In recent posts, I have written about a productivity framework and the time management skills…
Servant Leadership – Unleashing the Potential of Your Team
Servant Leadership is a powerful concept ideally suited todays challenging, top-down, data driven world.
Originally promulgated by Robert Greenleaf in the 1970’s, (and largely since forgotten), it proposes the leader is a “servant” of others, in particular, employees.
Servant Leadership is about supporting employees and equipping them to do what is needed.
It is a mindset, not a technique!
Servant Leadership is the reverse of that practiced by many of todays self-interested corporate leaders.
Servant Leadership and Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs, the visionary behind Apple, echoed a similar sentiment later in life when he acknowledged that “employing people smarter than himself, and then getting out of the way” was key to his later success.
As a young man this was not the case, but over his life journey he matured. While still driven and demanding, he saw the power of getting out of the way and letting people do what they were employed to do.
Servant Leadership: Start With Mindset.
Servant Leadership isn’t about a lack of accountability and standards.
It is also not about ceding responsibility, nor not striving to achieve your Business Vision.
It is however about letting go of autocratic hierarchical top-down management styles and doing everything you can to help your people succeed.
Why Servant Leadership Works.
At its heart, business culture is about people.
People are individuals, emotional beings who yearn to excel and feel valued. Not mere numbers on a spreadsheet.
Most seek meaning in what they do, and a sense of purpose beyond their pay cheque.
A Personal Journey: The Power of Servant Leadership.
Allow me to share a personal experience from my time working in the corporate world during the mid-1990s.
Our business unit was struggling, and our leader, under immense pressure from above, inadvertently transferred that stress to us during our Monday morning meetings. The atmosphere was tense, and morale was plummeting.
One brave senior Unit Leader finally spoke up, expressing frustration at the counterproductive nature of the meetings.
This opened the floodgates, and others, including myself, shared their sentiments.
Rather than reacting negatively, our leader absorbed the feedback, called for a second meeting later that day, and made a transformative decision.
He apologised, declared an end to the Monday meetings, and granted us the autonomy to lead our teams as we saw fit. He also committed to supporting us in any way needed.
His commitment to Servant Leadership, trusting us and providing the necessary support, turned the tide. Within months, our unit not only recovered but emerged as the top-performing group in the state.
This took real courage on his behalf, but he was ultimately rewarded.
Ways to Transform Your Leadership Style.
At its core Servant Leadership is about caring, genuinely for others. Doing everything you can to help them enjoy better outcomes.
How you go about it will depend on the type of business you run, however some thought-starters include:
Dealing With Set-backs and Challenges.
Some thought-starters for dealing with set-backs and challenges:
Two Questions to Get Started.
Servant Leadership is about supporting your team and empowering them to succeed.
It is the reverse of the old world, hierarchical, top-down approach used by some many leaders today.
To start your servant leadership journey key questions to ask include:
To learn more about how you can transform your business through Servant Leadership don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Finally never forget, Servant Leadership is a mindset, not a technique.
Bruce Hall.
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