With the dawn of the new era of sheer competition amidst the corporate world, it is not unusual to find entrepreneurs piercing for efficient ways to develop a strong team and achieve their goals. Now the question arises- “What is the right strategy for a coherent leadership?” Greenleaf in 1970s for the first time coined the term- “Servant Leadership” which advocates the philosophy of the servant as a leader. If you aspire to win over the biggest challenge in business i.e. leadership and emerge as a successful entrepreneur servant leadership would be the right choice.
What is servant leadership?
Servant leadership works on the ideology of putting your people before yourself. A servant leader leads not for his own self-interest but with others in mind. If you are amongst the ones who have an intense longing to serve for the betterment of this society and to make a difference with your thoughts, servant leadership is meant for you. It can take your career to astronomical heights.
Servant leadership enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and spread love and care amongst people to build a better world. Many incredibly successful companies Whole Foods, UPS, and Ritz Carlton have implemented this model of leadership to reach great heights.
What is the difference between servant leadership and traditional leadership?
A traditional leader works for power and prestige or perhaps, is behind material possessions. A traditional leader puts himself at the top of the power pyramid.
Servant leadership, on the other hand, caters to the needs of the people. A servant leader upends the power pyramid to fulfill the interest of the team and his clients before his own. He takes into consideration whether the highest priorities of the team are being met.
Many times, leadership unknowingly takes the form of dictatorship. A servant leader instead of barking orders, gives opportunities to his team members to take the lead. This instils confidence in them and consequently builds a strong bond of relationship.
Qualities of the servant leader
Following are the qualities you need to imbibe to unfold as a victorious servant leader.
- A servant leader encourages his team to the fullest. In the darkest of times, he doesn’t leave his team alone but constantly works towards boosting their confidence and delivering better. With his praises and persistent motivation, he streamlines their efforts towards success.
- A servant leader develops a relationship of trust. He believes in Triumph in trust. He endorses this philosophy by his words and actions. He works towards winning his employees with faith. As a result, even in adverse conditions, the team doesn’t lose its confidence in him.
- A servant leader prioritizes the team before himself. The ‘I, ME AND MYSELF’ kind of an attitude is disqualified.
- He prefers persuasion over command and control. He has the power to convey rather than convince. A servant leader strives to understand and share the feeling of his team members and clients.
- They put care before profit. He acts with humility and takes care of everyone’s needs and wants. A servant leader harmonically blends characteristics of leadership with service.
- Servant leaders are passionately aware of their team members well-being. They are concerned about the employees’ social life along with their work life. They always keep a check that nothing haunts their employees so that they can prosper more effectively.
How can you implement servant leadership in your organization?
In order to implement servant leadership and reap its benefits, you should make it an integral part of your actions and words in the day-to-day routine.
Start investing time with your team. Have some healthy conversation apart from their work-life. Show them that you care for them and their loved ones. Spending time with your employees will help to connect yourself with them and build a deep-rooted relationship. Soon you will see that this will do wonders to your organization and peace and joy will thrive in your surroundings.
Avoid limiting yourself while serving. A servant leader is not even ashamed of cleaning the toilets if there is a necessity. Always be ready to roll on your sleeves and get to work. Your team will sense this attitude and will learn the same.
Instil a culture where no work is small and is vital dawns on the entire team. Teach people to get out of their comfort zones and show them the sight beyond the horizons of their narrow cocoons.
Let others see you serving and encourage them to join in. Take up tasks, share your experiences, lessons learned and happiness you achieved. Motivate them to join hands and inculcate the faith in them that they will get the same as you if they contribute.
Shed that bossy-kind of an attitude. Reveal to them the beauty of coming together and prospering by complimenting each other’s skills and capabilities.
How can servant leadership enrich your organization?
Servant leadership will help your team realize their true potential, will inculcate a selfless attitude, build strong connections among the team members and will show them what actually does TEAM-WORK means. It will contribute to erecting a healthy atmosphere in the company where there is a lot of synergies and everyone is passionately thriving to achieve a common goal with empathy and trust as the foundation of the team. Henceforth, this will lead to enriching the organization and will bring joy and prosperity to all.
Final Thoughts
Till now, you might have gained many meaning insights and have already realized the immense importance of servant leadership in today’s corporate world in order to be at par with your competitors. The centuries-old models no longer serve their purpose. It is high time that the new co-founders and CEOs follow the servant leadership model to achieve unbeatable records and reach unimaginable heights.
A leader who has his employees and clients as the foremost priority is bound to receive immense love and support and conquer all the hurdles with his altruistic attitude.
