How do I practice servant leadership?

Have you ever had a boss who pushed you to produce, to the point where you felt burnt out?

As a leader, have you ever wondered why your employees just won't comply?

Elisabeth Moss walking down the hall with cigarette in her mouth like she owns the place.

Servant leadership might be the solution for both scenarios.

Through this kind of leadership, relationships between leaders and employees are built on trust, motivation, commitment, and recognition. Employees thrive and leaders are willing to serve their staff members, which allows for a better dynamic between boss and employee.

What is servant leadership?

Man and woman sitting at a desk, high-fiving with smiles on their faces.

In servant leadership, leaders put their employees first and seek ways to develop their potential. Servant leadership differs from the traditional leadership model where leaders are in charge and hold all the power.

Man takes hat off head and bows. The text reads, 'At your service.'

To be successful, the culture of the organization must be set up for servant leadership to thrive . Leaders must be willing to:

serve their employees and set aside any selfish mindsets.
ask questions of their employees to get to know them.
think about ways they can develop their talent.

Did you know?

Servan leadership has been around since 600 B.C. and can be traced back to Chinese sage Lao Tzu (modernservantleader.com)

What qualities do servant leaders have?

Person says to another: 'I know you can do this.'

Successful servant leaders:

Are willing to serve others.
Have great listening skills.
Ask questions to learn more.
Have empathy.
Know how to encourage others.
Build trust.
Have a vision for your organization.

Quiz

A company has been seeing a decline in investments. There is talk of lay-offs. What would a servant leader do in this scenario?

Warn staff that they might want to leave

Prepare to lay off staff

Put their own money into the business

Try to problem solve how to keep staff

What are the benefits of servant leadership?

Gif says, 'You've come so far' from Law and Order.

Servant leadership helps to:

Increase employee performance.
Retain more employees.
Promote organizational growth.
Increase organizational performance.
Increase organizational capacity.
Grow leadership amongst employees.

Quiz

Which of the following questions would a servant leader ask of staff?

What do you need to succeed?

How can we boost your productivity?

Why are you always turning in late work?

Did you know?

Southwest Airlines is recognized as a model servant leadership corporation. The founder's (Herb Kelleher) philosophy of putting employees first resulted in a highly engaged, low-turnover workforce and 35-plus consecutive years of profitability, an unheard-of record in the turbulent airline industry (Shrm.org).

How can you practice servant leadership?

Two women sitting at a table, seemingly talking.

Servant leadership can start from an employee's onboarding by asking them their thoughts and impressions on the process, which shows them that their voice matters.

Other ways you practice servant leadership are:

Discovering stressors and seeking to remove any for your employees.
Showing appreciation and recognition for your employees.
Understanding employees as individuals and acknowledging big moments in their lives.
Removing employees' obstacles.

Woman saying 'What do you need and I will deliver.'