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Leadership is a complex topic and there are multiple ways to approach a leadership role in terms of motivating people, driving change, making decisions, and setting direction. All have their advantages and disadvantages. Historically, leadership styles have tended to be authoritarian or militaristic, largely based on chain-of-command and decisive control. But as history moves forward and new generations take their place in the workforce, leadership also evolves. With the rise in understanding of the value of emotional intelligence, leadership is also evolving.
A Fresh Approach: The Servant Leader
In today’s complex, changing work world, the concept of leadership is evolving to encompass much more than dominance or command—it’s about influence, empowerment, and fostering a culture where everyone thrives. Servant leadership, originated by Robert K. Greenleaf during the 1970s, proposes a completely different leadership model, rooted in empathy and humility.
Servant leadership upends traditional ideas about how to lead, and instead proposes a transformative strategy for cultivating engaged, motivated teams and achieving sustainable business success. To quote Greenleaf himself, “The servant leader is a servant first.”
Greenleaf’s vision took, in his own words, a “fresh critical look” at “issues of power and authority.” He proposed that “a new moral principle is emerging, which holds that the only authority deserving of one's allegiance is that which is freely and knowingly granted by the led to the leader in response to … the clearly evident servant stature of the leader.” In short, Greenleaf understood the transformative power of consenting to be led by someone chosen as a leader because they are proven and trusted as a servant first.
If that seems paradoxical, let’s take a closer look by examining the power and potential of servant leadership in the modern workplace.
The Prime Directive: Grow your Team and Promote their Well-Being
Servant leadership is an emotionally intelligent, empathic way to lead others based on trust, which is arguably a key missing factor in traditional leadership models. Servant leadership offers what I believe to be a needed alternative to traditional command-and-control leadership by fostering a culture of mutual respect. Employees feel valued, heard, and empowered to contribute their best work, not only enhancing their own satisfaction and engagement but also boosting productivity, creativity, and innovation—key drivers of success. As a servant leader, your aim is to develop a culture where each member of your team trusts you and feels valued, respected, and empowered, and that they have opportunities for personal growth. Because that’s what spurs people to give their best.
The Gift that Gives Back: How Servant Leadership Benefits Organizations
Servant leadership asks leaders to treat their employees as assets worth preserving instead of liabilities, earn their trust, and put their needs first. Its key benefits include:
· Enhanced employee commitment and motivation
· Lower turnover and higher retention
· Increased productivity and innovation
· More effective, positive teamwork collaboration
The Paradox: Servant versus Leader
Robert Greenleaf’s ideas are anathema to many leaders and followers, who expect leaders to “be in charge” and issue orders and the concept of leadership to emphasize power and control rather than being based on mutual respect and agreement. Greenleaf held that “the servant leader is servant first,” meaning that the journey begins with the desire to serve the wellbeing of others, which then “brings one to aspire to lead.” The servant leader, in effect, motivates team members to give their best because the leader-team member relationship is positive, supportive, and based on leadership by two-way communication and agreement.
Conclusion
While traditional leadership styles based on command and control are by no means a thing of the past, more and more workplaces and other organizations have moved towards servant leadership over the years. I believe it’s the role of a people manager to develop and grow people. The sign of a great leader is how many leaders they themselves have grown and developed underneath their span of control and influence. I believe servant leaders do this by building genuine and trusting relationships with their direct reports/employees. They identify what their people want to be and aspire to become in their careers and personal lives and then it’s their job to help them get there. If done correctly, the productivity, engagement, retention, innovation, and financial health of the company will take care of itself.
Servant leadership involves skills and competencies that you and your team can consciously develop and encourage in others. Emotional intelligence, giving and receiving feedback, building a culture of accountability, and empathy/relationship-building are all examples that you can apply to the benefit of your organization.