Servant Leadership stands out in an ever-evolving landscape of leadership styles as one that has stood the test of time: Robert K Greenleaf first established this style to focus on team member welfare and growth for sustainable organizational success.
Leaders who place others’ needs and wellbeing first are adept at creating an enabling atmosphere, encouraging open communication and creating a shared commitment towards organizational goals. Please read further about this enduring leadership philosophy below.
1. Empowerment
When it comes to motivating and inspiring your team, there are various leadership styles you can employ. One such is servant leadership – which prioritizes employee welfare over self-interest – an effective method used for building trust while driving results in the workplace.
Robert Greenleaf first popularized servant leadership with his 1970 essay entitled, “The Servant as Leader.” Since then, its ideas have been adopted and implemented throughout non-profit and for-profit companies alike.
Empowerment is at the core of servant leadership, giving employees power and authority to make decisions that benefit the organization. Empowerment also gives employees a sense of ownership over their work which in turn increases productivity and morale.
Servant leaders need to be able to empathize with employees’ needs and challenges in order to inspire them and motivate them, actively listen to concerns or suggestions they make, make sacrifices on their behalf for the good of the company, conceptualize what their team will need long-term in order to thrive, conceptualize a long-term vision and envision success for all their teams.
Empowerment takes time and effort, but can often be challenging to implement successfully within the workplace. For instance, if an employee approaches you with a complaint against another coworker, listening and helping them resolve it should be top priority. You should also encourage participation in mentorship programs or hackathons so employees can come up with innovative solutions for problems the company faces.
2. Empathy
Before an effective leader can function, they must first have the capacity to understand others and desire to serve them. Listening carefully to employees and helping them solve problems are two elements necessary to creating effective leadership. Being able to see things from someone else’s point of view allows him to better comprehend what others are experiencing as well as provide solutions which benefit all parties involved – they should be able to distinguish between need for service and desire to control.
Servant leaders tend to exhibit natural empathy and have a genuine desire to improve the lives of their employees and those around them. They do not take power or authority for granted and believe they can make significant contributions to society as whole.
Servant leadership requires both empathy and a strong sense of community among their employees. Through working with servant leaders, employees gain a better understanding of their place within an organization as well as what role they can play towards its success, leading to increased levels of trust and loyalty from employees.
As servant leadership continues to gain popularity among researchers, more investigations are being conducted into its effects on other aspects of workplace life. Studies have demonstrated how servant leadership can reduce workplace loneliness due to the serial mediation effect created by both leaders’ empathic communication and colleagues’ empathic communication.
Servant leadership is predicated upon the idea that every human is broken in some way. While this may be an oversimplification of reality, servant leaders recognize themselves and their employees as part of a community who need healing – thus serving as healers themselves.
3. Accountability
Servant leadership relies heavily on accountability. Servant leaders set clear expectations and encourage team members to own up for their actions and outcomes, creating an atmosphere of collective accountability by encouraging support among team members for one another while challenging each other as necessary – this helps improve organizational performance while building a positive culture.
Servant leaders help their teams see the big picture rather than simply focus on numbers and goal posts. They motivate teams to consider what skills, knowledge and resources are necessary for long-term success while anticipating needs and making sure employees receive what they require when needed.
Similarly, if an employee is experiencing issues in their relationships at work, a servant leader will make time to talk through and find solutions. Servant leaders prioritize serving their team over seeking power or recognition themselves.
As organizations seek to empower their employees and create a strong team culture, this form of leadership has become more and more widespread. However, it must be noted that it requires considerable time and effort in order to be successfully implemented. Leaders who employ the servant leadership approach must be patient in taking time to get to know their team members well and understand what motivates them. Furthermore, this style may not suit all industries or organizational cultures – leaders working with highly technical or specialized teams may require taking a more directive approach than normal.
4. Integrity
A servant leader must possess an outstanding sense of integrity. They should always act openly and honestly with their team members without trying to hide things or create barriers between themselves and them. A servant leader also believes it’s crucial that all individuals be treated equally regardless of power structures within an organization; such honesty can foster greater collaboration within teams.
Servant leadership is a philosophy founded on the notion that leaders must put their team’s needs first and allow them to realize their full potential. Although often associated with spirituality, anyone can practice servant leadership regardless of religion or beliefs.
Robert K Greenleaf first coined the term “servant leadership” during a profound epiphany in 1970. An avid lifelong learner, Robert took every AT&T management class available as well as attending traditional and unconventional lectures and seminars from a range of speakers; ultimately becoming an expert in management and leadership and realizing traditional power-centered models were ineffective.
Greenleaf found inspiration for his spark of insight in Hermann Hesse’s Journey to the East, when Leo accompanies a group of spiritual seekers on their travels by running all of their errands for them and making sure they feel supported and happy on their quest. Greenleaf saw in this the essence of leadership–serving others, which was also powerful way to build an effective organization.
Today, servant leadership remains highly relevant and has an immense effect on how we work. It can help promote collaboration within organizations as well as inspire employees to reimagine their roles and responsibilities differently.
5. Accountability
One of the hallmarks of a servant leader is being responsible to their teams and understanding how their actions influence them; while continually looking for ways to best serve their teams.
Servant leaders are committed to developing their people. They focus on the expansion and growth of their team rather than worrying about gaining an advantage or staying at the top. This means providing training and promotions even if it will reduce competition over time.
Servant leaders also take the time to reflect upon and develop themselves, becoming aware of their own values and strengths in order to understand both their weaknesses as well as those around them. This type of leadership not only benefits individuals individually but it can create more harmonious teams overall.
Servant leadership offers a more holistic and ethical approach to leadership. It promotes collaboration, teamwork and empowerment and can be applied in various business contexts. However, certain roles such as military or first responder operations may require a more hierarchical management style in order to maintain discipline and ensure operational efficiency.
Greenleaf is widely recognized as being the originator of servant leadership in 1970 when he first wrote “The Servant as Leader,” later expanding upon it and compiling them into a book as well as lecturing and teaching about it throughout his lifetime.
