We need servant leaders! What exactly is a servant leader anyway? It sounds archaic when you think about it. no one really wants to be a servant these days. While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said:” The servant-leader is servant first …It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, serve first.”
But long before Robert K. Greenleaf thought about writing his essay the scripture tells us in Matthew 20:25-28 (NLT), what Jesus said about leadership: But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” However in today’s society what we call leaders has nothing to do with serving others but rather ourselves and the bottom line. We want everyone to know we’re the ones with the power.
“Being in power is like being a lady if you have to remind people you are you aren’t”, Margaret Thatcher
The servant-leader shares power; puts the needs of others first and everyone on your team knows that you’re “there for them.” You check in with them often to see how they are, and you help them develop the skills they need to advance their careers, even if this means that they may move on. you also make an effort to see situations from their perspectives. A servant leader makes decisions with the team’s best interests in mind and ensures that everyone has the resources and knowledge they need to meet their objectives.
As a result of this, your team is one of the most successful in the department, with low staff turnover and high engagement. Ten most important characteristics of servant leaders are: Listening, empathy, healing, self-awareness, conceptualization, foresight, persuasion, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community. For this writing, I have chosen to focus on five of them that seem to challenge our leaders and make the greatest impact with the people they lead.
1. Listening
We all want to be heard. Listen to them to gain a full understanding as to what they’re saying. Engage them fully without interruption and give them feedback on what they shared.
2. Empathy
Servant leaders strive to understand other people’s intentions and perspectives. You can put aside your viewpoint temporarily, valuing others’ perspectives, and approaching situations with an open mind.
3. Healing
This characteristic relates to the emotional health and “wholeness” of people and involves supporting them both physically and mentally. First, make sure that your people have what they need to do their jobs effectively, and that they have a healthy work environment. There is no substitute for wholeness. This will make a positive impact on the people you serve and the customers they serve. It’s a win-win.
4. Persuasion
“If your actions inspire people to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader” John Quincy Adams. Servant leaders use persuasion – rather than their authority – to encourage people to take action. They also aim to build agreement in their groups so that everyone supports decisions. People are more apt to listen to you when you inspire them.
5. Commitment to the Growth of People
Servant leaders are committed to the personal and professional development of everyone on their teams. Train them and give them the skills they need to do their jobs effectively. Also, find out what their personal goals are, and see if you can give them projects or additional responsibilities that will help them to achieve them.
6. Building Community
This is vital to any working relationship, you must build a sense of community within your organization. You can do this by providing opportunities for people to interact with one another across the company. For instance, you could organize social events such as team lunches and cookouts, arrange your workspace to encourage people to chat informally away from their desks, and dedicate the first few minutes of meetings to non-work-related conversations. Encourage people to take responsibility for their work, and remind them how what they do contributes to the success and overall objectives of the organization.
I challenge you to take these five characteristics and develop them within yourself and see the difference it will make in you as a leader and the impact it will have on your organization as a whole. I wrote about this topic because of the countless people I hear from about their horrible bosses making their lives miserable. In light of this pandemic, we have a lot of time for reflection and we get to make some adjustments to move forward better. We have an opportunity to look deep within ourselves and ask the hard questions about what we can do better and what we need ourselves to make that happen.
I’ve found that people don’t quit their jobs, they quit their bosses.
