“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” - Booker Washington

You may be thinking right now, what is a servant leader? What makes someone a servant leader? How do you become a good one?

In this blog, we will answer all of these questions, and how becoming a servant leader is the best thing you can do for your organization. All in all, you want to avoid becoming a dictator, and as you read through this, you will understand exactly what approach you need to take to get your team to the next level.

It’s Not About You, It’s About Them

Servant leadership begins with putting the needs of others first. For some people, that’s a difficult proposition. Leadership is about building teams, and ensuring the wellbeing of others and helping them to reach their full potential are key points of team building. If you want to be a good leader, you have to be willing to set your own needs aside and instead focus on the needs of those who depend on you. It’s not about you, it’s about them.

Servant leadership also depends on empowering others. As a leader, it’s relatively easy to become a dictator. But a true servant leader gives others a voice and a significant role when it comes to decision making. In the same vein, a good leader will raise the voices of those around them, pulling their perspectives into the conversation. That empowerment is essential to servant leadership. 

Set Your Ego Aside

Unfortunately, the same obstacle to effective servant leadership often stands in the way of becoming a good leader, and that is everyone’s natural ego. To have successful servant leadership, you must have humility, compassion, and empathy. If you can’t relate to the emotions and concerns of others, you can’t be an effective servant leader.

So, what you need to do is set your ego aside long enough to show that you really care about other people. Recognize your own flaws and fix them to the best of your ability.

Listening

It’s amazing what happens if you stop talking long enough to listen to others. You want to take your team to the next level? Make a commitment to listen to what people are saying. Don’t interrupt them in mid-sentence or cut them off to make a counterpoint. Give them your full attention. Take note of their body language. When they’re finished, acknowledge what they’ve said, give them constructive feedback, and have an open and honest conversation.

Leading By Example

To a servant leader, leading by example is natural. They take responsibility for their actions, live the values of their organization, and serve with integrity. A servant leader won’t ask something of someone they aren’t willing to do themselves, and they would never blame someone else for their own mistakes.

Mentoring

Servant leaders are committed to the personal and professional growth of others. Invest in people. Help them to achieve their full potential. All it costs you is the time you invest. But the return on that investment is immeasurable.

Empathy

Servant leaders are extremely emotionally intelligent. They try to not only understand the emotions that drive those around them, but they also care deeply. And they use that genuine concern for others to make better decisions and to approach situations with a more open mind.

Wellbeing of the Team

If a team is only as strong as its weakest link, the power of a servant leader comes from ensuring that the team doesn’t have a weakest link. A servant leader is truly and deeply concerned about the wellbeing of others and actively involves themselves in supporting them emotionally as well as physically.

Self-Awareness

Recognizing your own strengths and weaknesses is critical for a servant leader. Self-reflection and self-awareness are essential tools for growth, but they assume an even greater role when interacting with and supporting others. 

Vision

A servant leader sets a positive vision and empowers their team on the path to fulfill that vision. Any leader can set a vision, but only a servant leader will unify and empower their entire team toward that end.

So, You Want to Be an Effective Leader? Then Start With Servant Leadership

If you possess the key leadership traits and can master the skills of a servant leader, you are well on your way to becoming a great leader for your organization. Then, when the opportunity arrives, stand by them, give them a voice, and watch them succeed.

To learn more about why I stand by servant leadership and how you can implement this leadership style for your business, click here to schedule your call with Katy today!