Servant Leadership: A People-First Approach to Leadership
Servant leadership can help you lead differently - building strong teams who are personally and professionally satisfied, with increased engagement, motivation, and work quality.
Getting the best out of your team means finding the right management style that can build trust and motivation, and generate results.
The style of leadership you choose will also depend on your goals and your own individual leadership style.
Perhaps you have a desire to work toward the greater good or inspire your employees to make an impact? If this is you, then the servant leadership model can help you to achieve your goals.
What is servant leadership?
Instead of employees serving the leader, the leader serves the employees.
Within a traditional leadership approach, the leader encourages their team to work through guidance, direction and motivation. Their main focus is to improve the position of the company or organization.
Servant leadership was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in “The Servant as Leader” (1970), and offers an approach where a leader’s main goal is to provide service to their people.
Servant leaders do this by focusing on the people within their team, rather than the entire company. In this way, a servant leader puts others' needs first and supports team members to develop and perform at their best.
A servant leader knows that when their team members feel personally and professionally fulfilled they experience greater employee satisfaction and collaboration, leading to high-quality work with greater efficiency.
Businesses that apply this model of leadership have been seen to propagate servant leadership behaviors among employees, building stronger work cultures and increasing employee morale and engagement.
Core principles and characteristics of servant leadership
Empowerment
As a servant leader, your role is to empower your team members by entrusting them with autonomy, fostering an environment of trust, and providing the resources needed for growth.
Clarity
You provide crystal-clear direction and vision, ensuring that every member of your team understands their part in achieving shared goals. This clarity fuels a sense of purpose and unity.
Growth
Servant leadership encourages the personal and professional growth of team members, helping them unlock their full potential.
How to become a servant leader
According to Greenleaf, the most important characteristic of a servant leader is to prioritize serving instead of leading. This is possible when, as leaders, we:
1. Listen
By listening to what your team has to say (before speaking your mind), you provide space and opportunity for everyone to be heard, and to know that their opinions matter.
By asking for feedback and giving your full attention to both verbal and non-verbal communication from your team, you can build trust and gather meaningful insights into growth opportunities.
2. Have empathy and care for team members
Servant leaders cultivate a friendly environment and have empathy for their team members, caring about them on a personal level.
They value others’ perspectives and know that a happy and fulfilled team contributes to successful business outcomes.
When your team know they matter as individuals (beyond their role as an employee), they are more likely to be happy to be at work and to deliver quality work.
3. Support team growth and development through foresight and resourcefulness
An effective servant leader will identify and anticipate employee needs, empowering them to accomplish their tasks with timely resourcing and development.
This means not only focusing on being a great leader yourself, but also helping your team members to become great leaders, by encouraging their participation in continuing education and development opportunities.
4. Build a community
In your role as a servant leader, you can generate a shared sense of community and team collaboration.
This arises from encouraging your team to delegate when needed, fostering professional relationships and involving your team in decision-making.
5. Communicate a shared vision
Teams who hold a shared vision for the work they are completing generally find greater meaning in their work and are willing to work harder to reach a goal.
As a servant leader, part of your work will be to communicate (and develop) this shared vision with your team, making sure to share why the work they do is important to the overall success of the vision.
Recognizing achievements and celebrating reaching team goals helps to sustain team engagement, motivation and enjoyment in the work.
Pros and cons of servant leadership
The servant leadership style can increase employee motivation and innovation. This is because servant leaders establish autonomy and creative choice for team members. This has a positive ripple effect, strengthening workplace culture, lowering staff turnover, and maintaining employee engagement and collaboration over time.
However, this model takes time and energy to properly implement. It requires ongoing reflection and adjustment, and there is no set end point to reach.
All in all, adopting a servant leadership style can be a powerful approach for effective leadership, whether you’re an emerging or experienced leader.
If you’re unsure if this is the right choice for your workplace, speaking with an experienced executive coach can help to narrow down your leadership style and develop personalized strategies for your situation.
Support to develop your leadership style
Hi, I’m Heath Hatchett. I’m an executive coach for leaders of all levels in tech. After 25+ years leading organizational change and growing high-performance teams in Silicon Valley, I know the power that transformational leaders have to shift the status quo into something truly extraordinary. I believe everyone deserves a great leader, and every leader deserves the support to BE that great leader.
My approach to coaching is results-driven, but process-oriented. I will help you gain perspective, presence, clarity, and confidence so you can use your strengths to progress toward your goals and become the center of a much greater ripple effect.
Investing in executive coaching isn't just about your career; it's an investment in your personal growth, your team's success, and your organization's future. Leadership success in tech hinges on continuous learning and adaptability.
If you're ready to take your leadership to the next level, let’s connect for a free 45-minute conversation to explore your questions and discover how I can support your unique leadership journey.
Interested in learning more about me and my approach to coaching? Let's talk for 45 minutes to explore your questions and see how I can help.
If you’d like to find out more about how executive coaching can support you with your leadership journey, I offer a free 45-Minute Chemistry Call, where we explore your questions and see how I can help.
