Servant Leadership

What is service leadership?  Do I want to be a servant leader?

Before I did any research on Servant Leadership, I assumed that the leader acts as a ”servant” to his or her followers. Think about the definition of servant-“a person employed by another, especially to perform domestic duties.” (dictionary.com) Doesn’t sound like a leader to me. However, the concept is actually quite different

Developed by Robert Greenleaf in 1970, Servant Leadership has become quite a popular and successful tool for managers and leaders alike.  The Servant Leader does not think about numbers or the bottom line.  The Servant Leaders thinks of his or her employees and their needs first.  They do this by helping their followers in any way until they have reached their highest potential.  Greenleaf thought that people that are served have more potential.  He states, "The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature."

Servant leaders have very high moral values and a put a great amount of passion into developing their employees.  They are also very involved in developing a community outside the workplace.  They are great listeners, are empathetic and non-judgmental.  They see themselves equals to their employees.  Think of a pyramid:  the CEO would be at the top of the pyramid, the next level down would be the executives and so on.  In Servant Leadership, there would be no such hierarchy. Everyone would be on the same level.    

Not everyone can be this type of leader.  I think that compassion for others and putting their needs above your own is an innate quality.  I also think that this kind of leadership probably works well with leaders that work in the public sector or human rights.  I am not criticizing it, but where would our economy, or America even be if some leaders did not think of the needs of their shareholders first?  However, we all know what that kind of greed can do.  But that is another subject altogether.

If you want my opinion, I think that many styles of leadership are needed for different jobs.  Sometimes we need a take-charge style of leader, and sometimes we need a leader that puts other’s needs above all else.  But one thing they all must have: INTEGRITY.