What is Servant Leadership?

Servant leadership is a business philosophy that emphasizes the act of the leader, such as a manager or supervisor, focusing on the growth and development of their employees and ensuring their success.  In doing so, the leader succeeds when their employees do.  In a business team, servant leadership cannot only help employees achieve and grow, but it can also benefit their leaders and the company as a whole.

A Desire to Serve

It is a leader’s responsibility to guide their followers on the right path.  But to become a better leader, it’s not enough just to take the wheel and steer – you must also be willing to serve your followers and assist them in their own journey.  A servant leader should have a desire to serve their employees, which includes taking the time to identify your employees and how they perform or being beside them as they face challenges.  Take the time to assist in their growth and help them work toward achieving their goals.  Don’t be afraid to give yourself into their processes and become part of their evolvement.

Knowing to Share the Power

As a leader, it is a common feeling to absorb the ‘power’ of the position and a have a sense of superiority. A servant leader does not save this power only for themselves because they learn to share it with their team of employees.  Employees under a servant leader should feel some of the servant leader’s power and pull, which can make them feel more empowered in their place on the team and in their own abilities.  Sharing the power allows employees to feel like their contributions matter and that their input is valued.

Share the power by:

• Delegating
• Asking employee opinions
• Working together on challenges or projects
• Taking a census, when possible

Putting Others First

One of the main principles of servant leadership is the act of putting other’s needs ahead of your own.  As a leader, we can sometimes think in the ‘ME’ mentality and want to focus on our own agenda and needs.  But in servant leadership, the leader must focus on his team of employees first before focusing on themselves.  The leader should focus on what the employee needs or wants, how they can achieve this and how it will make them successful in the long run.  A leader should strive to develop relationships and even friendships with their employees and deliver feedback when possible.  They must be able to set their own ego aside and realize that without their team of employees, no one can be successful.

Helping Employees Grow

Once again, as a leader, we can focus on our own goals, responsibilities and even our own challenges.  But as a servant leader, the needs of the employee should come first and the main goal should be to help them succeed and grow in the company.  A good leader knows that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so everyone benefits when every employee is encouraged, mentored and motivated.  Sometimes this may mean you’ll have to share in successes as well as failures, but every goal set and worked together is another stepping stone for the employee and helps them work toward their ultimate target.

Help employees grow by:

• Encourage goals
• Give feedback when possible
• Listen to their questions and requests
• Offer help but don’t complete things for them

For more on our Servant Leadership course, please visit:

https://corporatetrainingmaterials.com/course/Servant_Leadership