6. Authenticity: Servant leaders need to genuinely care about the individual and team development. Leadership must embrace authenticity.
7. Accountability: Ownership activates commitment and purpose. Employees work toward goals they’ve set for themselves and take responsibility for the results.