Blog: Servant Leadership

Well, at the risk of being redundant, I’m going to be talking about leadership again. Of course, I will be taking a different perspective and will be introducing you to a style of leadership that many of you may or may not have heard of.

The particular leadership style that I will be looking at is that of the Servant Leader.

The reason that I wanted to look at this particular style of leadership is because it runs against the grain of normal leadership styles, and what mainstream culture would say leadership is.

The first picture that comes to mind when you think about a leader, we’ll go with a leader within the business context, is not the picture that is painted by a servant leader. When most people think of a leader they probably picture someone dressed in an expensive suit commanding a room. They can walk in and everyone gets a little nervous because they have this presence that commands respect and attention. This leader is probably slightly aloof and has a no-holds-barred, get things done sort of attitude. The servant leader, as I said previously, paints quite the opposite picture, and this can be seen through the 10 characteristics of a servant leader, according to Larry C. Spears, which can be found on Wikipedia.

1. Listening:  A servant leader is concerned with listening to their subordinates. Besides allowing you to find out some crucial information from the people who are getting a lot of the work done, it makes sure that your subordinates feel valued, instead of making them feel that they are just part of some large corporate machine.
2. Empathy: This aspect of a servant leader requires you to view those under as you human beings who need respect for what they are going through.  This also will make those under you feel valued and important in the workplace.
3. Healing: A servant leader is able to help people work through their problems and bring reconciliation to a situation. “This leads to the formation of a business culture, in which the working environment is dynamic, fun and free of the fear of failure.”
4. Awareness: A servant leader, as well as any good leader, is able to get the big picture view of a situation. This also involves being able to assess what is going on with your workers as well as with yourself.
5. Persuasion: A servant leader does not use their status and power to force their employees into compliance. Rather they try to convince those under them of their position.
6. Conceptualization: A servant leader is not only focused on the here and now, but is also looking to the future.  A servant leader has to be able to plan ahead and have a vision for where the group is going in addition to being able to handle what is going on now.
7. Foresight:  A servant leader is able to see the probable outcome of a situation. This involves learning from past mistakes and being able to apply those lessons to the current situation. This particular quality can keep the group from many unnecessary downfalls.
8. Stewardship: A servant leader looks at their position not as one of status and power, but rather a responsibility to serve and communicate with those under them. It is something to be stewarded, as this characteristic so aptly spells out for us.
9. Commitment to the Growth of People: This characteristic requires the leader to recognize that people have an intrinsic value far beyond that of just what they contribute in the workplace. This characteristic leads to things such as setting up or funding programs within the company that help people develop themselves and their skills.
10. Building Community: A servant leader develops a strong community amongst the people they are leading. Having a strong community will also allow the community to run itself to a certain degree. If you have a strong community and have developed and mentored leaders within that community, you won’t have to micromanage as much as provide overall direction because there will be a sense of community and trust developed between all those in the community.

So as you can see, a servant leader uses these characteristics and the people that they have invested in to get things done instead of using their power and position on the corporate ladder. Those are the types of people that go really far with their leadership.

What do you guys think? Is this possibly one of the best leadership models? Or do you have another model that you think works better?